 Friday, December 22, 2023
You can give the gift of health and safety
 COVID rapid test kits
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Why they’re great gifts: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends using a home test if you have COVID symptoms or were exposed to someone with COVID. Tests can be picked up during any community center’s operating hours while supplies last.
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Where to get them: Free tests can be picked up at any Louisville Metro Parks Community Center during operating hours while supplies last. At-home COVID-19 tests can be used on anyone 2 years old and older. You can also order free at-home COVID tests on COVIDTests.gov.
Food thermometer
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Why they’re great gifts: The USDA recommends using a food thermometer as the only reliable way to make sure you’ve cooked meat, poultry, and egg products enough to kill any harmful microorganisms in your food and promote food safety in your home or business.
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Where to get it: You can find food thermometers at retail stores like WalMart and Target, restaurant supply stores, and online retailers.
Hand sanitizer and soap
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Why they’re great gifts: Several respiratory illnesses including the flu, COVID-19 and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) are circulating in Jefferson County and across the nation. Handwashing is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your family from getting sick. While washing hands with soap and water is best, if soap and water aren’t available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
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Where to get them: You can pick up both at drugstores, grocery stores and online retailers..
Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
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Why they’re great gifts: Smoke detectors alert you of a fire. Carbon monoxide is a gas with no color or smell. It causes headaches, nausea, sleepiness, and is deadly when you are exposed to high levels. Kentucky's law requires smoke and carbon monoxide detectors on each floor of your home.
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Where to get them: You can find a combination smoke/carbon monoxide detector or each one individually. You can find detectors at retail stores like WalMart and Target, hardware stores, and online retailers.
-- Contributed by Public Health Madison and Dane County
Celebrate safely this holiday season
 Respiratory viruses continue to spike in Jefferson County. Check out the Kentucky Respiratory Illness dashboard, which shows respiratory diseases such as RSV, COVID-19 and influenza.
To help prevent these illnesses, clean all surfaces such as countertops, door handles, and light switches frequently, wash your hands with soap and water, avoid close contact with people who are sick, and cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue and not your hands.
Be sure to stay up to date on your vaccines, too. LMPHW provides vaccines for children and adults at its immunization clinics by appointment. To schedule an appointment, call 502-574-5380.
Make food safety the main course at holiday party
 Gathering friends and family is fun, but beware of uninvited party guests. Foodborne germs can crash your buffet and make people sick with food poisoning. When cooking, preparing, or serving food for large groups, follow these steps to keep food safe.
Keep it clean
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Wash your hands with soap and running water for at least 20 seconds before, during, and after preparing food and before eating. Wash your hands after using the bathroom and touching pets.
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Wash your cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and countertops with hot, soapy water or in the dishwasher after preparing each food item.
Serve foods safely
- Use a food thermometer to make sure meat, chicken, turkey, seafood, and eggs have been cooked to a safe internal temperature to kill germs. Roasts, chops, steaks, and fresh ham should rest for 3 minutes after you remove them from the oven.
- If preparing food in advance, divide cooked food into shallow containers and store in a refrigerator or freezer. Using shallow containers encourages rapid, even cooling.
- Keep hot foods hot at 140°F or warmer. Use slow cookers, chafing dishes, and warming trays to keep food hot on the buffet table.
- Keep cold foods cold at 40°F or below. Use small serving trays and replace often with fresh platters from the refrigerator, or place serving dishes in bowls of ice so they stay chilled.
Store and reheat leftovers the right way
- Divide leftovers into smaller portions or pieces for faster cooling, place in shallow containers, and refrigerate or freeze.
- Leftover foods should be refrigerated at 40°F or below as soon as possible and within 2 hours of preparation. It’s OK to put hot foods directly into the refrigerator in small portions.
- Leftovers should be reheated to at least 165°F before serving. This includes leftovers warmed up in the microwave.
- Learn how long food can be stored safely in the refrigerator and freezer.
We want to hear from you!
Please take a few minutes to complete our annual Customer Satisfaction Survey (CSS), which is running through Dec. 31. The primary aim of the CSS is to assess the degree of client satisfaction with LMPHW’s services.
If you have recently interacted with us or received a service from us, please complete this survey to help us improve the quality of the information and services we provide. Your participation is greatly appreciated!
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