Monthly Archives: February 2016

Improve Your Child’s Healthy Smile

By: Mary Kenyon Jones, MEd., DHEC Division of Oral Health

Tooth decay is the most common disease affecting children. It is five times more common that asthma and seven times more common than hay fever. The good news is that it is preventable! With good home care and regular visits to the dentist beginning at age 1, your child can live a life free from tooth decay.

Mouth Care For Infants – 3+
Even before teeth arrive your child’s mouth can be protected. Parents and caregivers can use a clean wet cloth or gauze to gently wipe their child’s gums, cheeks, lips and tongue. After teeth begin to arrive, your child’s teeth should be brushed twice a day with a soft bristle, child-sized toothbrush. For children ages 1-3, use a smear of toothpaste with fluoride. After age 3, use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste with fluoride. Encourage your child to spit out the toothpaste after brushing. It is good to avoid rinsing with water to help maximize the benefit of the fluoride in the toothpaste.

Get a Brushing Routine
To make things easier, create a “toothbrushing routine.” The routine can include playing music, getting things set up, and using a favorite toothbrush. Try and stick to the same routine every day. Model good oral health by letting your child see you brushing your teeth.

Be a Brushing Coach
A child should be supervised while brushing their teeth until at least age 7 to ensure they are brushing properly. Ideally you should brush teeth twice a day for at least two minutes. It is important to note that toothbrushes should be changed every three to four months, or sooner if your child chews on it or has been sick.

Healthy Mouth Nutrition
What, when and how often your child eats directly affects their oral health. Parents and caregivers should encourage children to eat fruits, vegetables, whole grain products and healthy dairy products such as milk, cottage cheese, cheese and unsweetened yogurt. Encourage your child to drink water that contains fluoride. Discourage constant eating and drinking between meals.

Foods containing sugar should only be served at mealtimes and in limited amounts. Candy, cookies, cake and sweetened drinks increase your child’s risk of tooth decay. Sticky foods such as fruit roll-ups, caramels and chewy candies should be avoided.

A healthy lifestyle that includes good nutritional habits will help support your child’s oral health and overall health!

For more information about oral health, click here or visit www.mouthhealthy.org.

Regional Milk Depots Help Babies in Need

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Pictured above: Pee Dee Region Nutritional Education Specialist Ellen Edens (left) and Nursing Site Supervisor Rhonda Windham oversee donation collection and deposits to the Mother’s Milk Bank of South Carolina.

By Mary-Kathryn Craft

Thanks to the generosity of breastfeeding moms and the help of state health department staff statewide, more babies in need will receive nourishing milk for a healthy start.

The Mother’s Milk Bank of South Carolina opened at the Medical University of South Carolina in 2015 to provide pasteurized human milk to hospitalized S.C. infants whose mother’s milk supply is limited. The program created a network of milk deposit sites across the state, including five DHEC locations, to make it easier for breastfeeding moms to donate their surplus milk.

The collaborative effort is off to a great start, and DHEC staff have already helped collect more than 4,000 ounces of milk for the Mother’s Milk Bank!

In January, the Pee Dee Region received its first donation and has since collected a total of 793 ounces through the Sumter County Health Department. The Lowcountry has collected more than 1,100 ounces at the Beaufort and Goose Creek locations. The Midlands’ total is 2,212 ounces, and in the Upstate team is continuing to promote the Spartanburg County depot site.

Mother’s milk is important for newborns, especially for premature, very low birth weight babies who are at higher risk for many serious health conditions. The Mother’s Milk Bank of South Carolina was created by various partners including the Medical University of South Carolina, the S.C. Neonatal Consortium and the S.C. Birth Outcomes Initiative. For more information, visit scmilkbank.org.

New EMS Portal Supports Career Advancement

Using Social Science To Solve Coastal Resource Challenges

South Carolina Environmental Excellence Program recognizes industry

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By Cassie Harris

sceep Recognized for their efforts to protect and preserve South Carolina’s environment, Honeywell Aerospace of Greer, S.C. was recently welcomed by the South Carolina Environmental Excellence Program (SCEEP) as the newest member of the state’s premier environmental performance program.

Joining Honeywell Aerospace, Sandvik, Inc. of Westminster, S.C.; Kimberly-Clark Beech Island Mill of Beech Island, S.C.; and International Paper Eastover Mill of Eastover, S.C. received a renewed membership to the program. All companies will hold memberships in the program through 2018.

“SCEEP encourages companies that do business in South Carolina to become environmental stewards of the community through taking proactive steps to promote and protect the environment,” said DHEC’s Director of Environmental Affairs Myra Reece. “Committed to environmental excellence, SCEEP members are selected for their efforts in the promotion and practice of pollution prevention, as well as resource conservation.”

Honeywell Aerospace

A global company, Honeywell Aerospace employs approximately 485 associates at its two Greer campuses. Reportedly reducing greenhouse gases by more than 30 percent from 2004 – 2011, Honeywell Aerospace in Greer continues to work towards corporate goals to promote even further reduction. In addition, the company has worked to decrease hazardous waste generation by reducing, reusing and reclaiming hazardous waste materials. With improvements to an engine test cell, the company has been able to shrink the amount of jet fuel being used–resulting in a decrease in energy consumption.

Sandvik, Inc.
Sandvik, Inc. continues its efforts to reduce energy consumption, CO2 consumption and water consumption. Initiating a plastic recycling program in 2014—the company has reportedly recycled 7,900 pounds of plastic. Committed to continued energy and carbon dioxide emission reductions, Sandvik, Inc. has replaced high intensity discharge lighting with more energy efficient T8 lighting and installed motion detection sensors in areas where there is minimal traffic. In addition, the company remains active in their community through the promotion of work experience with local schools.

Kimberly-Clark Beech Island Mill
Through establishing company-based environmental programs, Kimberly-Clark Corporation Beech Island Mill continues to work towards achievement of its goals to reduce fresh water consumption by 25 percent by maximizing water conservation through machine use reduction and effluent recycling and decrease Greenhouse Gas emissions by five percent through the identification and implementation of energy conservation projects. The company is also taking steps to achieve and sustain 100 percent landfill elimination of manufacturing wastes. As of Nov. 2015, 93 percent of manufacturing wastes were reported as being diverted from the landfill.

International Paper Eastover Mill
International Paper Eastover Mill monitors water use on a monthly basis, reportedly reducing total water use by 2,200 gallons per ton of product since 2007. Since 2010, they have also reported a significant reduction in the amount of coal used and the subsequent sulfur dioxide emissions. While striving to be excellent corporate neighbors, IP Eastover is very active in their community. As a participant in the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI Program), they support sustainable forestry practices on land they manage as well as promote on other lands.

Associated Fuel Pump Systems Corporation
Associated Fuel Pump System Corporation (AFCO) is a zero waste-to-landfill facility. AFCO maintains a volunteer environmental and safety team that performs audits in each department in the plant, helping the company identify any environmental and/or safety concerns and maintain regulatory compliance.

About SCEEP
SCEEP is a voluntary program designed to recognize and reward South Carolina facilities that have demonstrated environmental performance through pollution prevention, energy and resource conservation, and the use of an environmental management system. Membership must be renewed every three years. DHEC has supported the program since its creation in 1997. Currently, the program has 47 corporate members across the state.

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