 Friday, April 25, 2025
Make sure your Derby dishes are a safe bet
 Enjoying a variety of Kentucky dishes, from hot browns and burgoo to Mint Juleps and Lilies, is a heaping helping of tradition. That’s why food safety is a main course for our Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness’ (LMPHW) Food Safety Program. LMPHW's team of inspectors carries out over 300 inspections throughout the Kentucky Derby Festival and at the track.
“Our team is responsible for ensuring food safety by assessing knowledge, monitoring hygienic practices, verifying that food is cooked and stored at appropriate temperatures, and preventing cross-contamination,” said Connie Mendel, LMPHW’s chief health strategist. “We also urge everyone to play their part by frequently washing their hands, particularly before and after handling food and using the restroom.”
Five of the most common ways people get sick from food include:
- Poor personal hygiene
- Inadequate cooking
- Improper storing temperatures
- Food from unsafe sources
- Contaminated equipment
You can also get a glimpse of how one of our food inspectors works to protect festival-goers from foodborne illnesses.
For more information on how to prevent and report a foodborne illness, visit the LMPHW food safety page on louisvilleky.gov.
Now is the time to clear out expired medication
 Spring cleaning includes clearing out your medicine cabinet. The best way to dispose of most medications is through a DEA take back location, and April 26 is National Drug Take Back Day. There are numerous locations in Louisville to safely dispose of unused or expired medications. Enter your ZIP code to find a list of disposal locations and hours.
Why is this important?
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Misuse and abuse. Since medications have significant effects on our bodies, taking too little, too much, or incorrect combinations can be dangerous. For instance, it’s important to avoid keeping leftover opioid painkillers from a root canal. These substances are powerful and addictive, and even a handful of pills can lead to serious consequences if misused.
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Effectiveness: Expired medications vary in how quickly they lose their potency.
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Safety: Young children may unknowingly come across them.
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Errors. Many individuals take several medications, which doctors often adjust in dosage. This can create confusion when it comes to tracking everything. A cluttered medicine cabinet filled with both old and current prescriptions can easily lead to errors.
Many places accept medication take backs year-round. If you are unable to make it to a take back location, be sure to consult the FDA flush list before disposing of medications in the toilet. Medications not on this list can be disposed of in the trash.
Honoring National Infant Immunization Week
This week, the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness (LMPHW) recognized National Infant Immunization Week, a crucial reminder of the power vaccines have to protect our youngest and most vulnerable.
National Infant Immunization Week highlights the importance of keeping kids on track with their vaccines to shield them from serious, preventable diseases such as measles, polio, and whooping cough.
Vaccines are like teaching a child to read. Just as we teach kids the alphabet and how to sound out words so they can read books and succeed in school, vaccines teach a child’s immune system how to recognize and fight off viruses and bacteria so they can grow up happy and healthy. Rather than waiting until a child gets sick to learn how to respond, vaccines give their immune system the “practice” it needs early on so it can be ready and strong when it needs to be.
Make sure your child is up-to-date on their immunizations by speaking with their pediatrician. You can also download a copy of your child’s immunization certificate by following this link to the Kentucky Immunization Registry. You can get your child’s immunizations at LMPHW by calling 502-574-5380 for an appointment.
Tap into free resources for your family
 You're invited to participate in RISE: Resources in Shawnee to Empower Our Community at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 26 at the Northwest Neighborhood Place/The Academy at Shawnee, 4018 W. Market St. Attendees can enjoy free food, enter to win door prizes, and can win summer camp scholarships.
The event will provide valuable information about summer camps, activities for children, summer job opportunities for teens, healthcare resources, services for seniors, and much more.
For additional details, please contact Keshia Miller at 502-546-7127 or Dana Henry at 502-485-8326.
We look forward to working with you
 Public health professionals come from diverse backgrounds and possess a variety of skills, all united in the mission to safeguard the community's health. We invite you to be part of our team!
Explore our Metro job opportunities webpage for more information on careers in public health, or simply scan the QR code.
For further inquiries, please reach out via email at LMPHWCareers@louisvilleky.gov.
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