2007 News

Healthy Haywood Recognizes Respiratory Care Week – October 21 – 27th

October 19, 2007

In recognition of Respiratory Care Week October 21-27, the Healthy Haywood Asthma Action Team has prepared a list of actions or activities to raise awareness of the importance of breathing well. The list includes:

1.  Get a flu shot!  

     The flu is a highly contagious respiratory illness that occurs annually.  Most people seriously affected by seasonal influenza are the very old and the very young which is why these groups of people should strongly consider getting a yearly vaccination.  Not only does getting the shot protect yourself, but others around you.

      The Haywood County Health Department is offering flu shots on October 24, 25, and 26th at the Lake Junaluska Assembly from 9 AM – 6PM.  The cost of the shot is $25 for the flu immunization and $28 for a pneumonia immunization.  Insurance companies that will be accepted for these vaccinations are Medicaid, Medicare A&B,Medicare D, Humana (Humana Gold), Tricare, and Unicare.  If there is vaccine left after the Junaluska clinics, the vaccine will be available to the public by appointment only at the Haywood County Health Department. 

2.  Support a smoke free restaurant!  

     If your favorite restaurant is not smoke-free, ask them to consider it. You can see a list of smoke-free restaurants below.

3.  Carpool to work, school and meetings!

     Also, while driving, go the speed limit, limit idling, keep you engine tuned up, and if you can, buy a low emission vehicle.  All these things help reduce car pollution.

4.  Breath Deeply!

     Take time out to incorporate breathing exercises into your daily routine to help strengthen your respiratory muscles. Try surfing the internet for proper breathing techniques and breathing exercises that work best for you.

5.  Check the air quality each day!

     You can go to www.airnow.gov for a daily update of the air quality in your area.

6.  Don’t smoke!

     If you’re a smoker, challenge yourself this week by trying to smoke one less cigarette an hour, a day, the entire week, or quit altogether.  If you smoke in your home with other non-smokers, step outside.  Also, don’t smoke in the car with a non-smoker. 
Respect their need to breath clean air.  Secondhand smoke has many poisonous chemicals in it that are dangerous to everyone’s health.  Secondhand smoke can also make allergies, heart disease, asthma, bronchitis, and other breathing problem much worse.

7.  Exercise each day!

     Try exercising 20-30 minutes a day.  If you want to improve your lung capacity, do aerobic exercises. This means, anything that gets you breathing hard. Your body responds to the demands you place upon it with increased efficiency across all areas of function.  So, the more you exercise your lungs by running, biking, jump roping, dancing, boxing, roller blading,
playing basketball, etc, the stronger your lungs will be.

8.  Reduce Asthma Triggers in your home!

       Avoid using aerosols, dust and vacuum often, and change your home furnace or air filter regularly.

9.  Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink!

       Products made using recovered rather than virgin or raw materials use significantly less energy. Less energy used means less burning of fossil
fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas. When burned, these fuels release pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and carbon monoxide, into the air.  So reduce, reuse, recycle, rethink.  The next time you go shopping, take your own reusable bags.

So remember, we can all breath better by making a few changes each day.  Changing unhealthy habits are challenging, so stop, take a few deep breaths, and soon the changes you’ve made will become healthy habits.  Healthy Haywood is a program of he Haywood County Health Department and a certified Healthy Carolinians partnership.  To learn more about Asthma or if you’re interested in participating in Healthy Haywood’s Asthma Action Team, contact coordinator Steffie Duginske at 452-6675 for more information.   End

Family Fun Day Brought Fun & Education

September 12, 2007

The 9th annual Family Fun Day which was held on Sunday, August 26 at the Canton Recreation Park was a huge success!  Approximately 400 families attended the Healthy Haywood & Health Department event along with over 40 volunteers.

In addition to educational health information, families enjoyed themselves with

free swimming at Canton Rec. Park’s outdoor pool, free tubing donated by Old River Outdoor Adventures, healthy snacks, bubbly play,  a DJ,  sac races, puppet shows, door prizes, fire safety house and fire trucks, a bouncy house for the kids, a dance demonstration and so much more

This event was sponsored by the Asthma, Cancer, Obesity Prevention, and Mental Health Actions Teams, which are all projects of Healthy Haywood. Healthy Haywood is a program of the Haywood County Health Department.

Groups and organizations that volunteered for this event: Canton Parks and Recreation, Haywood County Recreation and Parks, Haywood County Schools, Glory Hound Events, TRU Club, Haywood Community Connections, Girl Scouts, NC Cooperative Extension/Haywood County, Mountain Projects, Land and Sky Clean Air Campaign, American Cancer Society, TABU 21, Canton Fire Department, Mission Hospital, Haywood County EMS, The Dance Connection, Waynesville Fire Department, Clyde Fire Department, the Sheriff’s Department, Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center, Center Pigeon Fire Department, Haywood County Health Department, Health Check Health Choice, Old River Outdoor Adventures, Waynesville Recreation Center, and several Haywood County citizens interested in promoting health in the community.  End

Healthy Haywood’s TABU 21 Training:  Educational and Successful

February 2, 2007

TABU 21 (Teens Against Booze Under 21) is a teen driven program that uses trained high school students to spread the word to other students in the community about the effects of alcohol on the body, physical, social and emotional consequences one can experience from the misuse of alcohol, and North Carolina laws and statistics associated with alcohol use, misuse, and underage drinking. 

The mission of the program is to help youth make informed and determined choices to be alcohol-free at least while they are under the age of alcohol use.

On Saturday, January 27th, 6 youth took the challenge and dedicated 6 hours to the TABU 21 training.  The training took place at Haywood County Agricultural & Activities Center and lasted from 10 am to 4 pm.

Students were awarded a T-shirt and certificate of completion which allows them to peer teach the information they learned within the community.

Students who took part in the training were:  Liza Guinn (16) from Bethel Christian Academy, Paige Jones (16), and Julia Turner (16) from Tuscola High School, Emily Rector (14), Heather Garrett (15), and Blake Hemingway (14) from Haywood Early College.  Lydia Moody and Gini Jones from Tuscola High School were trained in 2006 and will also be participating in the 2007 teaching process.

Volunteers and guest speakers included Waynesville Police Department Sgt. Tim Oneal/Drug Recognition Expert, & Waynesville Police Department Officer Jeff Howell/ Dare Officer, who showed the students how a drunk driver is identified, and assisted the students in driving golf carts while students wore DWI goggles that simulated the vision of a drunk driver.  North Carolina Highway Patrol Trooper Joe Henderson shared NC laws and statistics.  Dr. Hugh Burford, citizen and volunteer on Healthy Haywood’s Mental Health Action Team, shared effects of alcohol on the brain and body.

Community organizations who helped make this event successful were Lake Junaluska Golf Course which donated 2 golf carts, Ramey Wrecking who transported the golf carts and delivered a wrecked car to the site, and Haywood County Agriculture and Activities Center who donated the space for training.

Sponsors included Haywood County Health Department, Healthy Haywood’s Mental Health Action Team, and Maggie Valley Police Department.

If you’re interested in having these amazing students teach a 60 minutes lesson to your class, group, organization, or if you’re a 9-12 grader in Haywood County and would like to become involved in the training process next year, please call Steffie Duginske, Healthy Haywood Coordinator at  452-6675.


Healthy Haywood Fitness Challenge wins state recognition

May 2007

The Haywood County Fitness Challenge, a four-year old project of the Healthy Haywood program, has received a Golden Project award from the state office of Healthy Carolinians.

The award was presented in October at the annual Healthy Carolinians conference in Charlotte. Sarah Thach, western regional consultant for the state Office of Healthy Carolinians, nominated the Healthy Haywood program for the award.

“The Haywood County Fitness Challenge is a creative, innovative North Carolina model for promoting physical activity at the county level,” Thach said in her application. “It actually has generated revenue for other fitness-promoting activities in the county.

The Fitness Challenge is sponsored and organized by Healthy Haywood’s Haywood Physical Activity Coalition (HayPAC). The goal of the project is to engage businesses and agencies in a collaborative effort to enhance Haywood residents’ physical activity and fitness.

Typically beginning in February, the Fitness Challenge allows Haywood residents to use local fitness centers for eight weeks for a minimal one-time charge. At registration, participants receive a packet of information that includes a calendar to track their physical activity, a list of places where they can have their blood pressure and cholesterol tested, and a list of extra fitness and nutrition activities during the Challenge (such as bocce in the park, karate, hikes and other activities).

Thatch also lauded the project for the level of community collaboration it had achieved between health organizations, local businesses and citizens.

“It has enjoyed broad community participation and is considered a win-win arrangement, both in promoting physical activity and recruiting business for local fitness centers,” Thach wrote. “In an era of dwindling public health funding, it is financially self-sustaining. It is a model worth replicating by other counties in North Carolina.” -quote from Carmine Rocco-

The 2007 Fitness Challenge is scheduled to get underway on Monday, March 19 and run through May 15. Participating fitness centers so far include Curves and Kim’s Gym in Waynesville, the Haywood Regional Medical Center Fitness Center, and Waynesville Parks and Recreation.

For more information on the Fitness Challenge and other Healthy Haywood programs, contact Steffie Duginske at the Haywood County Health Department at 452-6675.

KBR Grant Awarded to Healthy Haywood

June 18, 2007

HEALTHY HAYWOOD has been awarded a $30,000 grant by Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust of Winston-Salem.

The grant will provide resources to serve the needs of Haywood County citizens regarding health issues designated by the community.

Funds will be used for website development, training and travel for volunteers and staff, marketing/promotional items, communications, meeting expenses, volunteer stipends, and membership development.

Healthy Haywood, which is part of the Haywood County Health Department, was founded in 1999 and has served Haywood County through action teams including:  Obesity Prevention, Cancer Prevention, Mental Health, Asthma, and Injury Prevention.  Healthy Haywood has a Steering Committee that supports the efforts of the organization as well. 

The Kate. B. Charitable Trust was created in 1974 by the will of Mrs. William N. Reynolds of Winston-Salem.  Three-fourths of the Trust’s grants are designated for use for health-related programs and services across North Carolina and one-fourth for the poor and needy of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.

For more information, contact Healthy Haywood Coordinator, Steffie Duginske at 452-6675