Monthly Archives: December 2019

2020 Tide Table now available

Leave a reply

A new year is on the horizon, and South Carolinians interested in updating their calendars with a new year of tidal information can now get the 2020 Tide Table Poster from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC). 

2020 Tide Tables are now available online and at DHEC OCRM offices in Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Beaufort, and DHEC’s main location in Columbia.

The Tide Table Posters are produced by DHEC’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM) to help citizens monitor and plan for tidal events along the coast. The tables provide daily tidal information based on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) tide predictions, including dates and times of high tides with corresponding water levels, and dates and times of low tides. 

Where to Get Your Tide Table Poster 

Limited supplies of printed Tide Tables are available at DHEC OCRM offices in Charleston, Beaufort, Myrtle Beach, and DHEC’s main location in Columbia. A foldable, desktop version of the chart is also available online. To learn more about the Tide Tables and to download the 2020 poster, click here. 

Coastal Photography  

DHEC holds a Coastal Photography Contest each year to determine the featured photograph for the new Tide Table Poster and web page. More than 400 photos were received during the 2019 contest, and Kristen Kappel was selected with her winning photo, “Pernicious Beauty.” Congratulations, Kristen! 

“Pernicious Beauty” by Kristen Kappel, winner of the 2019 Coastal Photography Contest

King Tides Program 

Joe Cronin submitted this photo taken on October 1, 2019 of Andell Bluff Blvd. on Seabrook Island to the King Tides Program.

DHEC is leading the South Carolina King Tides initiative to document the effect that extreme tide events have on our state’s beaches, coastal waterways, private property and public infrastructure. 

Through the initiative, citizen scientists can submit their photos of king tide events to help DHEC monitor and respond to coastal environmental issues. The photos are included in DHEC’s long-term analysis of coastal vulnerability and planning initiatives with municipalities. 

To participate in the South Carolina King Tides Initiative, click here. 

From Other Blogs: New Nutrient Content Information Now Available Online, How to Stop Spreading Germs, Addressing Antibiotic Resistance

Leave a reply

A collection of health and environmental posts from other governmental blogs.

New Nutrient Content Information Now Online

Have you ever wanted to view food sources of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in your diet? The National Agricultural Library’s Food and Nutrition Information Center now houses 36 tables of foods according to their nutrient content. The tables are available for vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and macronutrients and are listed in household measure from the highest to lowest in nutrient content. – From U.S. Department of Agriculture’s blog

 

Stop Spreading Germs: Tips for Parents and Kids

It’s something all parents dread – a call from the school nurse telling you that your child is sick. We usually wonder how they got it and how to prevent everyone else in the family from catching it too. Katie Schill, nurse practitioner with Prisma Health Telehealth, offers some tips to share with your children on how to prevent the spread of illnesses. And if you do find yourself with an ill child, when to keep them home from school. – From Flourish, Prisma Health’s blog

 

Urgent Care Collaborating to Address Antibiotic Resistance

Laurel Stoimenoff, PT CHC Chief Executive Officer of the Urgent Care Association (UCA) and its member are concerned about the looming antibiotic resistance crisis. In collaboration with the College of Urgent Care Medicine (CUCM), we have decided to be part of the solution. From Safe Healthcare, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) blog

 

Tandem Health of Sumter Chosen as the 2019 HPV Vaccine is Cancer Prevention Champion for Preventing HPV Cancers in South Carolina

Leave a reply

HPV is Cancer Prevention Champion, an award created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI), and the American Cancer Society (ACS), recognizes clinicians, clinics, practices, groups and health systems that offer exceptional HPV vaccination among adolescents in their community. This award honors one Champion in each state as well as Champions from the eight United States territories and District of Columbia. Tandem Health of Sumter is South Carolina’s winner for 2019.

Tandem Health is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and accredited patient-centered medical home (PCMH) that provides comprehensive, personalized healthcare services regardless of the patient’s ability to pay. In January 2019, Tandem Health joined the South Carolina Primary Health Care Association and American Cancer Society as a member system of the South Carolina HPV Cancer Free Learning Collaborative. Tandem has served as a peer mentor for the additional seven FQHC member systems, sharing examples of the implemented evidence-based strategies and quality improvement processes. Because of these efforts, Tandem Health has gone from a 39% HPV vaccine series completion rate among adolescent patients at January 1, 2019 to a 78% completion rate by the end of August 2019.

Tandem Health is dedicated to improving the health of our boys and girls in South Carolina. DHEC is proud and honored to congratulate Tandem Health on this well-deserved award.

Receiving the HPV vaccine is important because it protects against cancers caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. HPV is a very common virus; nearly 79 million people are currently infected in the United States. Every year in the United States, nearly 35,000 women and men are estimated to be diagnosed with a cancer caused by HPV infection. HPV vaccination could prevent more than 90% of these cancers—more than 32,000 cases every year—from ever developing. Both boys and girls should get two doses of the HPV vaccine series when they are 11 or 12 years old. The HPV vaccine series can be started as early as age 9. HPV vaccine is one of 4 vaccines teens should get when they are age 11 or 12.  All teens also need a Tdap (whooping cough) booster, meningitis vaccine, and a yearly flu vaccine.

To read Tandem Health’s profile on the CDC’s website, and to learn more about HPV Vaccine is Cancer Prevention Champion Award program, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/hpv/champions/2019-winners.html#sc .

Get Your Flu Shot During National Influenza Vaccination Week

Leave a reply

This week is National Influenza Vaccination Week, and we are entering the peak of flu season. Receiving a flu vaccination can reduce flu illness, doctor’s visits, and missed work or school, as well as prevent flu-related hospitalizations.

Influenza (flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and sometimes the lungs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it can cause mild to severe illness and at times can lead to death.

Everyone in your family who is six months and older should get a flu vaccine every year. Protect yourself and your loved ones by getting your shot today.

Flu symptoms may include:

  • fever,
  • cough,
  • sore throat,
  • runny or stuffy nose,
  • muscle or body aches,
  • headaches, and

Flu germs are spread by tiny droplets when people with flu cough, sneeze, or talk. Those droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby.

Flu shots_SC Health Assessment

According to the 2018 South Carolina State Health Assessment, many South Carolinians are receiving their flu shots, even above the national average. During the 2016-17 flu season, South Carolina had the second highest percent of adults 18 years and older who received the flu vaccine among the southern states (45.2%). Be in that number and get your shot today. Pregnant women should especially speak to their doctor about flu vaccination, as they are at an increased risk for a severe case of the flu due to changes in their immune system, heart, and lungs during pregnancy. Flu can cause severe reactions to the mother as well present adverse outcomes for the infant.

DHEC offers the flu vaccine at all public health clinics. Find a clinic near you by visiting https://www.scdhec.gov/health/health-public-health-clinics.