KFL&A Public Health News Wire

Unsafe swimming signs come down at local beach

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:24:00 GMT

The sign warning swimmers the water was unsafe for swimming will be removed from Back beach on Amherst Island. Test results taken since Back beach was posted have shown public health officials the levels of E.coli organisms in the water have returned to within the acceptable range. Rotary Park remains posted unsafe for swimming as water samples continue to show higher than acceptable levels of E.coli organisms.

“Test results showed the levels of E.coli organisms have returned to within acceptable limits at Back beach” said Penny Lavalley, Director of the Infectious Disease Prevention Program at KFL&A Public Health. “The maximum...

Local agencies surveying Kingston residents about their use of active transportation

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 08:38:00 GMT

Kingston residents will be asked about their use of active transportation—from riding their bike to work, walking their children to school, or rollerblading to the corner store—in a telephone survey being conducted by KFL&A Public Health and the Kingston Coalition for Active Transportation (KCAT) beginning again tomorrow. Active transportation is defined by the Public Health Agency of Canada as any form of human powered transportation used to travel from one destination to another. The survey was also conducted in May and October of 2009, and will also be conducted again this summer to compare people’s use of active transportation in the spr...

KFL&A Public Health posts area beach unsafe for swimmers

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 07:01:00 GMT

KFL&A Public Health has posted the Back Bay beach on Amherst Island as unsafe for swimmers after water sample tests have shown higher than acceptable levels of the indicator organism (non-specific E.coli). The only other beach in the KFL&A area currently posted as unsafe and unsuitable for swimming based on water tests is the beach at Rotary Park in Kingston. All tested beaches, including their status, are posted on KFL&A Public Health’s website www.kflapublichealth.ca. Beaches posted as unsuitable for swimming will have the signs removed only when consistent tests show levels of the indicator organism are within acceptable levels.
“As...

Parents reminded to keep kids safe around ATVs

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 08:28:00 GMT

Parents want to keep their kids safe, but one risk many parents may not fully understand involves all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and children. As ATVs have gained in popularity, the rate of injuries in children and youth has reached an all-time high. Each year in Ontario, more than 1,500 children under 16 visit emergency departments because of an ATV injury. Children have been seriously injured and even killed as passengers and drivers of ATVs. Youth riding ATVs are at a major risk of being thrown from the vehicle or having it roll over and crush them.

“In many cases where children were injured, the parents were simply unaware of the...

KFL&A Public Health posts area beach unsafe for swimmers

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:34:00 GMT

KFL&A Public Health has posted the beach at the Rotary Park Kingston as unsafe for swimmers after water sample tests have shown higher than acceptable levels of the indicator organism (non-specific E.coli). Currently, this is the only beach posted as unsafe and unsuitable for swimming based on water tests. All tested beaches, including their status, are posted on KFL&A Public Health’s website www.kflapublichealth.ca. Beaches posted as unsuitable for swimming will have the signs removed only when consistent tests show levels of the indicator organism are within acceptable levels.
“We are not sure of the cause of the high levels of organi...

Heat Warning lifted for KFL&A area but forecast still hot and humid

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 09:25:00 GMT

While the forecast continues to call for hot and humid weather across the KFL&A area, KFL&A Public Health is lifting the Heat Warning—a level 2 heat advisory as part of KFL&A Public Health’s Extreme Heat Health Response Plan. The threshold for the activation of the response plan calls for a minimum threshold of 36°C or humidex for two consecutive days with a smog advisory or 40°C or humidex for two consecutive days without a smog advisory. While the current forecast calls for both temperatures and humidex below those thresholds, public health professionals are still urging residents to ensure they stay safe despite the heat and humidity—espec...

Water test show local beach safe for swimmers

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 07:03:00 GMT

KFL&A Public Health has removed the signs posted the beach at the Bath Filtration Plan in Bath listing it unsafe for swimmers. Water sample tests have shown acceptable levels of the indicator organism (non-specific E.coli) in tests conducted since the beach was posted unsafe for swimming. Currently, this are no beaches posted as unsafe for swimming based on water tests. All tested beaches are listed with their current stats on KFL&A Public Health’s website www.kflapublichealth.ca. Beaches posted as unsuitable for swimming have the signs removed only when consistent tests show levels of the indicator organism are within acceptable levels.

Local retailers seeing red, yellow, or green in latest tobacco compliance checks

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 12:48:00 GMT

When it comes to keeping tobacco out of the hands of area youth, KFL&A Public Health has found that an educational approach that has some retailers seeing red, yellow, or green. Launched in 2007, the Who is 25? program educates retailers on the identification requirements in the Province of Ontario’s Smoke-Free Ontario Act that requires retailers to check the identification of anyone who looks under 25 years of age. In the latest round of compliance checks at KFL&A area stores—conducted in May and June—of the 146 retailers checked, only 64 received a green card for asking the shopper for identification and calculating the age, 21 received a y...

Level 2 - Heat Warning issued for KFL&A area amid hot and humid forecast

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 09:25:00 GMT

With hot, humid weather forecast for the next few days in the KFL&A area, KFL&A Public Health is issuing a Heat Warning—a level 2 heat alert as part of KFL&A Public Health’s Extreme Heat Health Response Plan. A Heat Warning is issued when the weather is forecast to be 36°C or humidex for two consecutive days with a smog advisory or 40°C or humidex for two consecutive days without a smog advisory.

“KFL&A Public Health monitors forecasted weather conditions as provided by Environment Canada and Air Quality Ontario,” said Adrienne Hansen-Taugher, emergency planning coordinator with KFL&A Public Health “We are issuing a level 2 heat w...

KFL&A Public Health posts area beach unsafe for swimmers

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 08:23:00 GMT

KFL&A Public Health has posted the beach at the Bath Filtration Plan in Bath as unsafe for swimmers after water sample tests have shown higher than acceptable levels of the indicator organism (non-specific E.coli). Currently, this is the only beach posted as unsafe for as suitable for swimming based on water tests, are posted on KFL&A Public Health’s website www.kflapublichealth.ca. Beaches posted as unsuitable for swimming will have the signs removed only when consistent tests show levels of the indicator organism are within acceptable levels.

“We are not sure of the cause of the high l...

KFL&A Public Health programs and services for Thursday, June 24, 2010 rescheduled

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 07:27:00 GMT

KFL&A Public Health programs and services, regularly scheduled for Thursday, June 24, 2010, are being postponed for the day as staff, management, volunteers, and board members participate in the agency’s annual review and program update. All offices, including the Kingston, Napanee, Sharbot Lake, and Cloyne offices will be closed. They will reopen with regular services and programs on Friday, June 25, 2010. Specific programs and services affected on Thursday, June 24, 2010 include:

Notice of Board of Health meeting

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 06:46:00 GMT

Media are invited to attend the Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Board of Health’s June 2010 meeting.

Date: Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Boardroom (please enter through the Main Entrance of the building)

KFL&A Public Health (Main Office)
221 Portsmouth Avenue,
Kingston, Ontario

A copy of the Board Agenda is attached. Copies of the complete Board Agenda, including all Information Items, will be distributed to all media present.

KFL&A area workplaces urged to butt-out vehicles to steer clear of a $305 fine

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 07:21:00 GMT

Workplaces in the KFL&A area are being served notice that it’s time to ensure their work vehicles are butting out. In a new direct mail campaign from KFL&A Public Health, 5,000 area workplaces are being served notice that smoking inside workplaces—including vehicles—is not allowed by anyone, regardless if the employee is working or how many people are in the vehicle. The campaign comes after 26 warnings and 7 charges were laid against KFL&A area residents last year.

“Generally, people recognize that you can't smoke in the workplace but when it comes to smoking inside work vehicles, people aren't doing as well,” said Paula Muis, pu...

Kingston set to host conference for volunteer Community Food Advisors from across Ontario

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:30:00 GMT

A conference set for this weekend in Kingston will bring together more than 100 volunteer Community Food Advisors from across Ontario. The KFL&A area has been the local host of the Community Food Advisor program for over 10 years, offering the healthy eating program along with other regions including Thunder Bay, Hamilton, Elgin St. Thomas, Peel, Ottawa, Wellington, Guelph and Dufferin, Sudbury, Niagara, Renfrew, Huron, and Durham areas—all represented at this weekends conference. The provincial conference Food Skills: Back to Basics for a Better Tomorrow will focus on the importance of food skills in order to ensure that we can prepare nutri...

Local World No Tobacco Day focus on women and girls

Fri, 28 May 2010 07:47:00 GMT

Like the big tobacco companies, KFL&A Public Health is turning its attention to women and girls. But unlike the companies that manufacture products designed to addict and kill users, KFL&A Public Health is using World No Tobacco Day—the global annual event held every May 31 that encourages people to butt-out and by bringing attention to the widespread use of tobacco and its negative health effects—to get the word out to women and girls that they have been targeted by tobacco manufacturers for years. The issue is so important to public health officials worldwide—the World Health Organization has tagged this year’s theme event “Gender and Tobac...