Thursday, February 18, 2010
Contact Laura Willingham at (252) 475-5079 (office), (252) 216-5765 (cell), or lauraw@darenc.com

The Environmental Health Division of the Dare County Department of Public Health will hold a preseason meeting regarding public swimming pools and spas on March 10. The meeting will be held at 1:30 p.m. in the College of the Albemarle auditorium in Manteo.

Topics discussed will include inspections, compliance items, and operation permits. Compliance issues to be discussed include safety provisions, water quality, and maintenance and operation.

Although the meeting is intended for owners/operators of public pools locations such as hotels, condominiums, and clubs, the information covered will also be of value to homeowners and rental managers who want to ensure they are maintaining safe and clean pools and spas.

The meeting is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact DCDPH Environmental Health Division at (252) 475-5080.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Contact: Laura Willingham at (252) 475-5079 (office) or lauraw@darenc.com

Items of the Past, Recycling Discarded Ashtrays

After all restaurants and bars went smoke free on January 2nd the Dare County Department  of Public Health’s (DCDPH) Touch No Tobacco program and Peer Power program collaborated with the Recycle Department for Dare County to recycle discarded ashtrays.  The Jolly Roger Restaurant, Owens’ Restaurant, Poor Richards Sandwich Shop, Prime Only, Lone Cedar, LaFogata Mexican Restaurant, Nags Head Bowling Center and the Outer Banks Brewing Station all donated their ashtrays to be recycled into the glass crusher.  The glass is crushed approximately once a week in the winter, twice a week in the summer and is available at not cost to the public.

The Peer Power Students from Manteo High School and First Flight High School spent the morning filling the bucket on the bobcat with ashtrays, learning about the Dare County recycle program from Carl Walker, the Recycling Coordinator, and filling up small bags of crushed glass to take back with them.

Peer Power students gather ashtrays to be recycled with Carl Walker, Recycle Coordinator.

Peer Power teacher Sam Simmons with Peer Power students, Lesley Snead, John Hurdle, Jessica LaCount, Angela Watts, Recycle Coordinator Carl Walker, Jackie Thomas, Tara Thompson and Peer Power teacher Brenda Shiflet stand in front of the Dare County glass crusher.

Dare County Recycle Coordinator, Carl Walker fills up a bag of crushed glass for Peer Power student Jessica LaCount while Jackie Thomas looks on.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Contact Laura Willingham at (252) 475-5079 or lauraw@darenc.com

The Dare County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted a proclamation at the February 1 meeting calling on residents to increase their awareness and understanding of heart disease and to observe this month with appropriate activities and programs.

The proclamation was prepared by the Dare County Department of Public Health (DCDPH) with Health Education Supervisor, Laura Willingham presenting the document at the meeting on behalf of the Healthy Carolinians of the Outer Banks, Heart Disease and Stroke Task Force.

The proclamation cited controllable risk factors that, if not addressed, can lead to heart disease such as smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, high cholesterol and blood pressure.

These factors, as well as some factors that cannot be controlled such as age and family history, have led to heart disease becoming the second leading cause of death in Dare County accounting for 23% of all deaths.

``We want to make residents aware that, with increased physical activity, better nutrition and avoidance of tobacco, they can manage the controllable risk factors to live longer and healthier lives,’’ says DCDPH Director, Anne Thomas.

Willingham supervises a variety of programs that address obesity, tobacco avoidance and nutrition.
``The Heart Disease and Stroke Task Force will be present at various health events throughout the month to help educate residents about the risks of heart disease’’ says Willingham. ``We hope to repeat these health messages to the community enough that people retain the information about heart disease and its risk factors and improve their health and the health of their families.”    
 
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Laura Willingham, Health Education Supervisor for the Dare County Department of Public Health, reads a proclamation later adopted unanimously by the Board of Commissioners designating February as Heart Awareness Month in Dare County.

Thursday, February 11, 2010
Contact Laura Willingham at (252) 475-5079 or lauraw@darenc.com

The Environmental Health Division of the Dare County Department of Public Health (DCDPH) will conduct its next ServSafe class on Wednesday, February 24, and Thursday, February 25 in Room 238 of the Dare County Administration Building. The class will be held from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. both days.

The Administration Building is located in front of the Dare County Courthouse on Marshall C. Collins Drive just before entering the Town of Manteo.

The course educates food service workers in the county’s restaurants and diners about safe food-handling.

Instructors will provide information on topics such as keeping food at safe temperatures, knowing what those temperatures are, proper hand-washing and personal hygiene and more.

The overall goal is to educate attendees on proper food handling techniques so they can pass their knowledge to fellow employees to create a safer food handling environment, thus better protecting customers against potential food-borne illness.

To encourage owners and managers to attend an approved course, the State of North Carolina allows two points to be added to a restaurant’s final inspection grade if a person responsible for the restaurant successfully completes the ServSafe course and passes a final exam.

In order to enroll in the class, the $100 enrollment fee (per individual) must be paid in advance at the Dare County Environmental Health Office at 2601 N. Croatan Highway in Kill Devil Hills. The office is located approximately one half mile north of the Kmart on the corner of E. Walker Street and the Bypass.

The fee covers the cost of the course books and test forms which must be ordered by the Health Department from the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.

There are only 25 spaces available, so interested persons are encouraged to register early to ensure a seat. The class is limited to only two individuals per establishment.

Enrollees must bring their own lunches and refreshments and are strongly encouraged to review the ServSafe book before class begins to maximize chances of doing well on the final exam.

For more information, please call DCDPH Environmental Health at (252) 475-5080. 

Thursday, February 4, 2010
Contact Laura Willingham at (252) 475-5079 or lauraw@darenc.com

Anyone who loves good company, gourmet seafood, and learning new things will love Dare Respite Care’s kickoff fundraiser for Valentine’s weekend on Thursday, February 11 at Cozy Kitchens in Kitty Hawk from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Professional Chef Scott Foster of Coastal Provisions Market, in Southern Shores, will lead participants through a cooking demonstration and wine pairing featuring gourmet seafood. Other sponsors include SoundWavz Entertainment and Metro Rental. Tickets are available for $75 each and can be obtained by contacting Stephanie Bowers, Dare Respite Care Program Coordinator, at (252) 475-5057 or stephanieb@darenc.com.

All proceeds raised by the event will go to Dare Respite Care. Dare Respite Care is administered by Dare Home Health & Hospice, an agency of the Dare County Department of Public Health.
``The event is especially suited for Valentine’s weekend as it is designed for people who love to find ways to help their neighbors who are in need,’’ commented Bowers.

Dare Respite Care provides the highest quality in-home respite services to families providing care for a loved one due to age, frailty, or illness. The program matches trained volunteers to individuals and their family caregivers, taking into consideration the unique needs of each family.

Dare Respite Care is committed to assisting individuals and their families by providing information about available community resources and facilitating connections to resources as appropriate.

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Professional Chef Scott Foster of Coastal Provisions Market will present a cooking demonstration and wine pairing at Cozy Kitchens in Kitty Hawk on Thursday, February 11 to benefit Dare Respite Care.