Board of Aldermen declares week of April 4-11 “National Public Health Week in Somerville”; Somerville Health Department to celebrate with events, seminars

Signing on to celebrate National Public Health Week (NPHW), Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and the Somerville Board of Aldermen declared the week of April 4 – 11, 2011 as “National Public Health Week in Somerville” during the regular meeting of the BOA on Thursday evening. The City of Somerville and Somerville Health Department will celebrate the week’s theme, “Safety is No Accident: Live Injury Free,” with a series of events, discussions and seminars throughout the week. Since 1995, NPHW has been sponsored by the American Public Health Association, and is designed to highlight issues that are important to improving the public’s health.

“We are very pleased to be an active participant in National Public Health Week 2011,” said Somerville Department Director, Paulette Renault-Caragianes.  “It is our goal to provide resources and information that assist people in developing strategies and lifelong habits that prevent injury and accidents.  We welcome the public to join us in the activities we have planned for the week and do hope people are able to visit us during the Open House on Thursday evening at the Annex.”

Events during the week of April 4 – 11 include:

• School Playground Safety: Cards with information tips for playground safety for 5 to 14 year olds will be distributed to Somerville schools and parents, and will also be available on the Health Department and Somerville Public Schools websites.

• Safety Drills: Safety drills will be completed at all municipal buildings for employees, and possibly constituents within buildings at those times, to ensure safety and maintain appropriate evacuation plan in case of emergencies.

• Friends and Family CPR Training (Monday, April 4^th 7:30am-9:30am & Thursday, April 7^th 5:00pm-7:00pm): Learn Hands-Only CPR to help you act in an emergency and help save lives. Registration is required; please contact Laura Carroll at 617-625-6600 ext. 4309 or at lcarroll@somervillma.gov. All trainings will be held at the City Hall Annex, 50 Evergreen Ave.

• Emergency Readiness for Families (Wednesday, April 6^th, 9am-12:30pm): Free emergency planning training for families (particularly those who have children with special or chronic health care needs) . The training offers lessons about planning and coping with unexpected emergencies and building a family emergency plan. Space is limited, registration is required. Contact Patty Contente at 617-625-6600 ext. 4325 or at pcontente@somervillema.gov. Training will be held at the Central Branch Library, 79 Highland Ave.

• Health Department Open House (Thursday, April 7^th, 5-7:30pm): Meet Health Department staffs, learn about how the Department works, and about programs and projects that the Department offers. Activities will include: SPF100 “81% DON’T” Campaign Kick-Off, free alcohol screenings and scavenger hunt.

• Somerville Cares About Prevention (SCAP), SPF100 “81% DON’T” Campaign Kick-Off: Somerville Positive Forces (SPF100) youth leaders will kick-off their “81% DON’T” positive social norms campaign at the Somerville Health Department Open House. Learn what 81% of SHS students DON’T do, and enter our raffle for a chance to win an Apple iTouch. For more information, contact Lovelee Heller at Somerville Cares About Prevention, 617-625-6600 x4322 or lheller@somervillema.gov

• Free Alcohol Screenings: Free, confidential self-test to assess your drinking patterns and receive personalized feedback. Determine whether your alcohol consumption is likely to be within safe limits, or if it may be harmful to your health, either now or in the future. Each participant will receive a free gift! www.alcoholscreening.org

A full schedule of events and related details can be found on the City’s website, www.somervillema.gov, on the Health Department page, or by calling 617-625-6600 ext 4300.

National Public Health Week has been sponsored by the American Public Health Association since 1995, focusing on different issues each year to raise awareness of public health issues. This year, events and campaigns are being held nationwide to prevent injury at home, in the workplace, and in public. For more information on NPHW, visit www.nphw.org.