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FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH INGULF COUNTY

Mission: To protect, promote & improve the health of all people in Floridathrough integrated state, county, & community efforts.

WELLNESS NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2015

After two years of hard work and dedication from the Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) and Gulf Couobacco-Free Partnership, the Gulf County youth tobacco rates have drastically DECREASED!

n 2012, the Florida Youth Tobacco Survey reported that a shocking 48.8% of our high school youth had used toban the past 30 days. Well not anymore! That number has dropped 19.4%, according to the latest 2014 surveyeport. More specifically, the number of high school youth who reported using smokeless tobacco (dip, chew, snuff,tc.) in the past 30 days was 32.0% and decreased in 2014 by 20.1%!

Another successful statistic that stands out is the amount of middle school students who actively serve in SWAT.WAT membership increased from 11.7% to 17%, well above the state average of 2.9%.

or a full report, please contactessie Pippin, 850-227-1276 x 168.

Congratulations to the Gulf County Tobacco Prevention Program

HEALTHY WEIGHT COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS!

Gulf Countyand the City of Port St. Joewere recognized as2015 State Surgeon General Healthy Weight Community Champions!

Special thanks to our Community Health Improvement Partners (CHIP) Mike Lacourand Denise Manuecoordinating the application and resolution efforts.

We hope you look forward to new healthy-environment initiatives coming your way!

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Healthy Heart Recipes with the Closing the Gap Program

Closing the Gap Healthy Cooking Demonstrationsfor February 2015:

Piggly Wiggly (Apalachicola):February 5th, 2pm-5pm

Dollar General Market (Port St. Joe):February 17th and 19th, 2pm-5pm

Healthy Cooking demonstrations will also take place athe following faith-based organizations in Gulf County

Philadelphia Primitive Baptist Church (Port St. Joe)February 11th, 6:30-7:30 pm

Church of God in Christ (Port St. Joe)February 20th, 4:30-5:30 pm

For more information, contact Talitha Robinson, Closing the Gap Program Coordinator, 850-653-2111 x 102.

PHABis coming to town!Public Health Accreditation Board Update:

What does it mean to be accredited? Accreditation signifies that a health department ismeeting national standards for ensuring essential public health services.

The Florida Department of Health is pursuing accreditation as an integrated healthdepartment system.

Gulf is one of twenty county health departments in Florida (out of 67 totalcounties) that will be reviewed in person by the Public Health Accreditation Board(PHAB) on February 26, 2015.

We would like to thank our community partners who have committed their time to meetthe PHAB site visit team on this day. Stay tuned everyone!

FITNESS CHALLENGE 2015 UPDATEThe Gulf County Community Health Improvement Partners (CHIP) would like toannounce the current TOP 6 Fitness Challenge Participants so far:

Kathie Sarmiento 5.49%Leanna Blackman 5.48%Melissa Rushing 5.42%Brian Marshall 5.18%Mary Clayton 5.01%Steve Kerigan 4.57%

Remember-Final weigh in is April 1, so we still have a long way to go

For more information go to the CHIP Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/gulfcountycommunityhealth

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FEBRUARY IS AMERICAN HEART MONTH

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DOH-GULF STAFF WEAR RED FOR AMERICAN HEART MONTH

Celebrate Literacy Weekwas observed January 2630 to highlight theimportant connection between reading and health.

The Florida Department of Health partnered with theFlorida Department of Education and the DairyCouncil of Florida to promote the "Health Literacy inthe Classroom reading project.

DOH-Gulf staff and 9th grade students volunteeredto read to Pre-K, Kindergarten and first gradeclassrooms at Port St. Joe and WewahitchkaElementary schools.

Picture: 9th grade students reading "SunnyBell'sDairy Farm Adventure book, an educationalchildren's book produced by the Dairy Council ofFlorida.

Together, we all can prevent and manage heart disease, one step at a time.