L A U R E L C O U N T Y H E A L T H D E P A R T M E N T December 2015 Volume 1, Issue 5 December-January Newsletter Inside this issue: World Diabetes Month recap From the Director s Desk Welcome new staff member 1-2 LCHD WOULD LIKE TO WISH EVERYONE A SAFE AND HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON! 2 3 Accreditation Update 3 Employee Spotlight 4 Surviving the Holidays with Diabetes 5 Holiday Health Fair 6 November was a very busy time for our Diabetes Team, as it was National Diabetes month. We had a great group of participants complete our four-class series of Diabetes Self- Management Education classes in early November. We participated in the Holiday Cooking School hosted by the Laurel County Extension Office at the Laurel- London Optimist Club on November 12th. We provided diabetes information to the 250 people who attended that event. On November 14th, World Diabetes Day, LCHD co-hosted our first ever Holiday Survival for the Diabetic class at the Laurel County Extension Office. World Diabetes Month Happenings Right: Brittany Moore, RD, speaks to participants of the Holiday Survival for the Diabetic class. Above: Ronda Arnold, RN, with the LCHD Diabetes Program stands with their table to promote wellness on World Diabetes Day. Participants were educated on ways to deal with the abundance of carbohydrate-rich foods and large meals that surround the holiday season. They had the opportunity to create a sample plate with paper cut-outs of the traditional Thanksgiving foods available before the meal was served to practice carbohydrate counting. They were then challenged to go through the line and create a meal consisting of 60 grams of carbohydrates, which is a general standard for carbohydrate needs per meal for diabetes. Many learned that, by using portion control, they could still enjoy their favorite holiday foods, while staying within their carbohydrate recommendations and in turn, keep their blood sugars in good control. Continued...
Page 2 December-January Newsletter World Diabetes Month continued... The LCHD Diabetes program is also excited to begin the journey of diabetes accreditation through the KY Diabetes Prevention & Control Program. Right now, there are over 40 accredited/recognized diabetes sites in the state of KY, but only 3 of those are health departments. Becoming an accredited diabetes program will help us expand our diabetes education in Laurel county and make it possible to Above: Participants fixing their plates of food prepared by the Extension Office on World Diabetes Day reach more people and assist them in managing their diabetes. The most recent statistics show that 55% of KY residents have diabetes or pre-diabetes. This is an alarming number and LCHD is dedicated to take on the challenge of helping our community become a healthier place! If you have any questions about diabetes, call LCHD and ask for Ronda or Brittany. From the Director s Desk Our long-time APRN, Deb Hacker retired at the end of October after 27 years of service. Deb has been a great asset to the Laurel County Health Department and will be missed very much. We always knew our patients were in good hands when they were with Deb because she was so patient and attentive to their needs. We have appreciated the quality as well as her loyalty and willingness to Above: Deb shares some memories from the past 27 years with LCHD staff at her retirement party. accept assignments that were often beyond her normal duties. We will miss her commitment to excellence. Retirement will be an adjustment, but also an opportunity. Deb, may you retire knowing that you have made a remarkable contribution to public health! Best wishes, LCHD Staff
Page 3 Welcome to LCHD! We would like to welcome the newest member of our staff, Rachel Sims! Rachel started working with LCHD as a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor in late September. Rachel graduated from EKU in 2004 with a degree in Elementary Education. After having her second child, she decided to be a stay-at-home mom. She and her husband pastor City of Hope Church in Manchester and they now have 5 children: Jessa, Leah, Bella, Josiah, and Jonah. When asked why she wanted to be a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor, Rachel replied, The mother/child bond is so very special to me. I tear up just thinking about it. Nursing my children has been a very precious opportunity for me as a mother and the thoughts of being able to help/encourage other moms to experience that is just awesome. Welcome, Rachel! We are excited to have you as part of our team! On the road to public health accreditation Laurel County Health Department submitted an application to the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) on November 4th. This is the first official step in becoming a Nationally Accredited Public Health Department. We are looking forward to completing the next steps in this process. Left: Members of Laurel County Health Department s Accreditation Team: Mark Hensley, Brandi Gilley, Beth Smith, Grace Acciardo, Stephanie Martin.
Page 4 December-January Newsletter Employee Spotlight Brandy Cox Over the past 2 months, LCHD has been participating in Humana Vitality s step challenges to encourage a more active lifestyle. We have one staff member who has soared above the rest in daily steps. Brandy Cox, who has been one of our Support Service Associates since 2012, has taken the step challenge very seriously and become a walking machine! Since the challenges began in October, Brandy has not only led our LCHD team in steps, but greatly improved her health, which is what these challenges are all about! Brandy finished last month s 15-day challenge with 403,384 steps; that s a daily average of 23,728 steps and over 11 miles walked per day! Compare that to a 2010 study that found the average American only takes a little over 5,000 steps per day, and you can see what a big feat this has been! Even more than all the steps, Brandy has lost 13 pounds, feels better, and has more energy to run around with her 2 & 3 yearolds. Brandy has been an inspiration to our staff, as she can be seen walking on her lunch break, rain or shine. She has even been spotted walking carrying a box of tissues when she had the sniffles. Nothing can stop her! Way to go, Brandy. Keep up the good work!
Page 5 Surviving the Holidays with Diabetes Holiday meals with family and friends can be stressful for the diabetic, as sweet treats and carbohydrate-rich foods are everywhere you turn. Here are a few tips to help you enjoy your holiday events and still stay healthy! 1. Be reasonable eat slowly and really enjoy the foods you may only have once a year. Keep your portions sensible. Wait 10 minutes before going back for seconds. Often times after 10 minutes, you brain will have had time to register that your stomach is full and you may no longer desire that second helping. 2. Consider the timing of your meal Plan ahead for taking your medications /insulin, as well as snacking to prevent low blood sugar, in order to keep your glucose levels optimal. 3. Snack healthy have snacks around to nibble on while you cook or wait to eat; just make sure they won t sabotage your blood sugar levels. Perfect snacks would be a veggie tray with lowfat dip or a few small pieces of low-fat cheese. 4. Be selective many traditional holiday foods are rich in carbohydrates (potatoes, stuffing, rolls, desserts, etc.). Don t feel like you have to eat everything on the table. Have a reasonable portion of your favorites and pass on the rest. 5. Eat smaller portions portion control is the key to begin able to enjoy foods you love with Diabetes. 6. Focus on family and friends Remember, the holidays are a time to slow down and catch up with your loved ones. Focus on friends and family; not food. 7. Stay active One reason we have problems managing diabetes and weight during the holidays is our lack of physical activity. The best way to compensate for eating a little more than usual is to be physically active. 8. Ate too much? Get back on track! - If you eat more carbs or food than you planned for, don t think you have failed. Stop eating for the night and focus on spending the rest of your time with the people around you. Include extra exercise, monitor your blood glucose levels, and get back on track with your usual eating habits the next day. Holidays can be a time of great anxiety for people with diabetes because it is so focused on food. Don't let questions about what to eat, how much to eat, and meal timing dampen your holiday. Plan in advance, so you can fend off stress and fully enjoy the day and keep your diabetes management on track. Have a happy and healthy holiday season! By Brittany Moore, MS, RDN, LD Laurel County Health Department
The Laurel County Health Department will be closed on the following dates: -December 24th & 25th Christmas -December 31st & January 1st New Year s 525 Whitley Street London, KY 40741 Phone: 878-7754 Fax: 864-8295 Website: laurelcohealthdept.org Follow us on Facebook! -January 18th MLK Jr. Day Laurel County Health Department s 13th Annual Holiday Health Fair Friday December 11th, 2015 1:00 pm 4:00 pm Location: Laurel County Health Department 525 Whitley Street London, KY 40741 Santa will be here! Come get a free picture with Santa and lots of great health information!