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As we battle the epidemic of
childhood obesity, we see
the importance of physical
activity as a way to help
combat the chronic diseases
that are so often associated
with it. We know that
physical activity is an
important part of regular
family life, and children
are more likely to main
active throughout their
lives if they learn those
lifestyle behaviors at
early age.
In urban areas, one of the
biggest barriers for
children increasing physical
activity is providing access
to safe playgrounds, parks,
trails and open space.
That’s where Aurora Township
comes in. With the help of
business donations, local
volunteers and Fit Kids
grants from the Making Kane
County Fit for Kids Funders
Consortium, new playground
equipment was installed Nov.
11 and 12, 2011. To learn
more about the Making Kane
County Fit for Kids
initiative,
CLICK HERE.
At the sight of a previous
eyesore, the new playground
is at the corner of Jackson
Street and Montgomery. Up
until about 10 year ago, the
property was a virtual dump.
Only after a significant
clean-up nine years ago, was
the property turned into a
soccer field, and then an
additional field was added.
Now, the equipment has been
added The equipment was
installed to give
siblings a place to be
physically active while they
watch soccer. Prior to this
parents bribed the younger
kids into behaving with
food. Now they can be
physically active.
The equipment was chosen
with the help of children
and is geared toward ages 3
to 12. As many as 52 kids can
be active at the same time.
Swings will be added in the
spring. |
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Community donations of
cement were given by Ace
Hardware and Farm and Fleet.
Muscle was provided by local
Labor Union 149 who helped
install the playground as
volunteers on Veterans Day.
Also, 15 soccer parents lent
their muscles, and one
entire family, including a
4-year-old, helped. This was
truly a community project. |
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 You’ve
probably heard or seen
reports about the increased
numbers of whooping cough,
or pertussis, in the Chicago
region, especially in
McHenry County. Indeed, as
of Jan. 17, the McHenry
County Health Department has
had 279 cases reported to
them. That stands as a
record in McHenry. In Kane
the numbers are not nearly
as dramatic but still are
cause for concern. A total
of 54 cases were reported to
the Kane County Health
Department in 2011. And
while the case number is not
as high as our neighbor to
the north, it should be
noted that about 20 of those
cases were reported in
December alone. In the first
three weeks of 2012 we have
seen seven cases.
In other words, whooping
cough is out there. There
are some indications that it
comes in cycles. For
example, Kane had as many as
63 cases in 2005, and as few
as 11 in 2008. Pertussis is
a highly contagious
respiratory disease. As with
the flu, the keys to
protecting your family are
the same: Wash your hands,
cover your cough, and stay
home if you’re sick. And the
most important thing to do
is to make sure you and all
your family members have
been vaccinated against both
whooping cough and the flu.
Pertussis most commonly
affects infants and young
children and can be fatal,
especially in babies less
than 1 year of age. The CDC
reports that as many as 40
percent of infants who get
it wind up in the hospital.
Pertussis vaccines are very
effective in protecting you
from the disease, but no
vaccine is 100% effective.
If pertussis is circulating
in the community, there is a
chance that a fully
vaccinated person, of any
age, can catch become ill.
If you have been vaccinated,
the infection is usually
less severe. If you or your
child develops a cold that
includes a severe cough or a
cough that lasts for a long
time, it may be pertussis.
The best way to know is to
ask your doctor. In
September of this year, a
new rule took effect in
Illinois requiring students
to receive the pertussis
vaccines. More information
on what is required is
available from the Health
Department’s
pertussis webpage. To
learn more about pertussis
you can visit the
Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. |
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All the hard work of
gathering, compiling
and preparing the
data for the
Community Health
Improvement Plan is
fast reaching its
conclusion. A draft
of the new plan will
be completed by Jan
31. |
Public comment will
be accepted through
February, with the
goal of adoption in
March.
Customized
assessment reports
for each of the
hospitals, United
Way agencies and INC
Board are being
finalized.
Over the past year,
the Health
Department and its
partners—the
county’s five
hospitals, the
United Way of Elgin,
Fox Valley United Way, and the Inc.
Board—have been
gathering data. |
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Findings |
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The findings show
that there are the
six threats to
community health: |
•
Obesity
•
Chronic Diseases
•
Infant Mortality
•
Childhood Lead
Poisoning
•
Communicable
Disease
•
Poor Social
& Emotional
Wellness |
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We know that there is more
to a person’s health than
making a trip the doctor’s
office. Where we live, work,
learn and play affects our
health. To that end, the
Community Health Improvement
Plan proposes setting four
priorities to address the
threats listed above:
Priority One:
Support Health Behaviors
That Promote Well-Being and
Prevent Disease
Priority Two:
Increase Access to Quality,
Holistic Preventative and
Treatment Services
Across the Health Care
System
Priority Three:
Support and Create Health
Promoting Neighborhoods,
Towns and Cities.
Priority Four:
Promote Social, Economic and
Educational Environments
that Optimize Health.
As you can see, these are
cross-cutting priorities
that can have an effect on
all of the threats. And from
these priorities strategies
can be set to attack the
threats. For example,
strategies to reduce obesity
could include: Increase
access to, and consumption,
of fresh fruits and
vegetables; Increase the
proportion of residents of
all ages that have regular,
ongoing sources of medical
and dental care; Assure
access to safe playgrounds,
parks, trails and open
space; Increase the
proportion of children who
have high-quality early
developmental support,
especially in child care and
education.
The draft of the Community
Health Improvement Plan will
completed by January 31. Public
comment will be accepted
throughout the month of
February, and the plan is
expected to be adopted in
March. To learn more about
the Community Health
Improvement plan, as well as
the Health Department’s
other planning efforts
CLICK HERE.
The map above shows the
three county planning areas,
as well as the services
areas for the five hospitals
that participated in the
Health Assessment process.
For the first time a health
component is being included
in the Kane County 2040
Plan, a long-range
comprehensive plan and is a
statement of public policy
on issues relating to
community development, water
resource management, open
space protection and land
use decisions. For more
information about the 2040
Plan
CLICK HERE. |
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