Tag Archives: Eat Smart Move More

DHEC in the News: Opioid abuse, diabetes champion, student-grown gardens

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Here’s a look at health and environmental news from around South Carolina.

DAODAS director: Public education on opioid abuse, targeted programs key to saving lives

A comprehensive public education campaign, targeted programming and a laser-like focus on recovery are strategies the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services is employing to try to prevent deaths from opioid overdoses in the state.

Newly confirmed DAODAS Director Sara Goldsby said while more people are seeking treatment for opioid abuse, the opioid crisis has not yet leveled off because the state is still seeing more overdoses and more deaths from overdoses.

HopeHealth provider named diabetes champion

FLORENCE, S.C. – HopeHealth’s Christy Evans was presented the Diabetes Champion of the Year Award on March 9 during the 16th annual Chronic Disease Prevention Symposium in Myrtle Beach.

The award, presented by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, recognizes individuals who have made “substantial advancement in improving health care systems to improve care for patients through well-defined measures” with particular attention to nationally recommended diabetes standards of care.

Pee Dee students to grow gardens

FLORENCE, S.C. — Students at a few Florence schools and churches will soon have the pleasure of eating homegrown foods as a result of design and construction grants to install raised garden beds from the city and the local chapter of Eat Smart Move More.

The schools and churches are Carver Elementary Magnet School, North Vista Elementary School and Southside Middle School, plus the preschool at Central United Methodist Church, the youth program at Cumberland United Methodist Church and John Calvin Presbyterian Church.

Take the Healthy Body, Healthy Brain Pledge

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As important as it is to take good care of your body, it’s equally critical that you keep your brain healthy.

That is why DHEC is partnering with the Alzheimer’s Association South Carolina Chapter, The American Heart Association and Eat Smart Move More South Carolina to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s disease and brain health.

As part of the awareness campaign, the partners are encouraging people to Take Brain Health to Heart and pledge to keep their body, heart and brain healthy. The Healthy Body, Healthy Brain pledge can be found at www.scdhec.gov/brainhealthpledge.

The intent is quite simple: to motivate South Carolinians to protect their brain health by taking proactive steps such as being more active and eating better. Research has shown that smoking, obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes may contribute to cognitive decline. It has also found that unhealthy eating, lack of physical activity and brain injury may affect the health of the brain.

The campaign features a centralized DHEC Brain Health webpage. People who visit the page and take the pledge are entered into a monthly drawing for a Fitbit; the drawings end June 30. Please visit the webpage at www.scdhec.gov/brainhealth and take the pledge.

Pledge to keep your body, heart and brain healthy

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DHEC is partnering with the Alzheimer’s Association South Carolina Chapter, The American Heart Association and Eat Smart Move More South Carolina to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s disease and brain health.

Protect your body, heart and brain

DHEC and its partners will collaborate on a campaign that encourages people to Take Brain Health to Heart. A key element of the effort is a pledge — which can be found at www.scdhec.gov/brainhealthpledge — that encourages residents to keep their body, heart and brain healthy.

The campaign is designed to educate and mobilize South Carolinians to protect their brain health by being more active, eating better and taking other steps. Research has shown that smoking, obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes may contribute to cognitive decline. It has also found that unhealthy eating, lack of physical activity and brain injury may affect the health of the brain.

Message key for S.C.’s aging population

This is an important message in South Carolina, whose population is getting older. While Alzheimer’s and dementia are not a normal part of aging, getting older is the greatest risk factor for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association’s 2016 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report, 84,000 people over the age of 65 are reported to be living with Alzheimer’s disease in South Carolina.  By 2025, that number is expected to grow to 120,000, according to the SC Alzheimer’s disease registry report. South Carolina has one of the fastest-aging adult populations in the country, ranking in the top 10. That population is expected to increase to 1.1 million by 2029, resulting in one in five South Carolinians being over age 65.

South Carolina is one of seven states to receive funding to reduce stigma, promote early diagnosis and address risk reduction factors associated with cognitive decline, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The effort is funded by a collaborative that includes the Alzheimer’s Association, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Take the pledge

Over the next few months, DHEC, the Alzheimer’s Association, the American Heart Association and Eat Smart Move More will jointly focus on messaging regarding heart and brain health and cognitive decline.

The campaign will feature a centralized DHEC Brain Health webpage. Each partner organization will have a link to the page, which will include health education materials, social media messages and a call to action in the form of a pledge about healthy lifestyle changes. People who visit the page and take the pledge will be entered into a monthly drawing for a Fitbit, beginning this month and ending June 30. Please visit the webpage at www.scdhec.gov/brainhealth and take the pledge.