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UPCOMING EVENTS
3rd Annual HealthWatch Wisconsin
Conference
Back to Basics: The
Proposed BadgerCare Plus Basic
February
8-9
Madison, Wis.
Learn more.
National
Public Health Week
A Healthier
America: One Community at a Time
April
5-11
Learn more.
23rd
Annual Together for Children Conference - Child Abuse and
Neglect
April 19-20
Wisconsin Dells, Wis.
Learn more.
2010
Wisconsin Health Education Network (WHEN) Annual
Meeting
Creating Healthy
Environments for Quality Living and
Longevity
April 22
Madison, Wis.
Contact
WHEN. | |
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 INFANT DEATH
CENTER OF WISCONSIN
The Infant Death Center of Wisconsin provides bereavement
counseling and support for anyone affected by the sudden
unexpected death of an infant younger than one year of age.
The Infant Death Center also provides education to promote
infant health. Anne Harvieux, program administrator of the
Infant Death Center, retired in January. Harvieux continues to
be a strong advocate, and her leadership and dedication are
appreciated.
Karen Ordinans, executive director of Children's Health
Alliance of Wisconsin, is the new program administrator of the
Infant Death Center. Both the Infant Death Center and the
Alliance are funded by Children's Hospital of Wisconsin and a
MCH Title V Services Block Grant, through the Maternal Child
Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services
Administration, Department of Health and Human Services. The
collaboration is a natural fit given the Alliance's statewide
work on injury prevention and the child death review program.
Learn more about the Infant Death Center. Learn more about
the Wisconsin Child Death Review
Program. | |
 MANDATORY
KINDERGARTEN
Gov. Jim Doyle signed into law AB 119, a bill requiring
children to complete 5-year-old kindergarten as a prerequisite
to first-grade in a public school, including a charter school.
The bill also requires regular attendance. This bill will
begin in the 2011-12 school year.
Governor Doyle said, "This legislation will help ensure
that all kids in Wisconsin will get off to the right start in
school. The early years of a child's life have a lasting
impact and excellent early childhood education can mean better
overall development, a smaller chance of being held back in
school or dropping out, and lower special education
costs."
The bill permits a school board and the operator of an
independent charter school to establish policies, standards,
conditions and procedures for the parent or guardian of a
child to seek an exemption. Learn
more. | |
MEET THE
BOARD
Children's Health Alliance of Wisconsin is proud to
introduce our most recent advisory board member, Kip R.
Ritchie. Ritchie is the chief operating officer for the
Potawatomi Business Development Corporation and
a member of the Potawatomi Tribe.
Since he began his career in Indian gaming in 1997,
Ritchie has been involved in the development of
strategic business planning and management, and
extensive marketing campaigns. The Alliance looks
forward to his strategic planning and communication
expertise as we work together to keep children healthy
and safe.
View a complete list of our advisory board
members. | | |
NATIONAL
CHILDREN'S DENTAL HEALTH MONTH
February is National Children's Dental Health Month
(NCDHM). This annual event, sponsored by the American Dental
Association (ADA), is intended to raise awareness about
the importance of good oral health. The ADA Web site offers materials to
promote NCDHM and provide oral health education.
As part of NCDHM, a variety of oral health events are
planned in Wisconsin communities, including Give Kids A Smile
(GKAS) day on Feb. 5. During GKAS day, dental services are
donated to thousands of low-income children across the state.
Last year on GKAS day, Wisconsin dentists provided more
than $622,000 in oral health services to more
than 5,500 children statewide. Learn more about statewide GKAS
events. | |
NEW WEB SITE ON
HEALTHY CHILDREN
Healthy children is a new Web site
launched by the American Academy of Pediatrics seeking to
provide best practice information for parents and caregivers.
Information is available on healthy living, safety and
prevention, family life, health issues, latest news, parenting
tools and other tips.
Resources are categorized by age group and provide specific
information for each developmental time period. Examples of
resources include:
- Managing crying and colic.
- Creating a toilet-training plan.
- Teaching your preschooler to eat without reservation.
- Making healthy food choices for your grade-schooler.
- Recommendations on when to let your teenager start
dating.
- A pressure-free SAT for high school
juniors.
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 WINTER CAR SEAT
SAFETY
Winter has arrived. Parents and caregivers need to make
sure winter coats fit safely in children's car seats. It is
important to keep the harness as close to the child's body as
possible. Heavy coats can compress during a crash increasing
the likelihood of ejection from a car seat.
Use the following steps to assess if a coat or snowsuit is
too thick:
- Take the car seat into the house.
- Put the winter coat or snowsuit on the child.
- Put the child in the car seat and buckle the harnesses.
Adjust the straps to fit appropriately.
- Take the child out of the car seat without loosening the
straps.
- Take the coat or snowsuit off the child.
- Put the child back in the car seat and buckle the
harnesses again, but do not tighten the straps.
- If you can fit more than two fingers under the harness
at the child's shoulder bone, the coat is too thick and not
safe for use with the car seat.
Tips for keeping children warm and safe:
- Secure the harness. Place blankets on top of the child.
Make sure nothing is behind the child's back.
- For older children and toddlers, remove coats prior to
buckling. Once the harness is secure, the coats may be worn
backward.
- Preheat cars when possible.
- When purchasing winter coats, try for thin warm
materials that fit safely under the car seat harness. Polar
fleece is a great option.
Learn more about car seat safety on our Web
site. | |
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 CLEANING UP WISCONSIN
SCHOOLS
Over half of U.S. schools have poor indoor air quality
leading to serious health problems, such as asthma.
Environmental triggers found in schools can cause or worsen
asthma attacks. Since asthma is the leading cause of school
absenteeism, it is critical for schools to control
environmental asthma triggers.
Schools face a variety of potential environmental problems
and every school is different. Schools may experience problems
with mold, dust mites, pet dander, pollen, dust, pesticides,
cleaning agents, etc. If schools do not have an adequate
heating, ventilating and air conditioning system, the ability
to control air pollutant levels is significantly decreased.
Wisconsin Act 96, signed by Gov.
Doyle on December 10, 2009, requires the Department of Public
Instruction to create a task force dedicated to developing a
model management plan for maintaining indoor environmental
quality (IEQ) in public and private schools.
This act also recommends IEQ training requirements for
school operation and maintenance staff, IEQ educational
materials and model specifications for the design and
construction of school facilities and school
alterations. | | |
