Health

Seven foot tooth brush promotes oral health in teens

Submitted by Camille Troxel on Thursday, May 23rd, 2:54 pm

If you routinely forget to brush your teeth a larger tooth brush might be the cure to your lacking oral health. A Kellogg High School senior created a seven foot tooth brush as part of a oral health education display contest.

Jacob Rasmussen's giant tooth brush was among other creative endevours by teens in Kootenai and Shoshone counties for the contest sponsored by Panhandle Health District. Students from Kellogg High, New Vision Alternative School, Kootenai Bridge Academy and Coeur d'Alene Charter school participated, winners were given prize packages donated by local businesses.

The seven foot tooth brush, will be displayed, along with other winners, at PHD teen dental parties. The dental parties provide dental screenings, fluoride varnish, dental sealants and vouchers for needed follow-up care. Last year, local dentists donated nearly $20,000 worth of follow-up care for low-income families.

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113 Idaho schools awarded Fresh Fruit & Vegetable grants

Submitted by Camille Troxel on Monday, May 20th, 5:00 pm

Schools across Idaho have been awarded Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program grants so that they can provide healthy snack options throughout the day. A total of 113 schools were awarded the grant including 20 schools in 10 districts in North Idaho.

“The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program is a voluntary program that many schools across Idaho have used not only to provide more nutritious options, but also as a creative way to teach Idaho students about history, geography, writing or other critical subjects,” said Tom Luna, Superintendent of Public Instruction.

The program is part of a federal initiative by U.S. Department of Agriculture to offer schools a wider variety of produce. Schools are reimbursed for providing fresh produce to all students during the school day, but it has to be at a time outside of the normal lunch hour.

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National Drug Take Back Day

Submitted by Camille Troxel on Friday, April 26th, 1:01 pm

On Saturday, April 27th, police departments across the region will be hosting drug collections as part of the Drug Enforcement Administration's fifth National Drug Take Back Day.

The DEA has collected over 1,000 tons of unused and expired prescription drugs over the last three years. The take back day was started to get the public more involved in the prevention of prescription drug abuse.

Unused prescription drugs in homes are considered a public health and safety concern by the DEA. According to the DEA this is because the drugs are “highly susceptible to accidental ingestion, diversion, misuse and abuse”.

A survey done by the DEA found that the majority of abuses get their prescription drugs through friends and family. Often times it's as simple as raiding the medicine cabinet. Americans currently abuse more prescription drugs than those using cocaine, hallucinogens and heroin combined.

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Idaho Among Lowest For Health Insurance

Submitted by Camille Troxel on Thursday, April 11th, 4:07 pm

A new study has been released regarding companies that offer health insurance to employees. The news isn't good for Idaho. The state ranks among the lowest in the country.

A report released last week states that only 43 percent of Idaho companies provide their workers with health insurance. That makes it the fourth lowest nationally. Other states in the region, Montana and Wyoming, rank lower. It is, however, an improvement from last year's score of 41 percent.

The numbers get worse. Among small businesses with 50 employees or less, Idaho ranks second lowest with 28 percent of them offering health insurance. For companies that offer insurance for employee family members, the employees pay 31 percent of their premiums on average. This is the third highest employee contribution requirement in the nation.

The report was published by the University of Minnesota's State Health access Data Assistance Center.

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Idaho gets failing grades from American Lung Association

Submitted by Jacob Palmer on Monday, January 21st, 12:45 pm

The American Lung Association released its grades for the State of Tobacco Control 2013, and Idaho did not fare very well.

The report measures state and federal efforts to enact regulations and legislation that limit access to tobacco.

Although the state received a thumbs-up for “increasing its funding for tobacco prevention and cessation initiatives by about $1.6 million” for 2012, the state received an F for tobacco prevention and control program funding. Idaho should not feel too bad, because they have company in failing this category - 41 states and the District of Columbia also received an F.

"Overall funding for tobacco prevention and cessation activities increased substantially in 2012 from $1.2 million to over $2.8 million, which was a welcome development," the report read.

Due to Idaho's low cigarette tax, the state received an F in that category. Idaho has the 42nd highest state cigarrette tax out of the states and Washington, D.C.

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Dirty Dash registration opens

Submitted by Jacob Palmer on Wednesday, January 2nd, 1:27 pm

The popular Dirty Dash opened registration today for the 2013 “race” to be held at Riverside State Park on July 13.

Loyalty registration, which runs until Jan. 30, costs only $35. After that the price to sign up steadily rises the closer we get to the event.

“Resolve to make 2013 your dirtiest yet and we guarantee to make that happen for you in one unforgettable morning of feasting on filth, groveling through grime, delighting in dirt, and wallowing in mud rather than self-pity,” a news release from Dirty Dash said.

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Prescription Drug Drive

Submitted by Annie Bishop on Thursday, November 1st, 8:40 pm

If you have a medicine cabinet full of left over prescription drugs, the Coeur d' Alene Police Department would like you to safely dispose of them.

This Saturday you can hand over your prescription drugs at the Coeur d’Alene Public Library from 10:00am to 12:00pm.

"There are many risks associated with storing prescription drugs that are not part of a current drug therapy," wrote Sgt. Christie Wood with the Coeur d'Alene Police Department

"The prescriptions may be outdated and not effectively treating the symptoms they are intended for. If prescription drugs are being stored and the person they are for is not taking them according to the prescription, it is possible they could be taken by mistake or potentially stolen.

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