UDOH to Host Outreach Meeting for Breach Victims

WHO:            
Utah Department of Health (UDOH) officials

WHAT:           

UDOH staff will provide personal, individualized assistance to Utahns who want additional     

information about the recent data breach of a state government computer server

WHEN:         

Thursday, July 26, 2012

4-7 p.m.
(This is an open house format – individuals can come at any time between these hours for 
personal help.)

WHERE:         

Salt Lake County Government Center

South Building, Atrium
2001 S. State St.
Salt Lake City, Utah

This is the first stop of UDOH’s Data Breach Solution Center tour, a series of workshops throughout the state designed to provide personal, one-on-one help and information regarding the recent data breach. In all, the tour will make 12 stops at communities across Utah and will end on August 22 in St. George.

Utah’s Data Security Ombudsman, Sheila Walsh-McDonald, and her staff will be at each workshop to provide individual case management, giving the public the opportunity to learn more about the data breach and protect themselves.

For a full schedule of events across the state, as well as additional information on the UDOH’s Data Breach Solution Center tour visit http://health.utah.gov/databreach/ or call the 24-hour hotline at 1-855-238-3339.

# # #

Media Contact:

Tom Hudachko
UDOH Public Information Officer
(o) 801-538-6232
(m) 801-560-4649

Cigarette-related Fire Danger High this Season

(Salt Lake City) – Fires are raging across Utah and officials say cigarettes may be the cause of at least one wildfire and multiple house fires. This has prompted the Utah Department of Health’s (UDOH) Tobacco Prevention and Control Program (TPCP) to issue a cigarette safety warning to the public.

Twenty-eight wildfires have blazed their way across the state this year, costing nearly $50 million in firefighting resources. Some were caused by target shooting and lightning, and fireworks have been banned in many areas due to their potential fire hazard. Fire officials say the Grease Fire in Millard County may have been caused by a cigarette. On July 23, fire officials reported a West Jordan house fire that caused more than $60,000 in damage and resulted in the death of a family pet.

“Cigarettes, cigars, pipes, lighters, and matches pose a serious fire danger in our homes and the outdoors,” said Amy Oliver, Media Liaison for the Tobacco Prevention and Control Program. “Snuffing out your cigarette completely can help to reduce fires, but the best way to prevent fires is to not smoke at all.”

Quit smoking resources like the Utah Tobacco Quit Line at 1.800.QUIT.NOW and UtahQuitNet.com can help smokers quit tobacco and reduce their own fire hazard potential. “The decision to quit smoking has always had many personal benefits, like better health, more money to use on other needs, and the fact that food tastes better and your sense of smell improves,” said Oliver. “The added benefit of preventing fires and protecting our homes and the outdoors is icing on the cake for quitters.”

From January 2008 to June 2012, the Office of the State Fire Marshal reported 1,360 fires related to smoking. Recent data show 249 fires, or 18 percent, were caused by cigarettes, pipes, or cigars. An additional 314 fires, or 23 percent, were attributed to misuse of cigarette lighters. Across the state, 21,435 fires were reported during this time period.

For free help quitting smoking, call the Utah Tobacco Quit Line at 1.800.QUIT.NOW, or visit www.UtahQuitNet.com.

Media contact:

Amy Oliver

Media Liaison

(801) 538-6917 (desk) 

(801) 783-9067 (cell)

UDOH to Host Outreach Meetings on Data Breach

(Salt Lake City, UT) - The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) is preparing to launch its Data Breach Solution Center tour, a series of workshops throughout the state designed to provide personal, one-on-one help and information regarding the recent data breach.

The workshops will launch next Thursday, July 26, at the Salt Lake County Government Center in Salt Lake City. In all, the tour will make 12 stops at communities across Utah and will end on August 22 in St. George.

Utah's Data Security Ombudsman, Sheila Walsh-McDonald, and her staff will be at all 12 workshops providing individual case management, giving the public the opportunity to learn more about the data breach and protect themselves.

"We understand how upsetting the news of the data breach was for Utahns, and we apologize for the stress it has caused," said Walsh-McDonald, who was appointed by Governor Gary R. Herbert in response to the data breach. "We want to make sure we've done everything we can to reach out to those who were affected by the data breach and offer them a high level of assistance and personally counsel anyone in need."

The UDOH encourages anyone who has questions or feedback to attend one of the workshops. The tour is part of the Department's push to provide solutions to those whose personal information was compromised earlier this year when computer hackers broke into a Utah State government server.

Each workshop will take place from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. (with the exception of St. George) on the following dates:

Thursday, July 26       Salt Lake City
                                Salt Lake County Government Center, South Atrium
                                 2001 S. State St.
                                Salt Lake City, Utah

Monday, July 30         Salt Lake City
                                Palmer Court
                                999 S. Main St.
                                Salt Lake City, Utah

Tuesday, July 31        Logan
                                Bear River Health Department
                                 Environmental Health Building
                                85 E. 1800 North
                                Logan, Utah

Wednesday, Aug. 1     Ogden
                                Marshall White Community Center
                                222 28th Street
                                Ogden, Utah

Thursday, Aug. 2       Clearfield
                               North Davis Senior Activity Center
                               42 S. State St.
                               Clearfield, Utah

Wednesday, Aug. 8    Provo
                               Utah County Health Department
                               151 S. University Ave., Room 2600
                               Provo, Utah

Tuesday, Aug. 14      Price
                              Castleview Hospital
                              300 N. Hospital Drive
                              Price, Utah

Tuesday, Aug. 21      Richfield
                              Central Utah Health Department
                              70 Westview Dr.
                              Richfield, Utah

Wednesday, Aug. 22    St. George
10 a.m. - 1 p.m.          Washington County Senior Center
                                 245 N. 200 West
                                 St. George, Utah

A second Salt Lake County workshop, as well as events in Vernal and Moab, will be announced soon.

In addition to the workshops, the State of Utah has taken several significant steps to make sure victims of the data breach are protected, including offering free credit monitoring for victims and creating a 24-hour information hotline and web site with additional information on how to protect your credit, as well as direct access to the Data Security Ombudsman.

The UDOH and the Department of Technology Services have also completed internal reviews of data security policies, analyzed all state servers and conducted vulnerability assessments on them, and have increased employee training. Additionally, two independent firms have been hired to conduct investigations into the data breach and into the state's response.

For more information on the UDOH's Data Breach Solution Center tour visit http://health.utah.gov/databreach/ or call the 24-hour hotline at 1-855-238-3339.

#  # # #

Health Brochures Now Available in Audio Format for the Blind

(Salt Lake City, UT) – The Utah Department of Health (UDOH), Office of Health Disparities (OHD) has collaborated with the Utah State Library Program for the Blind and Disabled (USL) to create an online collection of audio health materials.  The collection includes mp3 recordings of 39 health brochures covering a variety of chronic diseases, guidelines for healthy aging, and concerns specific to the sight-impaired population, such as diabetic retinopathy and safe exercise for people with vision problems.

The audio resources for the blind have been added to the OHD Multilingual Library, an online collection of health resources in 50 languages, which is available at  http://health.utah.gov/disparities/multilinguallibrary/index.php.

 

The Multilingual Library has been a popular source for health materials in a variety of languages since 2006. OHD recently expanded the Library to accommodate English- language materials for special populations such as the blind.

“The Multilingual Library is an excellent online resource to educate non-English speakers,” said Dr. David Patton, UDOH Executive Director. “We are really pleased to expand the library to reach additional populations with specific needs.”

A multidisciplinary team first envisioned the project at a meeting of OHD, USL and local health department staff members.  The USL lacked resources about health.  OHD had an expansive collection of health materials in the Multilingual Library, but no audio for the blind.  Together, they researched the health needs of blind library patrons using library intake forms (documents filled out by library users when looking for materials).  OHD staff selected quality health brochures appropriate to meet these needs.  USL volunteers read the brochures aloud to create audio recordings. 

"These health-related articles are a valuable addition to the Utah State Library, Health Department, and Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired web sites," said State Librarian Donna Jones Morris.  "This partnership allows the link to these resources to be viewed on all three web sites."

The Resources for the Blind section of the Multilingual Library can be accessed at: http://health.utah.gov/disparities/multilinguallibrary/Target/Blind.php.

Media Contact:

April Young Bennett

(801) 703-0127

High Blood Pressure Hits More than Your Health

(SALT LAKE CITY) – Today, the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) published the July 2012 Utah Health Status Report, which ranked high blood pressure, or hypertension, as the second most costly chronic disease in the state.  The annual costs to treat high blood pressure in Utah total an average of more than $111 million. 

“Nearly 1 in 4 Utah adults have high blood pressure,” said Athena Carolan, Health Specialist with the UDOH Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program (HDSPP).  “It’s considered the silent killer because it creates no obvious health symptoms, but often leads to heart attacks and strokes.”

Safe and effective treatments are readily available for those diagnosed with high blood pressure; however, more than one-third (36.3%) of all Utah health plan enrollees do not have the condition “under control,” meaning a systolic blood pressure below 140 mmHg or a diastolic blood pressure below 90. 

Utah HDSPP works with partners to increase awareness of high blood pressure treatment guidelines and improve patient follow-up.

“By partnering with health systems, worksites, and community groups, we work as a team to raise awareness and lower costs,” Carolan said. “It’s also critical that individuals talk to their doctors about how to improve their blood pressure through lifestyle changes, like losing weight, eating less salt, exercising more, and giving up smoking.” 

For more information about blood pressure or HDSPP, visit www.hearthighway.org. 

Media Contact
Athena Carolan
Health Program Specialist
801-538-9209