CCHD Offering Nutrition Classes

FREE nutrition education classes will be held each Tuesday from 12pm to 1pm at CCHD beginning June 18 and running through July 16.

These classes will teach participants more about:

• nutritious foods
• how to plan meals
• shopping for you and your family
• safe food preparation and storage

Complete each class and receive a certificate and free cookbook!

Visit www.buyeatlivebetter.org to register or learn more.

Family Forum Offering Free Training

A family forum offering Circle of Security training will be offered free of charge on May 4 and 5, 2013 from 9:30am to 4:30pm. The Circle of Security helps parents raise their children with love, warmth, and emotional intelligence, promoting better attachment between parents and children. The training will be followed by a family forum with specialists on hand to answer your questions about parenting and child development. For more information on the training or to register, click here.

Child Find Event at CCHD

CCHD’s Family Services Division will be sponsoring a Child Find on April 4, 2013 from 3:30 to 5:30pm. The Child Find consists of a developmental screening for children 0-5 years of age. Child Finds can help parents keep track of how their child is learning, playing, talking, and acting and are a great way to set the stage for children’s future school success.

To learn more, call 454-6950 as ask to speak with a Family Services Public Health Nurse.

Children’s Dental Health Comes to Library

Children at the Great Falls Public Library Story Hour on Wednesday, February 27 at 10:30am will get a mouthful of information. The CCHD’s Oral Health Educator, Vickie Johnson has partnered with students from the MSU-COT Dental Assistant Program to present information and tools to community children for better dental health.
“Your child’s baby teeth really set the tone for adult teeth,” says Vickie Johnson, “and developing good dental habits early can get kids on the right track for a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums.”
Johnson, with assistance from the Dental Program students, has been visiting Kindergarten classes in Great Falls and Cascade County throughout February for Children’s Dental Health Month. The educational “Brush-In” at the Public Library is an opportunity for parents with younger kids to learn when and how to brush their child’s teeth and how to encourage those preventive behaviors as their child grows.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, tooth decay affects children in the United States more than any other chronic infectious disease. Untreated tooth decay causes pain and infections that may lead to problems with eating, speaking, playing, and learning. By encouraging healthy eating habits, cleaning teeth early, using the right amount of fluoride toothpaste and supervising children’s brushing, parents can reduce their child’s risk for developing tooth decay. Additionally, talking about a child’s specific dental health needs with their doctor or dentist can keep you informed and on the right track for your child’s healthy smile.
For more information on children’s dental health, visit www.cchdmt.org or www.cdc.gov/oralhealth

Certified Technicians Checking Proper Installation of Car Seats

The Cascade City-County Health Department, in partnership with the Montana Department of Transportation, is hosting a child safety seat inspection on Tuesday, February 26.

Certified child passenger safety technicians will be available from 1:30 to 3:30pm to check car seats for proper installation. They will also give advice on how to choose the right car seat and install it properly. The inspection will be in the parking lot of the Cascade City-County Health Department located at 115 4th Street South in Great Falls. The event is free to the public.

“There is so much you cannot control when driving – the weather or how other drivers behave,” said Mary Kay Burns, RN, with the Cascade City-County Health Department’s Safe Kids Car Seat Program. “However, you can protect your kids by putting them in the right car seats or booster seats for their age and size and making sure the seats are safely secured in the vehicle.”

Burns urges parents to follow the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) recommendation to keep children in their restraint types for as long as possible before moving them to the next level. Many children are not tall enough to graduate from a booster seat to a lap and shoulder belt alone until age 10 or older. For maximum safety, a parent should have the car seat installation inspected by a certified Child Passenger Safety Transition. Bring your car seat, the vehicle it is used in, and the child who uses it.

For more information about the child seat safety inspection, contact Mary Kay Burns at 406-452-0881 x304.

WIC Office Closure

The Cascade City-County Health Department’s WIC office will be closed March 18, 21, and 22 from 8am to 1pm.

New Time for Breastfeeding Chat Groups

CCHD is announcing a change in time for their Latch-In Chat Groups. Groups meet every other Wednesday at 10am and 5:30pm to offer discussion and resources regarding breastfeeding.

The groups are a wonderful way for pregnant women and breastfeeding moms to learn more about breastfeeding and exchange information and experiences. Plus, it is a great way to meet other moms and make new friends! Refreshments are offered, and children are always welcome!

For more information, please call the WIC Peer Breastfeeding Counselor at 406-791-9890 or the main number for WIC at 406-454-6953 or email wic@cascadecountymt.gov.

CCHD Announces First Breastfeeding Chat Group

The vision of the Cascade City-County Health Department (CCHD) is Healthy People in a Healthy Community, and what better way to promote good health than helping babies have the best start possible?

This December, CCHD is excited to host the very first Latch-In Chat Group that will meet twice per month to offer discussion and resources regarding breastfeeding. This opportunity is free to the public and is open to anyone interested in breastfeeding: expectant parents, breastfeeding parents, grandparents, caregivers and more! Latch-In’s first meeting will be held Wednesday, December 12. Two different times are offered for the convenience of group members: 10:30am and 5:30pm.

“We are thrilled to be offering an opportunity of this nature to our community,” said Lorrie Grosfield, CCHD’s Breastfeeding Peer Counselor. “Although breastfeeding may be a natural way to feed a baby, oftentimes it is not an easy thing to do. By offering these group meetings, we hope to provide an additional resource for families in a relaxed, fun and supportive environment and help them be more successful.”

CCHD hopes that opportunities like this will help increase breastfeeding rates in Cascade County. Breastfeeding is an attachment practice – an important practice that parents can use to develop a deep and lasting connection with their child. The other benefits of breastfeeding are numerous; according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, breastfeeding can be beneficial for babies, moms, the environment and tight budgets. The Academy goes on to explain some of these benefits:

• Infants: Breast milk nourishes babies, and its unique antibodies (disease-fighting cells) help protect infants from numerous illnesses and diseases. The U.S. Surgeon General recommends that babies be fed exclusively with breast milk for the first six months.
• Mothers: Breastfeeding canhelp reduce a nursing mother’s risk of diabetes, breast cancer and ovarian cancer and can also reduce her risk of post-partum depression.
• Environment/Budget: Breastfeeding eliminates the cost and waste associated with formula production and plastic bottles. Depending on the formula brand, breastfeeding can save your family between $1,200 and $1,500 annually.

In addition to the friendship and learning opportunities, evening discussions will include soup and rolls and the morning session will have snacks. Meetings will be held at CCHD, which is located at 115 4th Street South in Great Falls.

For more information, please call Lorrie at 761-9890 or Davida at 791-9298. Learn more about the benefits of breastfeeding here.

CCHD Increasing Accessibility to Services

In an effort to increase accessibility for outlying communities, the Cascade City-County Health Department (CCHD) will be taking limited services to the City of Cascade for the afternoon.  The first outreach will occur on September 18^th and then CCHD will make the trip on a quarterly basis.  Onsite services will include Immunizations and Maternal Child Health, but this is a great opportunity for the public to come and find out more about the other programs offered by CCHD.

Anyone who is interested should come by the Cascade School on Tuesday, September 18^th between the hours of 1 and 3 pm to take advantage of this exciting opportunity.

“With high gas prices and busy schedules, we are hoping that people will find it helpful and convenient for us to come to them” says Jill Boettcher, Public Health Nurse for CCHD. “Our goal is to provide quality services, and make it as easy as possible for people to access those services.”

The Community Health Improvement Plan that was adopted by our community in 2011, identified access to care as one of the priority areas for our County.  Rural areas have increased challenges accessing care so we are excited about providing this outreach opportunity.

Those seeking immunizations should bring their shot records if they have them and all forms of payment will be accepted.  The Maternal Child Health Program will have information regarding different  opportunities, such as Parents as Teachers and the Public Health Home Visiting Program.

CCHD is hoping that the community will take advantage of this chance to catch up on immunizations, get their children vaccinated, learn more about CCHD’s programs, or sign up for a service.

Click here for more information about immunizations. To learn more about Maternal Child Health Programs, click here.

CCHD Recognizes World Breastfeeding Week

August 1-7, 2012 marks the global celebration of World Breastfeeding Week, an annual eve nt that draws attention to the health impact of breastfeeding for both babies and mothers. On August 2nd from noon to 2:30pm, Cascade City-County Health Department’s (CCHD) Family Health Services Division will be recognizing the importance of the week with a local celebration. Beginning at noon, moms, grandmas, families and all breastfeeding supporters in the community are invited to join in on a fun stroll that will start at CCHD (115 4th Street South) and go through the downtown area. After the walk, the group will return to CCHD at about 1:15pm for refreshments and a short celebration to promote the importance of breastfeeding. Along with cake, balloons and prizes, participants will be offered information, encouragement and awareness of breastfeeding in Cascade County.

This year’s theme, Understanding the Past – Planning the Future, highlights the breastfeeding promotion accomplishments that have taken place over the past 20 years. The knowledge that has been gained during this process can be carried into the future to help communities plan for future support of all women who choose to breastfeed.

“World Breastfeeding Week is an exciting opportunity for our community to join a global movement and just to have a great time,” says Jo-Viviane Jones, Family Services Division Manager. She goes on to add, “Our event on August 2nd is a chance for anyone who supports breastfeeding to encourage, educate and promote better understanding of breastfeeding as an important element in the healthy development of the baby and mother.”

For more information aobut this fun event, contact Lorrie at 761-9890 or Trenna at 761-9886. You can also learn more by visiting http://www.cchdmt.org/index.php?p=family&n=wic_breast_feeding.