Parenting Classes

For parents of children 1 to 6 years of age. Learn what motivates your child’s behavior, some discipline techniques and how to develop respect and cooperation within the child
Where: The Up Center (formerly Child & Family Services of Eastern Virginia)
1805 Airline Blvd.
Portsmouth, VA 23707
When: September 17th – October 29th, 2008, Wednesday nights, 6-8 PM
Cost: $ 50.00 per 7 week session
*Fee will be collected during first session*
To register call Heather Mathews at 397-2121 ext. 312
Seating is Limited!

Drive Safe coalition - volunteers needed

Drive Safe coalition is in need of help manning a regional safety seat check they are having on Sat. Sept. 20 from 10:00-1:00. It’s part of a national campaign to kick off CPS week (Sept 21 week). Checks will be happening across the nation on that day—it’s called Safety Seat Saturday. Our regional check is co-sponsored by Drive Safe, AAA, Safe Kids, and VDH. It will be held at the Tidewater AAA headquarters—on Va. Beach Blvd. near Haynes (between Witchduck and Newtown—sort of on the line between VB and Norfolk). Safety seat training helps but not required (you could still assist but couldn’t put in seats yourself). Senior checkers will be on hand—they just need more bodies. Please contact Pat for more details..
Pat.Davidson@vdh.virginia.gov

On-line Newsletter

Please click on the link below and sign up to receive this on-line newsletter, published by the Virginia Department of Health Office of Minority Health and Public Health Policy.
http://www.vdh.state.va.us/healthpolicy/access_newsletter.htm

Novelty Lighter Bill

I am again asking for your assistance with the issue of Novelty or toy-like lighters. We hope to have legislation reintroduced at the upcoming General Assembly and we are in need of stats and/or stories that you may have concerning these lighters.
One of the major concerns is that we do not have good records to prove that the lighters are causing an issue.
When filling out VFIRS, firefighters must be made aware that there is an area to designate on the form that a novelty lighter was used. It is deep in the report and not easy to locate but it is there. Please pass this along to your departments in case you do have an incident involving a novelty lighter.
Again, if you have had any fires involving novelty lighters, or know of any problems involving these lighters, please send me an email as soon as possible.

Thanks,

Lt. Wanda Willis
Harrisonburg Fire Department
101 N. Main St., Third Floor
Harrisonburg, VA 22802
wandaw@ci.harrisonburg.va.us
540-432-7717
For more information: http://www.theideabank.com/psa/NoveltyLighters.html

What's Working For and Against Healthy Schools

Action for Healthy Kids: Progress or Promises? What's Working For and Against Healthy SchoolsWebinar Phone Symposium
Thursday, August 28, 20083pm ET/2pm CT/1pm MT/12pm PT75-minute session
Registration Required
Register for this 75-minute phone symposium/webinar by clicking here. Access information and presentation materials will be sent to participants by Monday, August 25, 2008.

Weekends May Stymie Weight-Loss Efforts

The holidays aren't the only dangerous time for dieters, says a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Researchers found that people watching their weight tend to eat more on the weekend, causing them to lose weight more slowly. "We thought weekends would present a problem for some people attempting to lose weight, but the consistency of our finding before and during the interventions was surprising," says first author Susan B. Racette, Ph.D., assistant professor of physical therapy and of medicine. The findings appear in the online version of the journal Obesity.
Read the full article at: http://mednews.wustl.edu/news/page/normal/11972.html

Bedsharing and bassinets: 2 new studies assess the risks

The American Academy of Pediatrics revised its infant sleeping environment recommendations in 2005, and now suggests that room sharing without bed sharing is safest. However, bassinet safety has not been widely studied, and the U.S. government currently has no safety standards for bassinets. But two new studies on bed sharing and bassinet risks, upcoming in the Journal of Pediatrics, seek to shed light on these important safety issues.
Read the full article at: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/ehs-bab062308.php