Tag Archives: CDC

Division of Oral Health Provides Tips for National Brush Day

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Each year on November 1, National Brush Day helps focus on children’s oral health through facts about brushing, activities to make brushing fun and tips to keep those teeth nice and healthy. It’s a good way to celebrate the day after Halloween!

Eating sweets is the number one contributor to tooth decay. After loading up on sugary treats during Halloween, this is the perfect time to remind your kids about the importance of taking care of their teeth!

In America, tooth decay is a common problem found in children. The Ad Council’s survey revealed that many children were not brushing their teeth as recommended by dental health experts. Oral diseases have been the cause of many children missing their learning hours and parents missing time at work.

Our Division of Oral Health encourages you to show your kids that brushing doesn’t have to be a chore. There are a lot of ways to make brushing more fun and less boring.  

  1. Pick out a brushing song. Ask your child to pick their favorite song and crank it up. Dance along and make brushing on National Brush Day a party. 
  2. Brush up on your brushing. Get back to the basics and review proper brushing form with your kids. Remind them to brush their gum line gently and brush all the way to the back of their mouth. Finally, ensure they know to brush for a full two minutes! 
  3. You can get creative with your toothbrush. There are three main categories of toothbrush: manual, electric and sonic. However, within these categories there are seemingly endless choices in color, size and features. For example, some toothbrushes have a gum cleaner on the back of the brush head, while others feature your kid’s favorite cartoon. Help your child get creative next time they pick out a toothbrush. 
  4. Make brushing a family event. Brushing is a tradition that your family can do together every day. Show your kids why brushing is important and do it as a team. Bonus points for flossing together too! 

Make plans to observe National Brush Day by spreading the brushing message, buying a new toothbrush and sharing your “Your Favorite Toothbrushing Song” that’s at least 2 minutes long and tagging #NBDToothTunes.

Hear Her: Listening to Women’s Health Concerns & Recognizing Urgent Pregnancy-Related Warning Signs

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Each year, there are too many deaths in the United States due to complications from pregnancy. Recognizing the warning signs, getting the right diagnosis, and getting treatment as soon as possible can save lives.

CDC’s Hear Her campaign is raising awareness of potentially life-threatening warning signs during and after pregnancy and encourages people supporting pregnant and postpartum women to really listen when they express concerns.

Up to a year after pregnancy, pregnant and postpartum people need to seek medical care immediately if they experience any of the following signs or symptoms:

  • Severe headache that won’t go away or gets worse over time
  • Dizziness or fainting
  • Thoughts about harming yourself or your baby
  • Changes in vision
  • Fever of 100.4º F or higher
  • Extreme swelling of hands or face
  • Trouble breathing
  • Chest pain or fast-beating heart
  • Severe nausea and throwing up (not like morning sickness)
  • Severe belly pain that doesn’t go away
  • Baby’s movement stopping or slowing down during pregnancy
  • Vaginal bleeding or fluid leaking during pregnancy
  • Heavy vaginal bleeding or leaking fluid that smells bad after pregnancy
  • Swelling, redness or pain of your leg
  • Overwhelming tiredness

    Most deaths caused by complications from pregnancy can be prevented. Hear Her encourages partners, family, friends, and providers to listen when pregnant or postpartum women express concerns. Your actions could help save their life.

To learn more, visit cdc.gov/HearHer.

DHEC Celebrates Tracking Awareness Week

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Every year, CDC’s Environmental Public Health Tracking Network, state and local health departments, researchers, partners and many others come together to highlight important nationwide environmental health issues and showcase the work of the Tracking Program.

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WIC Implements Program to Identify Developmental Milestones in Children

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DHEC’s WIC program is going a little farther this winter to encourage parents to learn the signs of healthy development with its implementation of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Learn the Signs. Act Early. Program.

According to the CDC, the “Learn the Signs. Act Early” program aims to improve the early identification of children with autism and other developmental disabilities so children and families can get the services and support they need.  

It is important to identify developmental delays and disabilities. The CDC reports that 1 in 6 children aged 3-17 years have developmental disabilities. The S.C. WIC program will aid parents in identifying these disabilities or delays sooner than later.  

As of Jan. 4, 2022, WIC began implementing this new program to its participants. As part of the program, parents will complete a milestone checklist. The list can be completed by paper or through the milestone tracker app.  

By monitoring their children’s milestones using the simple checklist, parents can identify what skills are typical at certain ages. It also aids parents to recognize when to act if they have concerns or if there are signs of possible developmental delay or disability.  

WIC providers recognize how a child plays, learn, speak, act, and move for their age are important signs of a child’s healthy growth and development. When a child’s development is delayed, WIC providers also know the value of a timely referral to support both the child and family. 

From June 1, 2021 – August 31, 2021, the Moncks Corner Health Department, and the Bluffton Health Department of the Lowcountry region piloted the program.    

During that time: 

  • 514 participants were educated on the developmental milestones 
  • 35 participants were referred for developmental screening 
  • 858 Milestone Matter lessons were completed on WICs’ online education platform, WIChealth.org. 

It is the success of the Lowcountry that has led the WIC program to implement a statewide rollout this month!

DHEC Division One of Four Selected for Nationwide CDC Pilot for Cancer Survivorship

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The Division of Cancer Prevention, located in the Bureau of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, was one of four awardees nationwide selected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to conduct a pilot project to address rural and urban disparities in cancer survivorship.

The pilot project, titled “Improving the Health and Wellness of Cancer Survivors in Rural Communities,” focused specifically on tele-mentoring strategies using Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) to increase coordination and movement of knowledge between specialists and primary care providers. The internationally recognized Project ECHO offers a unique knowledge-sharing approach to create an online community that shares best-practices and case-based learning resources. This online model leverages technology to expand the reach and connectivity of providers in rural areas to subject-specific knowledge and specialists.

SC CCCP held monthly; one-hour Zoom sessions from October 2020 to February 2021. Topics included cancer pain management, sexuality and intimacy, and nutrition for cancer survivor patients. Each session was able to provide expert-delivered content that highlighted best-care practices and created a community of practice among oncologists, primary care providers, nurses, social workers, researchers, administrators, and other caregivers.

Over this ECHO series, the project reached 102 unique participants, with an average of 37 participants per session. Data from this pilot project was able to link providers in four rural counties with specialists in seven urban SC counties and four out-of-state sites. Providers who participated in the ECHO intervention reported up to 60% of their patient population reside in rural areas, which speaks to the intervention’s achievement in targeting rural patients for improved cancer care and outcomes.

“Residents in our rural counties often have less health care access including fewer health care workers, specialists such as cancer doctors, and transportation options,” said Sonya Younger, Comprehensive Cancer Control Program Director. “Rural residents are also more likely to be uninsured and to live farther away from health services. Through innovative telementoring, Project ECHO helped the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control increase rural provider workforce knowledge to provide best-practice, cancer specialty extended care.”

Visit the SC Cancer Alliance’s website to listen to the Cancer Survivorship Project ECHO recorded presentations at https://www.sccancer.org/events/cancer-survivorship-project-echo-recorded-presentations/ 

VIDEO INFORMATION 

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By utilizing the ECHO model to share knowledge and foster a clinical community, reaching widespread providers and other clinical professionals that service rural communities, the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control shows the core value of Inspiring Innovation and is an example of the agency strategies of Service and Accessibility and Education and Engagement.

Success was possible through the connectedness of the SC Cancer Division including Best Chance Network, Comprehensive Cancer Control, and Research and Planning program staff and its partners and providers, as well as virtual sessions and electronic communication, demonstrating DHEC’s core value of Promoting Teamwork.