KFL&A Public Health News Wire

Campaign to leave the phone alone while driving set for community kick-off

Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A local initiative is hoping to make the connection with area teens, in hopes they don’t make the connection while they drive. KFL&A Public Health, in partnership with Kingston Partners for a Safe Community and Kingston Police are promoting the national program Leave the Phone Alone for the Road Safety Challenge by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. The program aims to educate teens on the dangers of driving distractions, namely the use of mobile phones, especially for texting. To raise awareness, KFL&A Public Health is hosting a PlasmaCar event at Regiopolis Notre-Dame Catholic Secondary School on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 f...

Hospital set to be recognized for healthier food choices and food safety

Mon, 07 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A hospital in the KFL&A area is being recognized by a provincial health promotion program for its hard work in providing healthier food choices, improved food safety, and its commitment to smoke-free Ontario. L&A County General Hospital will receive the Eat Smart! Workplace Program’s Gold Award of Excellence for its commitment to making healthy choices easier by increasing the availability and profile of healthier foods, maintaining a high level of food safety, and for its work in creating a healthy eating policy. This is the hospital’s first award in the Eat Smart! Workplace Program.

The launch of the progra...

Family event takes to the sky as residents can bike, skate, and roll down the runway of Kingston Airport

Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

To help promote the importance of physical activity and proper bicycle and road safety, KFL&A Public Health is taking to the sky again for Rolling on the Runway. The event, now in its eleventh year, is a partnership with the Kingston Airport, City of Kingston, Think First, State Farm Insurance, County of Frontenac, the Ontario Provincial Police, Cycle Kingston, Kingston Fire and Rescue, Tri-Board Transportation, CN Rail, and Kingston Police. KFL&A Public Health is opening Kingston Airport for families to ride, cycle, scoot, skate, and roll down the runway, on Saturday, May 12, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. As a twist to this year&...

Give tetanus the boot for National Immunization Awareness Week

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

For the first time in the world’s history, more than 180 World Health Organization member states, territories, and areas are celebrating the millions of lives saved and countless disease cases prevented in Canada and around the world. Supported by the World Health Organization, the world’s first World Immunization Week is from April 21 to 28, 2012. To celebrate National Immunization Awareness Week in Canada and World Immunization Week, KFL&A Public Health is urging residents to ensure that their shots are up-to-date, especially their tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough vaccines. This year, Canada is part of a bigger group ...

Notice of Board of Health meeting

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Board of Health’s April 2012 meeting is taking place as follows:

Date: Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Time: 1:00 p.m.

Location: Boardroom
(please enter the main entrance of the building)

KFL&A Public Health
221 Portsmouth Ave.,
Kingston, Ontario

A copy of the Board Agenda is attached. Copies of the complete Board Agenda, including all Information Items, are available upon request.

Volunteer program looking for residents who like to cook

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

KFL&A Public Health is looking for area residents who are interested in learning about healthy eating and food safety to join the Community Food Advisor Program. Volunteers in the program make a difference to the well-being of their community by sharing knowledge and skills related to safe and healthy food selection, preparation, and storage practices. Community Food Advisors participate in 70 hours of training by public health dietitians and other health professionals. As a Community Food Advisor, there are opportunities to share knowledge and skills throughout the community, in schools, workplaces, community groups, and more.

Over 2,600 local students set to ‘get-down’ with physical activity this morning

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Media are invited to attend KFL&A Public Health’s 4th Annual Celebration of Dance, where more than 2,600 local students, from the Limestone District School Board and the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board, will join special guest Mélanie Guertin of The GROOVE Method and spend an hour dancing together to the 12 dance routines that they have learned over the past few months. The event helps students increase their levels of physical activity and is part of the Health and Physical Education and Arts curriculum.

“Students in elementary schools have been preparing for this event through thei...

Notice of Board of Health meeting

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Board of Health’s March 2012 meeting is taking place as follows:

Date: Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Time: 1:00 p.m.

Location: Boardroom
(please enter the main entrance of the building)

KFL&A Public Health
221 Portsmouth Ave.,
Kingston, Ontario

A copy of the Board Agenda is attached. Copies of the complete Board Agenda, including all Information Items, are available upon request.

Fall prevention starts with you

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Join the Stay on Your Feet Falls Prevention Program. From Wednesday, March 28 to Wednesday, May 30, 2012, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., KFL&A Public Health is hosting this free program for seniors at the Taoist Tai Chi Society at 302 Montreal Street, Kingston. The program series includes weekly Tai Chi classes facilitated by the Taoist Tai Chi Society and weekly presentations by community professionals on a variety of falls prevention topics. The sessions also include nutrition breaks and are a great time to socialize.

For more information and to register call KFL&A Public Health at 613-549-1232 or 1-800-267-7875, ext. 1209. <...

Medical Officer of Health to discuss new smoke-free outdoor bylaw recommendations on live call-in show on TVCogeco

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

In advance of his presentation to Kingston City Council tomorrow night where he will present recommendations to strengthen the City of Kingston’s Smoke-Free bylaw, Dr. Ian Gemmill, Medical Officer of Health for the KFL&A area will be fielding live call-in questions tonight on TVCogeco, on Public Health Matters at 7:00 p.m. on Cogeco channel 13 or in high-definition on channel 700. The show will also feature Sarah LeRoy, public health inspector from KFL&A Public Health, who will talk about the role of public health in the community from the perspective of the public health inspector.

At its meeting in February, the ...

Kingston Coalition for Active Transportation hosting free film night and citizen awards

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Area residents are invited to an evening of celebration of active transportation successes in Kingston and around the world on Wednesday, March 7, 2012 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Kingston Frontenac Public Library, 130 Johnson Street. KCAT Forum 2012: Health Promotion and Injury Prevention, will be moderated by Lawrence Scanlon, an editor and journalist and the author or co-author of sixteen books on everything from horses, and hockey to home. Mr. Scanlon is also an ardent and old school cyclist who rides daily in the Kingston area from spring to fall. The session will also see local citizens recognized for their varied contributions to active tr...

Notice of Board of Health meeting

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Board of Health’s February 2012 meeting is taking place as follows:

Date: Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Time: 1:00 p.m.

Location: Boardroom
(please enter the main entrance of the building)

KFL&A Public Health
221 Portsmouth Ave.,
Kingston, Ontario

A copy of the Board Agenda is attached. Copies of the complete Board Agenda, including all Information Items, are available upon request.

Sessions set to give teens the real deal when it comes to teen pregnancy

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Study of numbers over the past five years shows a consistent peak in local teen pregnancies in the month of march

Kingston—Move over MTV. A group of Kingston-based agencies have the idea of glossy shows like “16 and Pregnant” in their crosshairs as they work to highlight the realities of teen pregnancies. Based on numbers from a study in teen pregnancies, the timing—just before teens get set to enjoy March Break—is critical. Last summer, a study of Kingston area teens was published in the Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology showed a local peak in teenage pregnancy during the month of Marc...

Six area recreation centres received Eat Smart! Award of Excellence

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Kingston—The days of junk food and watching hockey games seem to be losing appeal to KFL&A area residents. Six recreation centres—from Kingston, Napanee, Amherstview, and Godfrey—are being recognized with the Eat Smart! Award of Excellence. The program is a provincial award program that recognizes Ontario recreation centres that meet exceptional standards in nutrition, safe food handling, and a smoke-free environment. This year’s list of winners includes three first-time winners, Centre 70 Arena and Cataraqui Community Centre in Kingston and Frontenac Community Arena in Godfrey. This year’s list of winners al...

KFL&A Board of Health elects its Chair and Vice-Chair for 2012

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

On January 25, 2012, the KFL&A Board of Health re-elected Mrs. Beth Pater and Mr. Charles Simonds as its Chair and Vice-Chair for 2012. Mrs. Pater has been a member of the Board of Health since 2001, and has been its Chair since 2004. Under Mrs. Pater’s leadership, KFL&A Public Health has expanded its programs in the area of tobacco use reduction, dental health, communicable disease control and many other programs.

“I am delighted to serve as Board of Health Chair again for 2012. It is a pleasure for me to serve on the Board and as its Chair, since the services and programs that are offered by this agency mak...