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In compliance with the Ontario Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act, a listing of Peterborough Public Health’s salaries and benefits exceeding $100,000 for 2013 has been posted on Public Health’s website and is available from the hyperlink below:

 

2013 PCCHU Salary Disclosure

 

March 21, 2014 – Click here to view the Board of Health Meeting Summary from March 19

March 15, 2014 – Location: Council Chambers, Peterborough County Court House

The community is advised that the next meeting of the Board of Health will take place on Wednesday, March 19, 2014 at 4:45 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Peterborough County Court House located at 470 Water Street, Peterborough.

To download the agenda and the online board package, please visit:

http://www.peterboroughpublichealth.ca/about-us/about-us-2/board-of-health/meeting-agendas

The meeting is open to the community and members of the media.

For further information, please contact:

Brittany Cadence
Communications Supervisor
Peterborough Public Health
(705) 743-1000, ext. 391

March 14, 2014 – March is Nutrition Month and this year’s theme is “Simply Cook & Enjoy!”   Across the country Registered Dietitians are encouraging Canadians to get excited about healthy eating and embrace cooking in their daily lives.

There is a growing concern regarding a potential lack of home cooking and loss of cooking skills among Canadians of all ages. Shifting values, busy schedules and increased availability of prepared processed meals are just some of the factors that translate into diminishing food preparation skills.

“For children, learning to cook helps them to make better food choices and cook for themselves as they grow up. Helping out in the kitchen also promotes life skills in other areas such as literacy, math and science,” said Erica Diamond, Registered Dietitian and Public Health Nutritionist at Peterborough Public Health. “Cooking with kids can take a little more time, but it’s worth it!”

Here are a few tips to keep cooking with kids relaxed:

  • Keep it simple! Give kids easy tasks, such as stirring, reading the recipe, measuring or passing ingredients, when you’re in a hurry. Involving children in simple, small ways can help to make them feel welcome and confident in the kitchen.
  • Cook when you’re less rushed like on weekends, when you can take more time to teach skills. Teach them how to hold a knife, crack an egg and use a whisk, and how to safely use the toaster. Consider their skill level and get them to help you in ways that slowly build their confidence and skill level. Consider signing up for a local cooking class with your child or watch online cooking video tutorials together.
  • Choose easy-to-follow recipes with lots of tasks kids can help with. Kids will be more likely to try new foods and meals that they have helped cook! Have your kids choose recipes with you. See what they’re interested in making.
  • As the adult consider preparing some of the ingredients before you start cooking with your child to help maintain their interest. When you’ve got ingredients organized and some preparation started, it will help so you won’t feel rushed if you’re trying to get a meal to the table.

For more info on cooking with kids, visit Eat Right Ontario online at:

https://www.eatrightontario.ca/en/Articles/Nutrition-Month/Get-your-kids-in-the-kitchen-and-Celebrate-food%E2%80%A6fr.aspx

For fast and delicious recipes, Public Health also recommends:

  • Visiting Meals in Minutes on www.peterboroughpublichealth.ca and clicking on My Life & Health > Adults > Healthy Eating > Recipes – Meals in Minutes.
  • Visiting www.dietitians.ca to watch videos of Registered Dietitians sharing Simply Cook and Enjoy! cooking tips.
  • Downloading eaTipster free from www.eatipster.com  nd be inspired by a new cooking tip each day in March – and healthy tips for the rest of the year!
  • Downloading Cookspiration free at www.cookspiration.com and get recipe ideas based on what you feel like eating. This new iPhone and iPad app is launching early in 2014.
  • Seek out Dietitians as the smart choice for nutrition and food information. Find a dietitian in your area at www.dietitians.ca/find

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For further information, please contact:

 

Erica Diamond, RD

Public Health Nutritionist

(705) 743-1000, ext. 361

March 10, 2014 – Space Still Available for March 17 & 24 Workshops in Peterborough

For many smokers the cost of nicotine replacement products can be a barrier to quitting. The STOP (Smoking Treatment for Ontario Patients) Program workshop offers eligible participants in Peterborough five weeks of cost-free nicotine replacement therapy and smoking cessation information to help them in their quit attempt.

Nicotine replacement therapy has been shown to effectively help people quit smoking by easing withdrawal symptoms. Workshop participants also receive educational material with quit smoking and relapse prevention strategies, along with information to address other unhealthy lifestyle factors that are known to accompany smoking.

STOP workshops will be held in Peterborough on March 17th and March 24th, 2014. For more information, to see if you are eligible to participate and to register for the workshop(s) call Peterborough Public Health at (705) 743-1000.

The STOP Program is led by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), and is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care as part of its Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy.

CAMH is Canada’s leading addiction and mental health teaching hospital. Integrating clinical care, scientific research, education, policy development and health promotion, CAMH transforms the lives of people impacted by mental health and addiction issues.

 

For more information contact:

Michael Torres, CAMH Media Relations, at (416) 595-6015.

Mary Pat Fasken, Peterborough Public Health, at (705) 743-1000 ext. 217

 

Background: The STOP Program

Introduced in 2005 through a partnership between the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the former Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport, the STOP Program has already provided smoking cessation medication, free of charge, along with behavioural support to an unprecedented 90,000 Ontarians.

Questionnaires administered pre- and post-treatment will help STOP Program researchers learn more about the long-term impact of providing nicotine replacement therapy and other smoking cessation aids free of charge to smokers across Ontario. To date, results for STOP participants have shown an improvement of at least two times the typical quit rates.

March 6, 2014 – Event Celebrates Healthy Eating and Student Nutrition Programs As Part of 2014 Nutrition Month

ScreenShot317Today 5,983 local students and staff from 23 schools took part in a Canada-wide synchronized bite of locally grown apples to promote healthy eating during 2014 National Nutrition Month.

“The Great Big Crunch is a fun way to bring staff and students together to make a noise for healthy eating and local food systems,” said Chris McCarthy, Food For Kids Peterborough and County Student Nutrition Program Coordinator.  “This event is a great way to kick off March as nutrition month and provide students and teachers the opportunity to connect nutrition to learning.”

At Chemong Public School, Principal Lori Woodbeck stated, “We believe that encouraging healthy eating is an important part of being a healthy school.  One way we do this is by always having bowls of fresh fruit in the main hall and in the junior/intermediate wing available for students.  We are happy to take part in the Great Big Crunch to emphasize eating healthy local foods.”

This year, Soroptimist International of Peterborough partnered with Food for Kids to help fund this event. “Our members recognize the importance of this educational opportunity, which coincides with the Soroptimist mission ‘to improve women’s and girls’ lives through a program that will provide social and economic empowerment,” said Tanna Edwards, President of Soroptimist International of Peterborough. “Certainly teaching our girls and boys to choose healthy foods and helping them to understand the value of good nutrition will provide better learning outcomes, thereby nurturing their empowerment.”

Organized locally by Food For Kids Peterborough and County, the Great Big Crunch is a national event initiated by FoodShare Toronto to raise awareness about healthy eating and local and global food systems.

Food For Kids Peterborough and County is a non-profit community partnership which supports student nutrition programs in 47 elementary and secondary schools throughout Peterborough County and City. Student Nutrition Programs in Peterborough City and County receive substantial funding from the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services, Breakfast Clubs of Canada, and Breakfast for Learning through their local charitable partner, the Peterborough Family Resource Centre. Over 180 local community partners donated food, funding, supplies, space, and volunteer time to support Food For Kids programs.

Each student nutrition program is staffed by volunteers who offer healthy food choices in an inviting inclusive and welcoming environment to all students.  In the 2012-2013 school year, more than 1000 community volunteers served 1.9 million breakfasts and snacks to local students.

For more information about Food For Kids, visit www.peterboroughpublichealth.ca/ffk.  Follow Great Big Crunch activities on Twitter: #greatbigcrunch.

For further information, please contact:

Chris McCarthy
Food For Kids Peterborough and County Student Nutrition Program Coordinator
(705) 742-2269
cmccarthy.snp@live.com

 

Brittany Cadence
Communications Supervisor
Peterborough County City Public Health
(705) 743-1000, ext. 391
bcadence@peterboroughpublichealth.ca

 

 

March 3, 2014 – The Peterborough Public Health is issuing a Frostbite Alert on Monday, March 3 for Peterborough City and County, and Curve Lake and Hiawatha First Nations.  The forecasted wind chill value today is expected to reach -31.  The Frostbite Alert will remain in effect until lifted, as the cold is expected to last for the next two to three days.

Your help supporting vulnerable populations who could be at risk during this extreme cold event is greatly appreciated. A poster with helpful tips to prevent frostbite is attached for use at your facility.

During the Frostbite Alert, the Lighthouse Community Centre will be open Monday – Saturday from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at 99 Brock St. (St. John’s Anglican Church) and on Sundays from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at 175 Murray St. Baptist Church.

The Warming Room details:

The Warming Room will be open Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. at All Saints Anglican Church located on the corner of Sherbrooke and Rubidge Streets.

On Tuesday and Saturday, The Warming Room is open from 9:30 p.m. to 8 a.m. and located at Murray St. Baptist Church on Murray St. between Aylmer and George Sts.

The program is run by the City, St. John’s Anglican Church, George Street United Church, and All Saints Anglican Church.

The Public Health has been closely monitoring the weather forecast for this week. This Frostbite Alert is being issued to help residents prepare for the extremely cold weather in the forecast.

A Frostbite Alert is issued when temperatures are forecasted to be from -27ºC to -38ºC or a wind chill of -27 to -38. Depending on changes to the weather forecast over the next few days, the Frostbite Alert may be elevated to a Frostbite Warning or lifted.