Adult Day Health Care
Health Department News
September 19, 2018
A campaign to promote Fairfax County’s Adult Day Health Care program has been honored by the National Public Health Information Coalition (NPHIC).
The “Live Your Best Life” campaign received a bronze award in the government health marketing category of the 2018 Berreth Awards, recognizing excellence in public health communication. The awards are named for the late Donald Berreth, former director of the Office of Public Affairs for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and NPHIC's founder.
The announcement was made as communication professionals from around the world gathered in Atlanta, Ga. last week for the National Public Health Information Coalition (NPHIC) Advance Knowledge Track and the NPHIC/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing and Media.
The Fairfax County Health Department’s Adult Day Health Care program has been around since 1980. The marketing program refreshed the image of the service by shining a spotlight on its unique ability to connect older adults with living a great life, despite a lack of ability for total independence. The campaign refreshed the program’s brand and leveraged both internal and external communication assets to grow daily attendance.
Through this marketing effort, and through entrenching Adult Day Health Care even deeper into the Fairfax County community, we have reconnected people with a robust life. Both our program participants, who have a new ability to socialize, receive health monitoring, and cognitive care, and Fairfax County family caregivers, who enjoy respite and the peace of mind that comes with knowing their loved one is safe and happy, said Shauna Severo, assistant director of patient care services, Fairfax County Health Department.
Gold, Silver and Bronze Berreth Awards were presented in four categories: Government Health Marketing Campaign, Not-for-profit Health Marketing Campaign, Corporate Health Marketing Campaign and Real Time Risk Communication. A panel of judges from the ranks of those professionals who have achieved Certified Communicator in Public Health status evaluate the submissions for the Berreth Awards each year.
All of the recipients of the Berreth Awards for Excellence in Public Health Communication have been recognized by their peers as among the year’s best in public health communication, said NPHIC President Polly Carver-Kimm. Congratulations and thank you for helping NPHIC achieve our common mission to ‘make public health public’.
All the award-winning entries may be viewed online at https://www.nphic.org/ba.
The Fairfax County Health Department operates four Adult Day Health Care Centers in Herndon Harbor, Lewinsville, Lincolnia and Mount Vernon. Any potential participant and their caregiver is invited to come in for complimentary lunch and a tour. Make your reservation by calling 703-246-8743 or email adultday@fairfaxcounty.gov. More information about the program can be found at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/health/adult-day-health-care.
September 17, 2018
Health Department nurses Janessa Deal (left) and Carol Hutchinson (right) and Fairfax Medical Reserve Corps volunteer Susan Jackson (center) get ready to deploy to Raleigh, North Carolina.
The Virginia Department of Health (VDH), Fairfax County Health Department, and Arlington County Health Department are sending 35 public health nurses to provide health and medical support at emergency shelters throughout North Carolina following the onslaught of Hurricane Florence. The first cohort of 22 nurses deployed from various parts of the state on Sunday, September 16. The teams are comprised of Virginia Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) Volunteers, Public Health Nurses from Arlington and Fairfax Health Departments and various other VDH local health departments.
Read the full news release: Virginia Department of Health Sends Public Health Nurses to Support N.C.
August 24, 2018
Fairfax County Health Department has determined the need to spray pesticides to control adult mosquitoes in parts of Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax based on its mosquito surveillance activities for West Nile virus.
Weather permitting, spraying will take place on Monday, August 27 between 8 a.m. and noon at the following locations:
Kings Park Park, 8717 Trafalgar Court, Springfield.
Ted Grefe Park, 9980 Mosby Road, City of Fairfax.
The maps below identify the geographic boundaries for the spray events.
West Nile Virus (WNV) has been found in Culex mosquitoes throughout the county in 2018, but trap sites at the above locations also have found WNV in Aedes mosquitoes that generally don’t carry the virus but are known to aggressively bite people. The Health Department is performing these pesticide treatments to reduce the possibility of human transmission.
Spraying to kill adult mosquitoes that can spread disease to humans is an important and effective component of an integrated pest management program, said Pieter Sheehan, Director of Environmental Health. But spraying is just one step to protect public health. Residents must also take appropriate steps to protect themselves.”
Residents are encouraged to fight the bite by:
Avoiding mosquitoes when possible, especially during peak biting times such as dawn and dusk.
Wearing long clothing and apply a mosquito repellent to clothing and exposed skin when spending time outdoors.
Keeping mosquitoes outside of your home by closing doors and windows and/or making sure that screens are in good repair.
Eliminating standing water by tipping and tossing buckets, downspout extensions, planters, toys, birdbaths, flowerpots, tarps and other containers where mosquitoes lay their eggs.
Pesticide treatments will be performed at the two parks locations by certified staff using backpack sprayers. The materials being used to control the adult mosquitoes are Aqua Zenivex E20®, and Flit® 10EC. These pesticides are used for mosquito control in residential areas across the nation and are not harmful to people or pets.
Health Department staff will be notifying residents who live near the affected areas that the pesticide treatment will occur and offering yard inspections to help eliminate mosquitoes.
Residents of the targeted neighborhoods may, as a precaution, choose to stay indoors, close their doors and windows, and turn off window-mounted air conditioners or whole house fans while spraying is underway. People who are more sensitive to chemicals could possibly experience short-term effects, such as eye, skin, nose or throat irritation, or a breathing problem. Residents should consult a healthcare provider if they experience any such health effects from spraying.
Residents are also encouraged to follow the Health Department’s Twitter feed @fairfaxhealth for news about spray events. For more information on mosquito control efforts, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/health/fightthebite or call 703-246-8931, TTY 711.
