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Hi there,
Back to school time is here and I am wishing our many Oakland County students, teachers, school staff and parents a successful year ahead! As we jump into a new season, we always like to take the time to reflect on the previous year. Check out our 2023 Community Update to see Health Division program highlights and accomplishments from 2023.
We enjoyed ending summer by hosting our very first Oakland County Health & Human Services Summer Fest. The event was a major hit that provided many resources to Oakland County families along with outdoor fun. Here are just a few highlights of the day:
- 455 people attended
- 200 backpacks with school supplies given away
- 175 laptops generously donated by Comcast and distributed
- 80 vision screenings and 62 pairs of glasses provided
- 20 people newly registered for our dental program and 13 kindergarten dental screenings
With the fall/winter virus season around the corner, updated flu and COVID vaccines will be soon available throughout our communities. Check with your local pharmacy or healthcare provider about availability for these vaccines. Continue to visit oakgov.com/health for information regarding availability at the Health Division.
You may be wondering when is the best time to get vaccinated after this summer’s surge of COVID infections. John Hopkins University reports that people who have not had COVID in the past few months have a couple options:
- Get the updated COVID vaccine as soon as it’s available to protect yourself as the wave of summer infections continues.
- Get the updated COVID vaccine around mid-October to build protection in time for the rise of cases that typically occur around November through January, especially related to holiday travel and gatherings.
The CDC recommends that people ages 6 months and older get a flu vaccine by the end of October. Even if you wait until after October, the vaccine will still be beneficial and provide protection.
People at higher risk of severe illness should consider getting an updated COVID and flu vaccine as soon as possible. It takes about two weeks to build up immunity following a vaccine, so schedule your vaccination accordingly. Remember it is safe to get both vaccines at the same time!
In good health,
Leigh-Anne Stafford, Director, Health and Human Services
Health and housing summer fest - a huge success!
Oakland County Health and Human Services recently hosted a free family fun and resource expo for Oakland County residents. Residents were able to enjoy food and fun while getting connected to free health, breastfeeding, and housing resources. We wanted to give a special shout out to our 36 event partners for helping make this event such a huge success!
Also a special thank you to our Health & Housing Summer Fest sponsors Meijer, Priority Health and Comcast for your support. Special funding for the event was provided by United Way for Southeastern Michigan and Oakland County Board of Commissioners.
Firearms and Suicide Prevention: Armed with Knowledge
Join us for a free community discussion to learn about new gun safety laws, local gun violence prevention efforts and preventing suicide deaths by firearms. The event will take place on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, from 9 a.m. to noon. You can join in person at Oakland Community Health Network or virtually. Click HERE to register.
We also offer free gun safety locks at our Pontiac or Southfield locations while supplies last. Locked guns, SAVES LIVES. For office hours and locations: https://bit.ly/3LeH260
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call, text or chat 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Car seats save lives!
Car crashes are a leading cause of death for children 1 to 13. While you may already know the safest place for your youngest passenger is in the back seat—in a car seat, booster seat or seat belt— correctly choosing and using the right restraint may not be as simple as you think.
Child Passenger Safety Week ( Sept. 15-21) is the perfect time to make sure your child is in the right seat and that it’s installed correctly. Check out these tips from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to keep your child as safe as possible in the car.
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Read the instructions. Read both the car seat instruction and the vehicle owner’s manual. These documents contain critical information about correct car seat installation.
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Use the tether on forward-facing car seats. Securing the tether is an essential step when installing a forward-facing car seat. It prevents the car seat from moving forward in a crash and may prevent head injury. Read your vehicle owner’s manual to find the correct tether anchor location.
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Don’t rush to the next seat. Moving children to the next type of car seat before they’re ready leaves them vulnerable in a crash. Keep your kids in the right seat as long as possible for their age and size.
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Keep children under 13 in the back seat. Riding in the front seat is not safe for kids. Air bags in the front seat are designed for adult passengers. All children under 13 should be buckled in the correct seat — always in the back seat. Never place a car seat in the front seat.
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Register car seats with the manufacturer. That way, in the event of a safety recall, the manufacturer will be able to notify the caregiver.
NHTSA provides helpful resources online to make child passenger safety easier for parents and caregivers. Visit www.nhtsa.gov/CarSeat for everything you need to know about car seats.
Certified technicians will inspect your car seat free of charge and show you how to correctly install and use it. Visit our website for more information about Oakland County’s Child Passenger Safety Program.
Healthy Aging
September is National Healthy Aging Month, a time to focus on the positive aspects of aging and how to take proactive steps to age the way you would like.
There are several life dimensions to focus on aging well including maintaining physical activity. Being physically active over the years provides many benefits, including:
- Making it easier to perform daily tasks, like cleaning and grocery shopping
- Helping ease pain
- Preventing chronic disease or managing symptoms associated with chronic disease
- Helping lower your chance of falling and your risk of an injury if you do fall
Check out these tips and tricks for adding more physical activity in your or a loved one’s day.
Explore other important focuses for healthy aging and wellbeing.
2024 Welcoming Week Celebration
Oakland County is participating in Welcoming Week Celebrations September 13-22, 2024 to recognize the vast array of cultures that make up the fabric of our communities. Welcoming Week is a time to bring together organizations, communities and neighbors of all backgrounds to build strong connections and affirm the importance of welcoming and inclusive places. Please consider joining these upcoming welcoming week events!
- Festival Hispano Americano, Saturday, September 7, from 11am-10pm in the parking lot next to the Ferndale Library (222 E. 9 Mile Rd, Ferndale). For more information, visit https://www.centroculturalhispano.org/en.
- Healthy Gardening Fair, Saturday, September 21, from 11am – 2pm at the Chinese Community Center (32585 Concord Drive, Madison Heights). See flyer below.
 There are a wide variety of jobs open right now working for Oakland County. Health and Human Services is currently hiring Public Health Nurses and part-time Public Health Technicians in our school-based Hearing and Vision screening program and more!
More Health Division info
Check out our webpage page for information about our services and various health topics. You can also call our Nurse on Call hotline at 1-800-848-5533, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Oakgov.com/health is the best place to receive the latest information. Add, update, or opt out of Health Division email or text communications by clicking here.
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