July 2011
Welcome to the third quarterly edition of the
Suburban Pharmacy LTC newsletter! In this issue:
Reducing Sugar- sweetened Beverages
Clinical Preventative Services for Older Adults
Summer Safety Tips
Emergency Preparedness and You
Reducing Sugar Sweetened Beverages Among Youth
Summer Safety Tips
Sugar-sweetened beverages are the largest source of added
sugars in the diet of U.S. youth. Consuming these beverages
increases the intake of calories—a factor potentially
contributing to obesity among youth nationwide.
Summer is all about fun in the sun, vacation time,
bike riding, boating, picnics, and fireworks, but the
season is also the time of year consumers are
most likely to become injured. Here are the top 5
summer safety tips.
What you can do:
•
•
•
Reduce their consumption of regular soda or pop,
sports drinks, and other sugar-sweetened beverages.
Increase their consumption of water and low-fat or
fat-free milk.
Drink limited amounts of 100% fruit juices.
Moreover, because youth spend a significant portion of each
weekday in school, making sure that healthy beverage choices
are available—and that less nutritious ones are not—is critical.
Implementing school policies restricting access to sugarsweetened beverages is an especially important public health
strategy for addressing childhood obesity and improving
students’ nutritional health.
Sun Safety: Choose sunscreen with
coverage against UVA and UVB rays, wear
protective hats and sunglasses, and try to
avoid mid-day sun. Sunburns can happen
within 15 minutes of exposure!
Hydration: Tank up on fluids before
leaving the house but keep water or sports
drinks readily available. Don’t wait until
you are thirsty to take a drink!
Heat-related Illness: It is harder for young
children and older adults to regulate their
body temperature. Stay hydrated and
watch for symptoms.
Bites and Stings: Apply insect repellent
but always call 911 if an allergic reaction
occurs after a bite or sting.
Ticks: Wear light colored clothing and do
skin checks at night on each family
member.
www.cdc.gov
www.cdc.gov
Emergency Preparedness and You
The possibility of public health emergencies arising in the
United States concerns many people in the wake of recent
hurricanes, tsunamis, acts of terrorism, and the threat of
pandemic influenza. Though some people feel it is impossible
to be prepared for unexpected events, the truth is that taking
preparedness actions helps people deal with disasters of all
sorts much more effectively when they do occur.
Here are a few steps to take now to protect you and
your loved ones:
1. Get a Kit
- Gather Emergency Supplies: By taking time
now to prepare emergency water supplies,
food supplies and disaster supplies kit, you
can provide for your entire family.
- Make sure the needs of everyone who would use
the kit are covered, including infants, seniors and
pets.
2. Make a Plan
- Develop a Family Disaster Plan: Families can
cope with disaster by preparing in advance
and working together as a team.
3. Be Informed
- Learn How to Shelter in Place: Organizations
such as the CDC and the American Red Cross
offer resources to answer common questions
and offer guidance.
- Understand Quarantine and Isolation: When
quarantine and isolation may be called for
understand what they are and how they
work.
- Maintain a Healthy State of Mind: Look for
tools for coping with disaster for adults,
parents, children, students and seniors.
Clinical Preventative Services for Older Adults
Every day in America about
10,000 people turn 65.
Every day in America about 10,000 people turn
65. By the year 2030, roughly one out of every
five Americans will be aged 65 years and older.
Unfortunately, many older adults currently do
not receive vaccinations, screenings, and other
preventive services national experts recommend.
These important services help detect many
diseases, delay their onset, or identify them early
in their most treatable stages to ensure
healthier, longer, and more productive lives for
older adults.
The challenges underlying the disparities in the
use of clinical preventive services are complex
and reach beyond the traditional heath care
arena of patient-provider interactions.
Combining forces of the public health
infrastructure, aging services network,
community-based organizations, and linking to
health systems affords a real opportunity to
make a difference.
Clinical Preventive Services
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)
recommends a set of clinical preventive services
for persons aged 65 years and older. For a
complete list of all recommended services, see
the USPSTF Web site. Among the recommended
clinical preventive services are a core set of
services, based on age and gender. These core
services include influenza and pneumococcal
vaccinations, lipid disorders, colorectal cancer
screening, and additionally for women, breast
cancer screening.
www.cdc.gov
Suburban Pharmacy LTC
342 North Main Street, West Hartford, CT 06117
(860) 882-1808 ∙ (860) 882-1797
www.cdc.gov