Kent County Health Department June Newsletter

Pilot Program Launched to Help Residents Lower Lead Exposure 

The Kent County Health Department (KCHD), along with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and the City of Grand Rapids, launched a pilot project earlier this week to help residents prevent lead exposure from older plumbing, fixtures, faucets, and lead water service lines.

Residents are encouraged to use a certified lead-reducing drinking water filter if their home has or if they are uncertain if it has one of the following:  

• Lead or galvanized plumbing.
• A lead service line carrying water from the street to their residence.
• Older faucets or fittings sold before 2014.

KCHD produced a video to help residents determine if they have lead, galvanized or other plumbing materials in their home. The City of Grand Rapids has posted a map of lead service lines in the city.

To support the recommendation, approximately 18,000 free drinking water filters are available to people who have a lead service line or any lead plumbing and meet the following qualifications:

• A child under 18 or a pregnant woman lives in the home, and
• A member of the household is enrolled in Medicaid or WIC, and
• The household is unable to afford a filter.

Filter distribution events are currently being held in the cities of Grand Rapids and Kentwood. People who are interested in receiving a filter can find out if they qualify and register to pick up their filter by visiting GettingAheadOfLead.com. The site also offers information on reducing exposure to lead and the operational hours of the distribution sites.

KCHD Offering Free HIV and STI Testing

The national HIV testing day is June 27. It is an effort by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to get more people to test for the virus, know their status, and get linked to care or treatment. 

KCHD is partnering with Grand Rapids African American Health Institute to provide a free testing day on June 27 from Noon - 3 p.m. at the Crossroads Bible Church at 800 Scribner Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504. In addition to rapid HIV testing, the event will offer testing for gonorrhea and chlamydia and education on risk reduction. No appointment is needed.

According to the CDC, approximately 1.2 million people in the U.S. have HIV but an estimated 13% of them do not know they have the virus because they have not been tested. Early HIV diagnosis is important because outcomes improve the sooner someone can access treatment. 

The CDC recommends the following HIV testing guidelines:

• Everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 should get tested at least once as part of their routine health care.
• Those with certain ongoing risk factors should get tested annually. Some sexually active gay and bisexual men may benefit from more frequent testing (e.g., every 3 to 6 months).
• As part of proactive prenatal care, all pregnant people should receive certain blood tests to detect infections and other illnesses such as syphilis and hepatitis B.

The KCHD offers free and confidential HIV and STI testing at our main Health Department location at 700 Fuller Avenue in Grand Rapids. 

Food Safety for your BBQ

To many, cooking out is one of the pleasures of summer. Memories are made when neighbors and friends gather, share a meal and swap stories into the evening. This summer, make sure the memories of your latest BBQ are good ones by protecting your guests from food borne illness. Here are some simple food guidelines that you can follow to help ensure disease causing bacteria don't become unwelcome dinner guests. 

Avoid Cross-Contamination

Food safety begins while you are in your grocer's aisles. Take steps to make sure that no juices from raw meat or poultry can end up on other items in your shopping cart as the resulting cross contamination could make you sick. Make sure you are separating raw meat from other food in your cart and always use a plastic bag to place meat packages in to avoid leakage. Wash your hands after handling any raw meat. Any utensils that touched raw meat also need to be washed. Use a clean plate to remove food from the grill for serving. Use separate cutting boards - one for raw meat and another one for fruits and vegetables. 

Clean and Sanitize

We can't seem to say it enough - wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands! According to a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) study, 56% of participants did not wash their hands during meal preparation. Washing your hands immediately before and after touching raw meat is one of the easiest steps to prevent food poisoning. Hand sanitizer does not work as well as handwashing but if you don't have access to soap and water use the sanitizer. 

Keep the Cold Cold and Keep the Hot Hot 

Cold foods ideally should be below 40F and hot food should be above 140F. "The Danger Zone" is between those two temperatures and food that stays within this range too long can become contaminated with bacteria. Perishable food that stays out for over two hours should be discarded. If the temperature is above 90, food should not be kept out longer than one hour.

Use the Thermometer

Don't rely on things like grill marks or firmness to judge when your food is fully done. When you use a thermometer you will know when you arrive at the desired doneness. Not only that, you will never over cook chicken or beef and your guests will think you are the grill master when you are able to deliver their food to them, done to order, every time.

Here is a guide to food temperatures from the USDA. 

• Cook beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops and roasts to 145F. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming.
• Cook fish to 145 F.
• Cook ground meats (beef, pork, lamb and veal) to 160 F.
• Cook ground beef, pork, lamb and veal to 160 F.
• Cook egg dishes to 160 F.
• Cook poultry (whole or ground) to 165 F.

Learn more about grilling safety by clicking here.

Offices Closed In Observance of 4th of July

A majority of Kent County offices will be closed on Tuesday, July 4 in observance of Independence Day and will reopen on Wednesday, July 5. The Kent County Correctional Facility will remain open with regular hours.

We thank our brave heroes who fought for the freedom we are enjoying today. Happy 4th of July to everyone.