Light the World in Teal is an annual observance held on Nov. 4. which highlights November as Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. Members of DHEC’s Healthcare Quality staff wore teal Thursday, Nov. 4, to recognize Alzheimer’s Awareness Month.
Teal is the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America’s awareness color. Persons around the world wear teal, and buildings and structures light up in teal to participate in the observance.
Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. Approximately 95,000 South Carolinians are currently living with Alzheimer’s, according to the 2021 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures Report.
DHEC recognizes Alzheimer’s Awareness Month and encourages the public to learn more information about Alzheimer’s disease. You can do so by clicking here.
Over time, it has become more and more clear that the health of people is connected to the health of animals and the environment. The acknowledgment of that relationship is known as One Health.
Each November 3, human, animal and environmental health experts, like those at DHEC and elsewhere, join communities around the world to bring awareness to this important concept. The idea is to promote the best health for all people, animals, and the environment.
It is critical to address shared health threats at the place where humans, animals, and the environment intersect. One Health involves health experts of all types and on all levels — local, regional, national, and global levels — working on the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes through the recognition of the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment.
There are lots of examples of how the health of people is related to the health of animals and the environment. Here are just a couple:
Zoonotic diseases: Zoonotic diseases are conditions that can be spread between people and animals. According to the Centers for Disease Control Prevention (CDC), more than half of all infections people can get are zoonotic diseases. These conditions include the likes of rabies, Salmonella, and West Nile virus.
Food Safety: Food safety is important to prevent people (and animals) from becoming sick after eating food or drinks that contain harmful germs or environmental toxins. CDC estimates that each year 1 in 6 Americans get sick from contaminated food or drinks. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that foodborne illnesses cost the United States more than $15.6 billion each year.
These examples show that wide-ranging partnerships that include trained staff with backgrounds in human public health, agriculture, veterinary medicine, food safety, disease ecology, and more are needed to respond appropriately to One Health challenges. This includes the historic COVID-19 pandemic, which has placed a significant spotlight (and challenge) on One Health because it has demanded rapid, innovative, collaborative approaches to respond to and limit as much as possible its devastating impact.
The CDC’s One Health Office focuses on this relationship between people, animals, and the environment. Staff at DHEC are involved in One Health activities every day. The One Health approach encourages experts such as disease detectives, laboratorians, physicians, and veterinarians to work together to improve the health of all — from people to pets to livestock to wildlife.
Visit the CDC’s website to learn more about One Health and One Health Day. Also learn more about One Health by watching this video.
During the week of September 19-25, Adult Day Care (ADCs) facilities are celebrated and recognized for National Adult Day Services Week. There are currently 94 licensed ADCs in the state and they can be found by searching DHEC’s Find a Facility map.
ADCs work to provide community-based day care services for those adults in need of a supportive setting, thereby preventing unnecessary institutionalization. ADCs provide a minimum of four and a maximum of 14 hours of operation a day.
National Assisted Living Week, observed September 12-18, is held to recognize the hard work, compassion and care involved in operating assisted living facilities and the residents they serve.
An Assisted Living Facility (ALF) is also known as a Community Residential Care Facility (CRCF) in South Carolina. There are currently 480 licensed CRCFs in the state.
“Compassion, Community, Caring” is this year’s theme for National Assisted Living Week. The COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges for CRCFs, but DHEC has continuously aided the facilities despite the many changes that have occurred during the pandemic.
DHEC’s Division of Tobacco Control and Prevention and the Midlands Community Systems team recently celebrated with community partners for Lancaster County going tobacco free. Congratulations and a big thank you to our community partners in Lancaster County, especially the Lancaster County Health and Wellness commission, for all they have done to protect residents from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke.
In 2013, Lancaster became the first county in the state to ban indoor smoking at its public facilities and municipal government. Many other public agencies also adopted tobacco-free policies at that time. In 2019, three remaining public entities needed to adopt tobacco-free policies for the county to be considered fully tobacco-free – the first such county in South Carolina.
The Division of Tobacco Control and Prevention and the Midlands Community Systems team were able to offer support and resources to help Lancaster County achieve this incredible milestone. By July 2020, the three remaining entities passed tobacco free polices.
To celebrate and show our appreciation for all the hard work achieved by our partners, we provided tobacco free signs to all seven entities. A billboard on I-77 also recognized this accomplishment.
Live Healthy S.C. 