Welcome back to The Pulse on Public Health! This week we are covering our public health nursing team. The nursing team helps drive our mission to equitably protect, promote, empower, and engage all individuals for optimal health and wellbeing.
In collaboration with community partners, our nursing staff aims to protect the health and safety of Walworth County. To achieve this, public health nurses work with all people in the community, especially those at increased risk of illness, injury, premature death, and disability. They emphasize meeting people where they are and providing services in nontraditional settings.
Our public health nursing team supports our mission to promote health from infancy to old age. They support pregnant women to get the support, education and services they need to have a healthy baby through home visiting efforts. They continue to support families through home visiting by providing Parents as Teachers, a program that contributes to healthy development and school readiness. They support older women through classes on chronic disease, called Grapevine sessions that include topics on brain health, heart health, and much more. They host a large number of immunization clinics to reduce the spread of illnesses and played an integral role in the planning and implementation of our COVID-19 community immunization clinics. The nursing team also manages communicable disease surveillance & follow-up to prevent the spread of disease in Walworth County.
Right now, our public health team is emphasizing heart health. February is American Heart Month and we have some small steps you can take to reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD). Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally, and are increase in high rates in working-adults. There are many lifestyle changes you can make to reduce including:
1. Not smoking – The risks of CVD lower drastically after quitting. Visit www.lung.org/quit-smoking for tips on quitting.
2. Maintaining a healthy weight
3. Exercising – A 30-minute brisk walk five days a week can reduce your risk. Find what works best for you and make a plan to get regular exercise.
4. Following a healthy diet
5. Improving sleep health- setting a sleep schedule, having a calming bedtime ritual like stretching or meditation, or limiting screen time before bedtime are all examples of ways to improve your sleep health and lower your risk of CVD.
To learn more about preventing CVD visit: https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/prevention.htm
To learn more about Public Health, visit https://www.co.walworth.wi.us/417/Public-Health-Division
This content is free for use with credit to the Walworth County Department of Health and Human Services Division of Public Health and a link back to the original post.