The warmer weather marks the awakening of bats from hibernation, and the Saint Louis County Department of Health is cautioning residents to avoid handling the animals, since some can carry rabies.  A bat that was positive for rabies was recovered from a home in Webster Groves last week.

Any county resident who encounters a live or dead bat in their home is urged to call the health department.  Residents should not attempt to capture a live bat but should confine it to the room where it is discovered so animal control officers can collect it for rabies testing. 

Never release a bat found in a home if it was present while people were sleeping or in the same room with children or adults who, due to health or age, may not be able to describe the extent of their exposure. 

During business hours, residents who live north of Page Avenue should call 831-6500. Residents, who live south of Page Avenue, should call 726-6655. After business hours, and on weekends and holidays, county residents should call Saint Louis County Police at 889-2341.

Last year, 439 bats were tested and eight had rabies, said La’Rhonda Garrett, DOH Program Manager of Vector Control and Veterinary Services.

Health officials urge people to be aware of and cautious around wildlife, especially bats, and to avoid direct contact with any animal that is behaving strangely. Children should be taught to stay a safe distance away from any unknown animals.

Garrett said people should check with their veterinarians on the immunization status of their pets. Because rabies can be readily passed from wild animals to domestic pets, the first line of defense is to make sure all cats and dogs are properly vaccinated, as required by county ordinances. Once transmitted, the disease of rabies has no cure and is almost always fatal.

Most bats don't carry rabies, and in fact perform a beneficial service by eating large quantities of insects. But if one bat in colony contracts rabies, chances are it will spread to other members of the colony.

For more information, about pet vaccinations, or to report animal bites, please call the Saint Louis County Department of Health, North Animal Shelter at 314-831-6500; or the South Shelter at 314-726-6655, or visit www.stlouisco.com/doh and click on Animal Control.

National Cover the Uninsured Week runs from April 27^th through May 3^rd, and the Saint Louis County Department of Health is taking the opportunity to remind people that many county residents either have no health insurance or remain underinsured.

It is estimated that more than 89,000 residents of Saint Louis County currently do not have health insurance, and it is not just the poor and unemployed who are affected: Eight (8) out of ten (10) people without insurance come from working families, and at least 82% of them earn more than the federal poverty line.

Those who are uninsured tend to live sicker and die sooner.  Uninsured children are 70% less likely to receive treatment for common conditions such as ear infections and 30% less likely to receive medical attention when injured.  In an average year, nearly 40% of uninsured adults skip a recommended medical test or treatment.  In addition, the uninsured are less likely to receive any preventive care to help them avoid such problems in the first place.

“It is unfortunate that in a nation with so much to offer, a significant number of people still do not have basic medical insurance,” said Dr. Dolores Gunn, director of the County Health Department.

Not having health insurance can result in minor illnesses becoming major ones because care is delayed.  According to the Institute of Medicine and the Urban Institute, an estimated 18,000 to 22,000 Americans die every year because they lack health insurance.  The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured reported that the uninsured are also more likely to be hospitalized for conditions that could have been avoided, such as pneumonia and uncontrolled diabetes.

Everyone is affected by this problem – not just those without insurance.

“Lack of health insurance is not just a problem for those who have difficulty obtaining or paying for medical care,” said Dr. Gunn.  “It is a problem for all of us because it drives up the overall cost of medical care for everyone by forcing providers to shift costs elsewhere.”

To help meet the basic health care needs of Saint Louis County, the Department of Health runs three Health Centers where any resident of the county can receive a full spectrum of primary medical care services, including adult medical services, pediatric services for children, dental services, testing and counseling for HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, immunizations (including travel immunizations), lead screening and treatment services, eye care, foot care, nutrition counseling, and WIC services.  Proof of residency is required, and those without insurance will be billed on a sliding fee scale based on income.

The three health centers are located throughout the county as follows:

John C. Murphy Health Center
6065 Helen Avenue
Berkeley, Missouri  63134

North Central Community Health Center (Pine Lawn)
4000 Jennings Station Road
Saint Louis, Missouri  63121

South County Health Center
4580 South Lindbergh Boulevard
Sunset Hills, Missouri  63127

For a complete list of services offered at the county’s three health centers, visit the health centers’ website at http://www.stlouisco.com/doh/hlthctrs/services.html.

For information about low-cost or free health care coverage for children, call 1-877-KIDS-NOW (1-877-543-7669).

For more information about Cover the Uninsured Week, visit the national website for the event at www.covertheuninsured.org.

On Thursday, May 1^st, 2008, the Saint Louis County Department of Health will be consolidating the pediatric and women’s health clinics at the John C. Murphy Health Center with similar clinics located at the North Central Community Health Center and the South County Health Center.  All other services offered at the John C. Murphy Health Center will remain unchanged, and the family physicians there will still be able to provide full health services for both women and children. 

No staff positions are being eliminated and the total availability of services is not being reduced (although some staff are being relocated from the John C. Murphy Health Center to the other two health centers).  The Health Department anticipates that the changes will result in better services for the Medicaid and managed-care population needing same-day pediatric and women’s health services.

“We are very proud of our facilities and services, but we are always trying to improve,” said Dr. Dolores Gunn, director of the Health Department.  “This change is a part of that process.”

Staff at the three health centers have been working for months to bring about the changes – changes that have included not only the moving of staff and equipment, but the education of patients, other staff, and the general public.

“We recognize that some clients may be concerned about these changes, but I want to assure everyone who comes through our doors that no matter what clinic a county resident visits, they will have their medical needs assessed and addressed,” said Dr. Michael Railey, director of the Research and Medical Services Division of the Health Department.

Staff have been working with clients to reschedule appointments, provide directions to health centers they may not have visited before, and respond to questions about the change.

The three health centers run by the Saint Louis County Department of Health offer a full spectrum of primary care services for the residents of Saint Louis County.  This includes adult medical services for the general public, pediatric services for children, dental services, testing and counseling for HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, immunizations (including for those traveling abroad), lead screening and treatment services, eye care, foot care, nutrition counseling, and WIC services.

All county residents are welcome (proof of residency is required).

The three health centers are located throughout the county as follows:

John C. Murphy Health Center
6065 Helen Avenue
Berkeley, Missouri  63134

North Central Community Health Center (Pine Lawn)
4000 Jennings Station Road
Saint Louis, Missouri  63121

South County Health Center
4580 South Lindbergh Boulevard
Sunset Hills, Missouri  63127

For a complete list of services offered at the county’s three health centers, visit the health centers’ website at http://www.stlouisco.com/doh/hlthctrs/services.html.

It’s spring and that means it’s time for the biannual Household Chemical Collection Events, sponsored by the Saint Louis County Department of Health.  County residents can bring their unwanted household products such as paint thinner, cleaning solutions, motor oil, insecticides, and other products that can pose health hazards if not properly disposed.

Drop-off events will be held on three Saturdays:  April 26^th, May 3^rd, and May 17^th.  (Event details can be found on page 2.)  All events run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., rain or shine.  The events are free of charge and are open to all Saint Louis County residents.

“Now more than ever, people are interested in living a ‘green’ lifestyle, and these events offer a great way for residents to do something to benefit the environment,” said Dr. Dolores J. Gunn, Director of the Saint Louis County Department of Health. 

Gunn said that this program has been very popular with residents and that she hopes to see even more participation this year.  The county has also spent a great deal of effort to develop a new curbside recycling program that is expected to significantly increase residential recycling. 

“Residents can now recycle more items than ever before, and in the most convenient way possible – by tossing everything together into a recycling cart (no sorting required) and just rolling it to the curb,” Gunn said.

The handling of chemical products, however, requires special disposal and recycling methods, and residents should continue to save these items for the chemical collection events, Gunn added.  While recycling is a good option for handling these hazardous materials, the Department of Health emphasizes the importance of practicing source reduction. 

“We recommend that residents avoid having excess materials in the first place,” said Laura Yates, Waste Management Specialist.  “Consumers should buy only what they need or use products up entirely.”

The cost for the household chemical events is covered by the Saint Louis County landfill surcharge fund.  Proof of residency, such as a driver’s license or tax bill, will be required.  For more information on these events, please call the Department of Health at 314-615-8958 or visit the Web site at www.RecycleSaintLouis.com.

The Saint Louis County Department of Health is changing the hours at the Office of Vital Records to make it easier to get certified copies of birth and death certificates.  Starting on Monday, April 14^th, 2008, the Office of Vital Records will begin operating on the following new schedule:

Birth and death certificates can also be purchased online or through the mail. Information about these methods can be found on their website at www.stlouisco.com/doh/vitals/vitals.html.

The Office of Vital Records can issue certified copies of birth and death certificates only for events that occurred in the state of Missouri.  Birth certificates are available for births that took place from 1920 to the present.  Death certificates are available for deaths that occurred from 1883 to the present; however, deaths that happened before 1980 must have occurred in Saint Louis County for the office to issue a record.

The Office of Vital Records is located on the first floor of 111 South Meramec Avenue in Clayton, Missouri (63105), and can be reached at (314) 615-1720.

The Saint Louis County Department of Health is recognizing the Rockwood School District for its extraordinary efforts to implement recycling at each of its schools. 

Rockwood Science Coordinator Mike Szydlowski first proposed the idea of single-stream recycling in December of 2007, and by February of 2008, a pilot program was already up and running at seven (7) of the district’s 31 schools.

At a meeting of the County Council on Tuesday, April 8^th, County Executive Charlie Dooley presented Rockwood School District with a proclamation praising their efforts.  Mike Szydlowski was present to accept the proclamation on the district’s behalf.

Dr. Dolores Gunn, director of the Health Department, also praised the efforts at Rockwood: “We are so pleased at the efforts being made by the Rockwood School District to implement single-stream recycling.  Recycling creates jobs, increases the lifespan of our landfills, and saves energy by reducing the amount of new raw materials we have to mine from the ground.”

Students, teachers, and administrators in the Rockwood School District are also excited by the successes realized so far.

“The pilot program has exceeded expectations and resulted in substantially more recyclable materials than we expected,” says Mike Szydlowski, who first proposed the idea last December.  “Should the program continue to be successful, Rockwood will expand its efforts to all district schools in the fall.”

The district has partnered with QRS Recycling to set up the single-stream method which allows all recyclables to be collected in a single container, making recycling easier than ever.

Rockwood students, teachers, custodians, and cafeteria workers are all engaged in the recycling effort.  Participating schools include: Rockwood Summit High School, Lafayette High School, Marquette High School, Rockwood South Middle School, Crestview Middle School, Kellison Elementary School, and Kehrs Mill Elementary School.

The recycling and reuse industry is a major job creator in the Saint Louis area.  There are currently about 16,000 people working locally in the industry with an annual payroll of almost $640 million.  Despite that, nearly $208 million of reusable materials are still being dumped into Missouri’s landfills every year.

National Public Health Week runs from April 7^th through April 13^th.  It is a time set aside each year to recognize the many positive results of public health efforts throughout the nation and to focus on a specific public health theme.  The theme this year is: “Climate Change: Our Health in the Balance.”  The Saint Louis County Department of Health is urging residents to celebrate the week by recycling whenever possible. 

“There is nothing simpler and easier that residents can do to make Saint Louis a great place to live than recycle,” said Dr. Dolores Gunn, director of the Health Department. “Recycling creates jobs, increases the lifespan of our landfills, and saves energy by reducing the amount of new raw materials we have to mine from the ground.”

To increase awareness of National Public Health Week, the Saint Louis County Health Department is sponsoring several events this week, including recognizing the Rockwood School District for its extraordinary recycling efforts, encouraging employees to recycle, and holding an online contest for an emergency preparedness bag. (The online contest can be found at the Saint Louis County Department of Health website at www.stlouisco.com/doh.)

On average, more than 70% of residential trash is recyclable.  Despite that, $208 million of reusable materials are dumped into Missouri’s landfills every year, and replacing those reusable materials with new raw materials takes as much energy as would be needed to power 262,000 Missouri homes for a year – that’s about a $500 million energy bill!

Recycling also creates jobs in the Saint Louis area.  Currently there are nearly 16,000 people working locally in the recycling and reuse industry – an industry with an annual local payroll of almost $640 million.

The emphasis of this year’s National Public Health Week is on the small steps that ordinary people can take to positively affect the environment – everything from walking or riding a bike to work to shopping at a local farmers’ market, making healthier choices to improve one’s health, and teaching younger people about the importance of our environment.

For more information on National Public Health Week, please visit the national website for the event at www.NPHW.org. 

The Saint Louis County Department of Health is offering free tetanus booster shots to those who have been exposed to the recent flooding as well as free well water testing kits for residents with private wells that were affected by the flood. Those exposed to flood waters should get a tetanus booster shot if it has been more than 10 years since their last booster.

The booster shots are available at the South County Health Center; 4580 South Lindbergh Blvd., Sunset Hills. The Center’s hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Wednesday: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.  The center is closed on the first Thursday morning of each month. Patients may call 314-842-1300 for more information.

Before using any water from a well following a flood, it is important to make sure that the water has not been contaminated.  DO NOT USE THE WATER UNTIL YOU ARE SURE IT IS SAFE.  Free well water testing kits for private wells will be available at the following County Health Department offices during the following days and hours for those residents who live in an area affected by the flood:

Saint Louis County Health Department – Main Office
111 South Meramec Avenue
Clayton, Missouri 63105
Monday – Friday; 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

It is important that the instructions included with each well water testing kit be followed exactly.  Suspect well water must be collected as directed, then returned to the County Health Department no later than 30 hours after collection.  The testing of the collected well water from private wells will be done for free.

Household cleaning kits, provided by the Salvation Army, may be picked up at the Valley Park Fire Department, 55 Crescent Ave. and the Fenton Public Works Department, 700 Rudder Road. The kits include cleaning supplies, mops and other items for use in cleaning up flooded household areas.

Information about disinfecting contaminated wells and other water sources can be found at:

www.stlouisco.com/doh

www.stlouisco.com/doh

The Saint Louis County Department of Health has begun delivering 64- and 35-gallon recycling carts to all one- and two-family residences throughout unincorporated Saint Louis County as part of their ongoing efforts to increase the number of county residents who recycle.

“Recycling isn’t just good for the environment,” said Dr. Dolores Gunn, Director of the Health Department, “It’s also good for the economy because it helps us save energy, create local jobs, and keep down the cost of trash collection.” 

Saint Louis County currently has a waste diversion rate of only 30% (70% of all waste is put into landfills).  The county has set a waste diversion rate goal of 50% by the year 2010.  It is hoped that the delivery of these new recycling carts will encourage residents to increase the amount of waste they recycle.

The delivery of the recycling carts started in Waste Collection District #3 (see map at http://www.stlouisco.com/trashrecycle/districtmap.pdf). Once deliveries in District #3 have been completed, the department will then deliver carts to the other seven (7) districts in the following order: #2, #1, #5, #6, #7, #8, and #4. It is expected that all deliveries will be completed by mid-April (an estimated schedule of deliveries can be found at http://www.stlouisco.com/doh/waste/cartdelivery.html).

All recycling carts come with a “Get Rolling” booklet that explains why residents have received the cart, what the guidelines are for using the cart, and what to do if they decide they don’t want to keep the cart.  Residents will have the option of replacing the larger 64-gallon cart with a smaller 35-gallon one or simply having the cart picked back up and taken away.  Recycling is voluntary in Saint Louis County – although county residents are strongly urged to recycle, they are not required to do so.

The Saint Louis County Department of Health is emphasizing the following benefits of recycling:

• It saves energy by reducing the need to mine and refine new raw materials (the energy needed to replace the reusable materials dumped annually into Missouri’s landfills is enough to power 262,000 Missouri homes for a year – approximately a $500 million energy bill).¹
• It creates jobs because the recycling and reuse industry is a significant driver of economic activity in the Saint Louis area, employing nearly 16,000 people with an annual payroll of $639,910,000.²
• It saves landfill space, which helps keep waste hauling rates lower (as local landfill space is depleted, haulers will have to take trash to landfills that are further away, thus increasing the cost of transporting each load).
• It preserves natural resources because manufacturers can reuse existing materials to make new products ($208 million of reusable materials are dumped in Missouri’s landfills every year).¹

¹ Source: Missouri Department of Natural Resources, 2008

² Source: St. Louis Metropolitan Area Recycling Economic Information Study conducted by University of Missouri-St. Louis for St. Louis-Jefferson Solid Waste Management District, 2002

“The recent dramatic increase in the number of reported flu cases in the area is a reminder that it is important to get a flu shot and adopt other preventative measures,” said Saint Louis County Health Department Director Dr. Dolores J. Gunn.

The county health department received reports of 561 new flu cases for the week ending January 27, compared to 166 cases the previous week. The groups most affected this flu season are late teens and adults. Last year, the peak age range was between 5 and 14.   

Flu Surveillance Chart

Influenza by Age and Type

There are other steps you can take to reduce your chances of getting the flu:

• Try to keep a distance of three feet away from others.
• Always cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough. If you don’t have a tissue, sneeze or cough into your sleeve
• Wash your hands frequently, especially after sneezing, coughing or blowing your nose
• Stay home if you are ill

To find out where to go for vaccinations (or to find more information about the flu), call the Flu Vaccination Hotline or visit the new Saint Louis County Flu website:

314-644-4FLU (4358)

www.SaintLouisCountyFlu.com

A $10,000 grant to further develop and expand the Medical Reserve Corps has been awarded to the St. Louis County Department of Health by the National Association of City and County Health Officials (NACCHO). 

The grant will allow the County to complete recruitment and training of fifty nurse volunteers and to begin recruiting volunteer interpreters.  These volunteers will be activated when public health emergencies require the distribution of medications or vaccinations.

Recruitment of nurses for the Medical Reserve Corps started in September of 2007 and 25 nurses are currently undergoing training.  For more information, please contact Saralou Hendrickson at 314-615-1635 or email her at shendrickson@stlouisco.com.