Press Release: Four Corners Health Department
Home is where the heart is. It’s where you eat and sleep. How do you keep your home a healthy place to live? June is recognized as National Healthy Homes Month. Here are some programs Four Corners offers to help you out!
Water Testing: Private well water is not regulated and it is up to the owner to test the water. Four Corners has free nitrate strips. Reach out to Four Corners or your local Natural Resources District for more testing choices.
Lead-Free: Four Corners shares education and guidance on Lead Poisoning. The harmful effects of childhood lead exposure can be prevented. Do not allow your child to eat paint chips or soil or chew on painted surfaces. Keep children away from spaces with chipping and peeling paint. Wash hands with soap and water often, especially before eating. Keep surfaces and toys clean. Children and pregnant women should avoid repairs that disturb old paint until the area is cleaned. Talk to your child’s doctor about testing for lead poisoning. A blood lead test is the best way to find out if a child has been exposed to lead.
Radon Testing: Radon is a cancer-causing gas that you can’t see, smell, or taste but may be a problem in your home. It is the second leading cause of lung cancer (after smoking) in America. Testing is the only way to know your home’s radon levels. Four Corners Health Department has arranged for free radon test kits to be picked up year-round throughout the district. They can be found at the Four Corners Health Department in York, Seward Extension Office in Seward, Polk County Health Department in Stromsburg, and Butler County Health in David City.
Emergency Prep: Four Corners has an emergency response coordinator who shares preparedness information. Be sure to have a plan in case of emergency. Keep enough supplies in your home to meet your needs for at least 3 days. Make an emergency supply kit with items you may need if you need to leave your home quickly. Store these supplies in sturdy, easy-to-carry containers, such as backpacks or duffle bags. Keep important family documents in a waterproof container. Keep a smaller emergency supply kit in your vehicle. Here’s a list of Emergency Home Supplies https://www.nsc.org/community-safety/safety-topics/emergency-preparedness/emergency-supplies-for-the-home
Deterra: Four Corners has at-home drug deactivation packets called Deterra for free. Go through your medicine and see what should be gone. https://tinyurl.com/4dwkrbzb
Healthy Families Nebraska – Four Corners: This is a new free service for pregnant women and parents of newborn babies. This in-home service is for Polk, Butler, Seward, and York Counties residents. Parents can sign up as soon as they find out they are pregnant through the time the child is three months of age. If families so choose, services may be offered up until age five. The trained Parent Coaches come alongside parents to offer support, answer questions, help them connect to helpful services, and promote overall well-being for them and their baby. Two Parent Coaches can offer services in both English and Spanish.
Use this checklist from the Surgeon General to see how healthy your home is, and where you might be able to improve. https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/healthy-homes-checklist.pdf
To stay up to date on what we are doing and how you can be involved, check out the events page on our website found here: https://fourcorners.ne.gov/community-ed-training/upcoming-events-workshops/
For questions or to learn more, call Four Corners at 402-362-2621 or 877-337-3573. You can also email us at info@fourcorners.ne.gov.
Visit the Four Corners website at https://fourcorners.ne.gov. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel @fc_healthdept!
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