Schools Encourage Students to Bike to School Safely

(Salt Lake City) – As the weather warms up, many school-age children will begin walking or riding a bicycle to school and the Utah Department of Health (UDOH), Safe Kids Utah, and local elementary schools want to remind parents and kids of the importance of getting to school safe. 

Approximately 600 students, parents, teachers, and community leaders from Silver Mesa Elementary School in Sandy, Utah will walk or ride a bike to school as part of National Bike to School Day on May 4, 2016.

“We are excited to partner with our local schools to create safer routes for bicycling and walking to and from school,” said Cambree Applegate, Safe Kids Utah Director at the UDOH. “Riding a bike is a great way for kids and their families to increase their physical activity and reduce traffic congestion and emissions from vehicles. And learning how to stay safe while doing so is key.” 

According to the Utah Department of Public Safety, there is an average of 764 bicyclists in crashes every year in Utah, an increase of 6.3% over the last 10 years. Nearly 35% of these crashes are school-age children aged 5-19. The summer months, June through September, have the highest bicycle-motor vehicle crashes.

“The most important thing parents and kids can do to stay safe while riding a bicycle is to wear a helmet. In Utah, only 30% of bicyclists in crashes were wearing a helmet and research shows that helmets are the single most effective way to reduce head injuries and deaths in a bicycle crash,” said Applegate.
   
Tips for staying safe while riding a bicycle include:

• Wear a helmet. Remember, “Use your head, wear a helmet” when riding a bicycle, scooter, skateboard or long board, and when roller skating or in-line skating.
• Find the right helmet fit and make sure your child knows how to put it on correctly. A helmet should sit on top of the head in a level position and should not rock forward, backward, or side-to-side. The straps must always be buckled and in the form of a “V” under the ears when buckled. A quick helmet fit test can be found at http://www.safekids.org/safetytips/field_type/video.
• Obey the rules of the road. Teach kids to make eye contact with drivers; use the right side of the road going with traffic not against traffic; how to use hand signals and respect traffic signals, including stopping at all stop signs and stoplights; and to stop and look left, right, and then left again before crossing the street.
• Maintain equipment and make sure your bike is the right fit.
• Be bright and be seen. When riding at dawn or dusk, it’s important to be seen. Wearing bright colors and making sure your bike has reflectors or lights make it easier for drivers to see you.

National Bike to School Day provides an opportunity for communities to join together to bicycle to school on the same day. The event builds on the success of the worldwide Walk to School Day event held in October each year.
   
For more information on how to get involved with National Walk and Bike to School Day, visit www.walkbiketoschool.org. Information on creating a safe route to school can be found at www.saferoutesinfo.org. Bicycle and pedestrian safety tips can be found at http://health.utah.gov/vipp.
   
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Media Contacts:
Cambree Applegate
Safe Kids Utah
(o) 801-538-6852 (m) 435-862-8773
capplegate@utah.gov

Katie McMinn
(o) 801-538-6156 (m) 801-856-6697
kmcminn@utah.gov

Medically Complex Children’s Waiver Opens Enrollment: Medicaid Program Now Accepting Applications for 75 New Participants

What: The Utah Department of Health’s Medically Complex Children’s Waiver will open enrollment today and accept applications until Monday, June 6. This program is intended to serve children with disabilities and complex medical conditions, providing them access to respite services, as well as traditional Medicaid services.  

Why: During the 2016 General Legislative Session, the waiver was appropriated an additional $1 million to be spent over the next two years. The new funding will provide services to an additional 75 new applicants. Children currently participating in the program will not need to re-apply. 

Who: In order to qualify for this program, a child must:

• Be age 0-18
• Have three or more specialty physicians
• Have three or more organ systems involvement
• Demonstrate a level of medical complexity based on a combination of need for device-based supports, high utilization of medical therapies, and treatments and frequent need for medical intervention
• Have a disability determined by the State Medical Review Board 

When: The program will accept applications from May 2 through June 6. Applicants will not be selected on a first-come-first-served basis. Once the application period ends, if more applications are received than spots available, UDOH clinical staff will review the applications and base entrance into the program on the highest medical complexity and critical needs of the family, as identified through the application process.
   
Where: Apply online at www.health.utah.gov/ltc/mccw or print an application and submit by fax (801-323-1593) or by mail (UDOH, Medically Complex Children’s Waiver, DMHF, PO Box 143112, Salt Lake City, UT 84114). To be considered for the program, applications must be received or post-marked on or before Monday, June 6.

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Media Contact:
Kolbi Young
Public Information Specialist
801-538-6847 / 801-231-6350
kolbiyoung@utah.gov 

Influenza Vaccination Coverage Remains High Among Utah Healthcare Workers

(Salt Lake City, UT) – The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) released the annual Healthcare Worker (HCW) Influenza Vaccination Coverage Report for HCWs in licensed* Utah hospitals. The report shows healthcare worker coverage rates have increased, from 75.5 percent in 2008 to 95.7 percent in 2016. 

The report lists all reporting licensed Utah hospitals, along with their influenza vaccination rates for hospital HCWs, for the 2015-2016 influenza season. It is available on the UDOH Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI) website at http://health.utah.gov/epi/diseases/HAI/HCW_flu/2015-2016_HCW_Influenza_Rpt.pdf.

“Influenza is a serious infection, and unvaccinated healthcare workers who become infected can put patients at risk for serious complications,” said Karen Singson, HAI Program Manager, UDOH.

The UDOH and the Utah Healthcare Infection Prevention Governance Committee (UHIP GC) recognize that influenza vaccination of healthcare personnel is a critical patient safety practice. Both agree that mandatory influenza vaccination for HCWs should be implemented in all healthcare facilities unless a healthcare facility has achieved a vaccination rate of 95 percent or greater by some other means.

In November 2007, the UDOH adopted a Healthcare Associated Infections reporting rule (Rule‐386‐705, Epidemiology, Healthcare Associated Infection). This rule requires that hospitals report healthcare worker influenza vaccination rates.

This report was developed by the UDOH in partnership with the UHIP GC. It will allow Utahns to compare influenza vaccination rates for healthcare workers among licensed hospitals in Utah.

In April 2011, the UHIP GC recommended that all healthcare delivery facilities in Utah implement a policy of compulsory annual influenza vaccination for all healthcare personnel. While Utah hospitals are not required to have mandatory influenza vaccination programs for healthcare workers, 85 percent of Utah healthcare facilities that reported have compulsory programs in place; and of those, 91 percent have HCW influenza vaccination rates of 90 percent or greater. “It is clear that facilities that implement compulsory influenza vaccination policies for employees have higher HCW influenza vaccination rates than those who do not,” said Singson. Healthcare organizations that do not have an effective HCW influenza vaccination policy are strongly encouraged to develop one.

Visit http://health.utah.gov/epi/diseases/HAI/UHIP/ for more information about UHIP GC members.

*Licensed hospitals include acute care, long-term acute care, critical access, rehabilitation, psychiatric, government and children’s hospitals.

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Media Contact:

Charla Haley

(o) 801-273-4178

(c) 801-230-5927

chaley@utah.gov  

New Data Shows Six People Die Each Week in Utah as a Result of Overdosing on Prescription Opioids

(Salt Lake, UT) – In 2014, 300 individuals died from a prescription drug overdose in Utah. Utah ranks 4th highest in the nation for drug overdose deaths and a campaign is underway to safely dispose of the kinds of drugs that are killing people.

“Our data show that nearly 60 percent of Utahns who were prescribed an opioid in the past year reported that they had leftover medication. Of those with leftover medication, only 27 percent reported disposing it. When improperly stored or disposed of, leftover medications can be dangerous,” said Angela Stander, Utah Department of Health (UDOH) Prescription Drug Overdose Coordinator. 

The National Take Back Initiative is a nationwide event sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration to encourage people to properly dispose of leftover medications. The UDOH encourages anyone with leftover medications to take them to one of the take back events throughout the state on April 30, 2016. A list of collection sites can be found at http://ow.ly/4n50kB. 

In addition, permanent, year-round disposal sites can be found on the Use Only As Directed website at http://useonlyasdirected.org/drop-off-locator/.

In 2014, an average of 24 Utah adults died each month as a result of prescription opioids (14.2 per 100,000 population). Oxycodone drugs accounted for 59.2 percent of all prescription opioid deaths in 2014, followed by methadone at 12.6 percent. Prescription opioids deaths have outnumbered heroin and cocaine deaths combined since 2002.

Additional data from the UDOH shows:

• Every week in Utah, 10 people die as a result of poisoning; six of which are a direct result of overdosing on prescription opioids.
• Utah saw a 27.6% decrease in prescription opioid deaths from 2007 to 2010 when the Prescription Pain Medication Program (PPMP) was legislatively established for two years.

Last fall, more than 3,800 federal, state, and local agencies collected 702,365 pounds of unused, expired, or unwanted medications at more than 5,000 collection sites across the United States. The UDOH is urging Utahns to join the National Take Back Initiative on Saturday, April 30 to clean out their medicine cabinets and safely dispose of leftover prescription medications.  

Prescription overdose deaths can be prevented by:

• Never taking a prescription pain medication not prescribed to you or taking it more often or in higher doses than prescribed.
• Never sharing prescription pain medications with anyone.
• Storing medications out of reach with the label attached and the child-resistant cap secured.
• Keeping track of the number of pills in the bottle so you are immediately aware if any are missing.
• Disposing of all unused and expired prescription pain medications properly.

Data on the growing prescription drug overdose problem in Utah and ways to prevent it can be found at http://health.utah.gov/vipp or http://useonlyasdirected.org.  

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Media Contact:
Katie McMinn
Violence & Injury Prevention Program
(o) 801-538-6156 (m) 801-856-6697
kmcminn@utah.gov

UDOH Kicking Off National Bike Month with New Fix-it Station

  

WHAT: May is National Bike Month and the Utah Department of Health is celebrating early by opening a new bicycle fix-it station at its main building. The station will be available to employees and the public alike, and offers bicycle parking, as well as tools and an air pump to perform basic bike maintenance and repairs. 

WHY: The UDOH is committed to helping Utah become the healthiest state in the nation. Living an active lifestyle is a key element of achieving that goal. The bike station will help promote a bike-friendly environment, bicycle commuting, and general physical activity for employees and building visitors.

The UDOH Cannon Building is located near a Trax Station and the Jordan River Parkway trail, making it an ideal location for bicycle commuting. The League of American Cyclists also recently awarded the UDOH as a Bicycle Friednly Business with a bronze award.

WHO: UDOH Executive Director Dr. Joe Miner

UDOH Deputy Director Dr. Robert Rolfs

UDOH employees

WHEN: Monday, April 25, 2016

                11 a.m. 

WHERE: Cannon Health Building

                288 North 1460 West

Salt Lake City, Utah 

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Media Contact:
Tom Hudachko
Utah Department of Health
(o) 801-538-6232
(m) 801-560-4649