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Resources in preparation for Hurricane Earl (9/2/2010)
The CDC Emergency Preparedness and Response web site has the following hurricane preparedness messages and materials to help impacted communities immediately after the storm.
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Air Quality Alert (8/31/2010)
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection is warning people that the air quality in Maine over the next several days will likely be the worst we have seen in several years.
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Two new resources about pest control released (8/20/2010)
The Maine Department of Agriculture has launched a new website that provides information on various pests found in Maine. Meanwhile, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released information specifically about bed bugs.
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Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (Red Tide) Reminder (8/3/2010)
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention has released the following Health Alert regarding paralytic shellfish poisoning (red tide).
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Air Quality Alert (7/27/2010)
Ground-level ozone concentrations are expected to reach unhealthy levels for the Southwest Coastal region (Kittery through Boothbay Harbor) on Wednesday, July 28, according to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
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Time to clean out the medicine cabinet! (6/3/2010)
Public Health Division will host a medication collection drive for over-the-counter and prescription drugs.
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New environmental health reports released (5/28/2010)
New environmental health reports related to chemicals in canned foods and fragrances have been released.
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New studies released on sunscreens and indoor tanning (5/25/2010)
Learn how to protect your skin.
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Britain's General Medical Council bars doctor who linked vaccines with autism (5/24/2010)
Source: New York Times. A doctor whose research and public statements caused widespread alarm that a common childhood vaccine could cause autism was banned on Monday from practicing medicine in his native Britain for ethical lapses, including conducting invasive medical procedures on children that they did not need.
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May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month (5/10/2010)
With May being Lyme Disease Awareness Month, the Maine Center for Disease Control has released a Health Alert on Information for Clinicians on Lyme Disease.
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Environmental Working Group releases 2010 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce (4/30/2010)
EWG's annual list ranks common fruits and vegetables by the level of pesticides they contain.
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National Infant Immunization Week (4/27/2010)
National Infant Immunization Week is April 24 to May 1, 2010.
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High Browntail Moth population in parts of Cumberland County (4/15/2010)
Maine Forest Service personnel have completed the 2010 winter web survey for Browntail Moth. In Cumberland County, the area most affected by this infestation is Brunswick, with small infestations in Freeport and Falmouth.
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Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America releases (4/15/2010)
The Portland, Maine metropolitan area ranks 90th out of the 100 most populous metropolitan areas in the United States on AAFA's "Most Challenging Places to Live with Asthma."
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2008-2009 Public Health Division Annual Report Now Available (3/31/2010)
The 2008-2009 Public Health Division Annual Report is now available online.
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Portland gets $1.8 million for projects to fight obesity (3/30/2010)
The schools will be given $500,000 and the city will receive $1.3 million to work on obesity rates in adults.
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Portland Community Health Center Phone Number Change (3/24/2010)
The Portland Community Health Center phone number has changed to 874-2141.
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1.2 Million 'Unstable' Graco High Chairs Recalled (3/18/2010)
Graco Children's Products announced Thursday that it's recalling 1.2 million Harmony high chairs because of stability issues.
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Smoke-Free Housing Coalition of Maine Webinar Series (3/3/2010)
The series takes the audience from the foundations of smoke-free policy adoption, financial and health benefits of going smoke-free, legality and further justification of policy implementation, to drafting policy language and enforcing an existing policy.
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New Resource for Expectant/New Mothers Now Available (2/19/2010)
Text4baby is a free mobile information service designed to promote maternal and child health.
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New County Health Rankings Give First County-by-County Snapshot of Health in Each State (2/17/2010)
University of Wisconsin/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation project ranks counties on how healthy people are and how long they live.
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Seasonal and H1N1 (Swine) Flu Vaccines Available For Everyone (2/9/2010)
The Public Health Division has seasonal and H1N1 (swine) flu vaccines available by appointment for everyone.
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British doctor rebuked over research linking vaccine and autism (2/3/2010)
Britain's medical regulator finds that Dr. Andrew Wakefield, who now practices in Texas, conducted his now-discredited research on the MMR shot in an unethical and irresponsible manner.
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Salmonella-Related Sausage Recall Expanded (2/1/2010)
Daniele Inc., the company whose sausage products have been linked to a widespread Salmonella outbreak, expanded its earlier product recall to include another 17,235 pounds of products that may be contaminated by black pepper. Stores that carry the affected products in Maine include BJ's Wholesale Club and Sam's Club.
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McNeil Consumer Healthcare Announces Voluntary Recall of Certain Over-The-Counter Products (1/15/2010)
The company is initiating this recall following an investigation of consumer reports of an unusual moldy, musty, or mildew-like odor that, in a small number of cases, was associated with temporary and non-serious gastrointestinal events. These include nausea, stomach pain, vomiting, or diarrhea.
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2009 Cumberland County Municipal Health Assessments Now Available (1/14/2010)
New Cumberland County municipal health assessments now available.
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The Hidden Benefits of Exercise (1/5/2010)
Even Moderate Physical Activity Can Boost the Immune System and Protect Against Chronic Diseases
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Vaccine Refusal Raises Chickenpox Risk (1/5/2010)
Kids Are 9 Times More Likely to Get Chickenpox if They Don't Get Vaccinated.
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H1N1 Vaccine Now Recomended for ALL Mainers (12/15/2009)
Based on demand and a large recent increase in H1N1 vaccine supply, Maine CDC is now recommending that H1N1 vaccine be offered to anyone who wishes to receive it.
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Portland Community Health Center Now Open (11/10/2009)
Portland Community Health Center is a full-service, primary care medical facility, and is now open and accepting new patients.
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Report: Smoking Bans Protect Nonsmokers' Hearts (10/15/2009)
A major report confirms what health officials long have believed: Bans on smoking in restaurants, bars and other gathering spots reduce the risk of heart attacks among nonsmokers.
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City of Portland Public Health Division Selected to Test National Accreditation Program (9/24/2009)
The City of Portland Public Health Division announced today it was selected by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) to participate in a test of the new national voluntary public health accreditation program.
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breastfeeding campaign
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What is the Portland Breastfeeding Campaign?
The Portland Breastfeeding Campaign is modeled after a campaign conducted in Marin
County, CA in January 2009. The tag line for the campaign is “when
breastfeeding is accepted it won’t be noticed” and features life-sized cutouts
of women breastfeeding. The six cutouts will
rotate through different locations in the city each day for one week, starting
August 3rd, 2009.
Who is involved in this campaign?
This campaign is spearheaded by the City of Portland Health & Human Services
Department, Public Health Division, Healthy Portland (a local Healthy Maine
Partnership), as well as the following
organizations:
Birth Roots
Maine Medical Center
MaineHealth
PROP
Where can I find these life-sized cutouts?
During the week of August 3rd, World Breastfeeding Week, the cutouts will be
placed in public places throughout the City of
Portland. Some confirmed locations are:
·
Alive at 5 in Monument Square - August 6th
·
Artist & Craftsman Store
·
Baystock Music Festival (Maine State Pier)
·
Bell Buoy Park (near Casco Bay Lines ferry terminal)
·
City Hall Rotunda
·
Congress Square Park- August 7th Noon Concert
·
Deering Oak’s Kids Concert - August 6th
·
Farmer’s Market in Monument Square - August 5th
·
First Friday Artwalk- Congress St
·
International Family Festival- Payson Park
·
Maine Medical Center (main lobby)
·
Mercy Hospital (Fore River Location)
· Ms. Lulu’s Boutique
·
Post Office Park
·
Portland Lobster Company
·
PROP Offices
·
Quality Shop
·
Rosemont Bakery (Munjoy Hill location)
·
United Way of Greater Portland
For a complete list,
click here.
What is the Goal of the Portland Breastfeeding Campaign?
·
To
increase the number of babies being breastfeed. The Healthy People 2010
goal is to improve breastfeeding rates to 50% at six months of age. In
Maine only 41.2% of babies were breastfed at six months.
·
To encourage and promote breastfeeding in public.
Maine Revised Statuses title 5, § 4634 (2001) amends the Maine Human Rights Act to declare that
a mother has the right to breastfeed her baby in any location, whether
public or private, as long as she is otherwise authorized to be in that
location. (Me. Laws, Chap. 206; LD 1396)
·
To promote LD 373 An Act to Facilitate Lactation at the Workplace by New Mothers. This
Maine law goes into effect on September 12th, 2009 and states
that an employer shall provide adequate unpaid break time or permit an employee to use paid break
time or meal time each day to express breast milk for her nursing child. The
employer shall make reasonable efforts to provide a clean room or other
location, other than a bathroom, where an employee may express breast milk
in privacy. An employer may not discriminate in any way against an employee
who chooses to express breast milk in the workplace.
·
To make mothers aware of the breastfeeding resources available to them in
Portland. This may be in the form of support groups, informational
materials or professional lactation consultants.
For
more information please contact Kristen Dow at
healthyportland@portlandmaine.gov or 207-874-8618.
