CRESTVIEW — Students Working Against Tobacco, Florida’s statewide youth-led movement to combat the tobacco industry, announced the names of its new Youth Advocacy Board members.

The group named Crestview resident Kendra O’Malley its Youth Advocacy Board leader, which means she will represent Region 1 SWAT clubs. Region 1 includes the 18 counties from Escambia to Madison and Taylor counties.

"I am most looking forward to working with the amazing people I have met and to be working on our new health message," O'Malley said.

Members of the SWAT Youth Advocacy Board will serve a term through June 30, 2018.

The Youth Advocacy Board works with the Florida Department of Health’s Bureau of Tobacco Free Florida to plan SWAT's direction and goals, and provide input on the state’s youth prevention efforts.

Students work with county grantees to support initiatives that educate their peers about tobacco use, help protect youth from tobacco, and strengthen local policies, especially those that protect the public from secondhand smoke exposure.

SWAT aims to empower, educate and equip Florida youth to revolt against Big Tobacco by de-glamorizing tobacco use, shape tobacco free norms, and make tobacco less desirable, less acceptable and less accessible.

Another Northwest Florida teen elected to the YAB is Catalina Rios of Santa Rosa County.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview teen to help lead Florida’s anti-tobacco movement

Did you know that, on average, elementary school children get eight to 12 colds or cases of the flu each school year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention? This school year, follow some healthy habits to avoid the back-to-school plague.

First, wash hands and other items that you touch, like cell phones or desks, frequently. Cell phones carry 10 times more bacteria than most toilet seats; and school desks have been found to hold 400 times more bacteria than toilets.

The CDC recommends hand washing several times a day, including before and after eating, blowing your nose, coughing and sneezing, and after using the toilet.

•Wet your hands with clean water, apply soap, lather your hands and scrub them for at least 20 seconds (equivalent to singing the "Happy Birthday" song twice), including the backs of your hands, under your nails and between your fingers.

•Dry with a clean towel or air dry.

 •Use hand sanitizer if soap and water aren't readily available.

•When coughing or sneezing, use tissues or cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow.

•Avoid touching your face throughout the day, including your eyes, nose and mouth, to reduce the spread of germs.

You can also pick up school supplies that help fight germs, such as Easy Liner brand shelf liner with Clorox antimicrobial protection. The shelf liner features an antimicrobial additive to prevent the growth of odor-causing mold and mildew on the liner. Plus, it can be tossed in the wash for easy cleaning.

Place it in areas of your home or classroom where school items are stored like floors, counters, desks and shelves.

For more information, visit duckbrand.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Win the battle against back-to-school germs

CRESTVIEW — The Military Order of the Purple Heart and Northwest Florida State College are collecting information for a proposed nurses monument to be constructed at the US Air Force Armament Museum on Eglin.

The order and college are looking for one nurse to represent the Civilian Nurse of Today on the monument. The Nurses Monument Committee will select one civilian Registered Nurse, male or female, from submissions turned in by Oct. 31. The committee will announce the winner Nov. 16.

To submit your name for possible posting, send a high-resolution 8-inch by 10-inch or 4-inch by 6-inch photo of yourself in uniform from the waist up, a brief biography, and contact information to William Everett, 5727 Buck Ward Road, Baker, or email it to him at weeverett76@gmail.com.

Three nurses featured on the monument are Florence Nightingale, Lt. Annie G. Fox, and 1st Lt. Sharon Lane.

The information on each person includes their name, date of birth, date of death if deceased, and a history of their service, as listed below. 

Florence Nightingale. Born: May 12, 1820, Florence, Tuscany; died Aug. 13, 1910. Florence Nightingale was an English social reformer and statistician, and the founder of modern nursing. She organized the tending to wounded soldiers during the Crimean War, where she came to be known as “The Lady with the Lamp” while making rounds of wounded soldiers at night. She gave nursing a highly favorable reputation and became an icon of Victorian culture.

In 1860, Nightingale laid the foundation of professional nursing with the establishment of her nursing school at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London. In recognition of her pioneering work in nursing, the Nightingale Pledge taken by new nurses, and the Florence Nightingale Medal, the highest international distinction a nurse can achieve, were named in her honor, and the annual International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world on her birthday.

Lt. Annie G. Fox. August 4, 1893 – January 20, 1987. First woman to receive the Purple Heart for combat. First Lt. Annie G. Fox, Chief Nurse, U.S. Army Nurse Corps, was on duty at Hickman Field, Oahu, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941, during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

For her “outstanding performance of duty and meritorious acts of extraordinary fidelity”… along with many other accolades, she was awarded the Purple Heart. At the time Lt. Fox received the award (Oct. 26, 1942) there was no requirement of having sustained serious injury during battle; after Fox received her Purple Heart the additional requirement of having had received wounds during enemy action was instituted. As a result, on October 6, 1944, Fox was issued a Bronze Star Medal in lieu of the Purple Heart previously awarded in 1942.

1st Lt. Sharon Lane. July 7, 1943 – June 8, 1969: First Lt. Lane was assigned to 312th Evacuation Hospital in Chu Lai. She worked five days a week, 12 hours a day caring for injured Vietnamese. Much of her off-duty time was spent taking care of the most critically injured American soldiers.

On the morning of June 8, 1969, the hospital was struck by multiple rounds of mortars and rockets by the Viet Cong. First Lt. Lane was among the dead. She was killed in action just one month before her 26th birthday. She was awarded the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star with Valor (the only service woman to receive this at the time), the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the National Order of Vietnam Medal, and the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Palm.

In 1973, Aultman Hospital, where Lane attended nursing school, erected a bronze statue in her honor and opened the Sharon Lane Women’s Center.

Donations

The MOPH requests monument donations at https://www.gofundme.com/monument-to-honor-american-nurses. They also seek sponsors for four bronze plaques, benches, landscaping and other necessary site preparation.

Contact Cmdr. William B. Patterson, 496-8009 or 243-3889 or phcommander811@gmail.com, for sponsorship information.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Nurse submissions, donations requested for Eglin monument

FORT WALTON BEACH — Four Okaloosa County parks have potentially hazardous bathing water, the Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County stated July 24.

Liza Jackson Park, Fort Walton Beach; Wayside Park and Emerald Promenade, both of Okaloosa Island, and Henderson Beach and James Lee Park, both of Destin, failed tests based on EPA-recommended enterococci standards.

Enteric bacteria's presence indicates fecal pollution from storm water runoff, pets and wildlife or human sewage.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 5 Okaloosa parks receive hazardous water advisories

FORT WALTON BEACH — In August, the Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County is observing World Breastfeeding Week (Aug. 1-7); Black Breastfeeding Week (Aug. 25-31) and National Breastfeeding Month.

World Breastfeeding Week, an annual observance, is Aug. 1-7. The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, a global network of individuals and organizations concerned with the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding worldwide, coordinates it.

The annual Black Breastfeeding Week focus for this year is spotlighting the joy of family bonds and perseverance in 2017. Dates are Aug. 25-31.

The initiative is used to decrease high black infant mortality rates; a high rate of diet-related disease; address a disparity in breastfeeding leadership that creates a cultural gap for African-American moms, perpetuating the misconception that black women don’t breastfeed. It also helps promote breast milk as a first food for infants in areas where they may be a lack of healthy food access.

National Breastfeeding Month, also an annual August observance, is an initiative of the United States Breastfeeding Committee.

The DOH-Okaloosa is raising awareness of the importance of breastfeeding in an effort to make Okaloosa County the breastfeeding-friendliest county in Florida.

Benefits of breastfeeding include:

•more sleep.

•close bonding.

•improved health and nutrition.

•healthy weight maintenance.

•fewer illnesses.

•It's free.

"The diverse benefits of breastfeeding translate into hundreds of dollars of savings at the family level and billions of dollars at the national level through decreased hospitalizations and pediatric visits," Dr. Karen A. Chapman, DOH-Okaloosa director, stated in a media release.

"Breastfeeding is simply the best thing you can do to protect your baby’s health, as well as improving the health and well-being of mothers. This is why it is so important that breastfeeding be supported in all aspects of a mother’s life."

Breastfeeding is a priority for the DOH in Okaloosa, with the initiatives listed below.

FLORIDA HEALTHY BABIES is a statewide initiative that also encourages breastfeeding, safe sleep, no smoking and never shake a baby. The Recipe for a Healthy Baby, created by local community partners, provides support and education for the local initiative. For more information, visit:  http://healthystartokawalton.org/.

HEALTHY OKALOOSA WORKSITES employers are taking steps in providing support in their workplace to their breastfeeding employees. Participating employers that have made environmental and policy changes in support of breastfeeding may apply for the Florida Breastfeeding Friendly Employer Award given by the Florida Breastfeeding Coalition, Inc.

North Okaloosa Medical Center has also taken strides in supporting new and expecting mothers in making the choice to breastfeed. This past year, NOMC began their journey to earn the Florida Quest for Quality Maternity Care Award through the Florida Breastfeeding Coalition, Inc.

Email HealthyOkaloosa5210@flhealth.gov for more information.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa health group supports National Breastfeeding Month

The Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County urges parents and guardians to review their children's immunization records and start getting required vaccinations now.

To comply with requirements, parents and guardians of students going into kindergarten and seventh grades should make vaccination plans in time for the first day of class and avoid delays.

Pediatricians, primary care and family doctors can typically provide vaccinations to children. Parents should call to verify that their children’s medical provider has the vaccines available.

Parents can also schedule an appointment for back-to-school vaccinations at DOH-Okaloosa.

There is no cost for required vaccinations for children up to 19 years old. Call 833-9246 to make an appointment.

Visit www.HealthyOkaloosa.com for more information.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa health department: Prepare for school vaccinations

FORT WALTON BEACH — An Okaloosa County promenade has potentially hazardous bathing water, the Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County stated July 12.

Emerald Promenade of Okaloosa Island failed tests based on EPA-recommended enterococci standards. Enteric bacteria's presence indicates fecal pollution from stormwater runoff, pets and wildlife or human sewage.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa promenade receives hazardous water advisory

CRESTVIEW — Joshua Valdivia-McDonald began raising funds for cancer patients two years ago in the 4k For Cancer bike ride program sponsored by The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults.

The 25-year-old took a cue from his sister, an aspiring brain surgeon who completed the 2011 San Francisco ride while studying neuroscience at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., where the fund is based.

“Hopefully, I can inspire some people in this area to do something larger than life,” said Valdivia-McDonald, a 2010 Crestview High School graduate who raised over $10,000 for UCF in the summer ride programs of 2015 and 2016. “I think the earlier you can help other people, the better off you are, and to get involved in charitable actions at an earlier age, that way you can get involved early, and stay involved for years to come.”

The UCF is one of a few non-profit organizations dedicated to raising money for young adults who have cancer, and the program limits participating bicyclists to the ages of 18 to 25.  

“It’s a forgotten age, you know, because there are a lot of funds for children with cancer and adults with cancer, but there is this middle ground that is forgotten,” he said. 

In addition, participants must raise at least $4,500 to bike the 4,000-mile cross-country routes, with bicyclists often traveling a total of 70 days. This year, the 4k for Life program is offering three cross-country bike tours in Seattle, Portland and San Francisco, and not only do participants bike, but they also make stops along the route to volunteer for cancer patients.

“During the ride we would help out at cancer centers and talk to patients going through radiation and I became extremely connected with their stories as well as the communities we went to along the way; we touched over 60 communities across the United States,” Valdivia-McDonald said. “And every community had connections to cancer. I fell in love with helping those who are going through those times and the patients going through chemo.”

On the third day of his first ride, Valdivia-McDonald was in Charlottesville, Va., at the University of Virginia Cancer Center when he met Sharon Kohler, a cancer patient whose story resonates with him to this day.  

“She had been a teacher and also played the banjo, which was pretty neat,” he said. “And even though she was dying — completely bald — she had such a positive attitude that I became connected because of her.”

And now that he’s too old to participate in the 4k for Cancer program, Valdivia-McDonald is raising funds to bicycle for Pelotonia, a 180-mile charity bicycle ride taking place from Aug. 5-6 in Columbus, Ohio. 

“It’s a ride, not a race,” he said philosophically. “This isn’t a racing mentality, it’s a tour, and it gives it a different connotation in the bicycling community. We would ride from city to city and experience each along the way and stop at gas stations and communities and talk to people, and a race gives it a ‘got to get there mentality.’”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Bicyclist raises over $10k for cancer research

CRESTVIEW — Paige Woody and her daughter, Zoey Green, are getting ready for the next stage of medical care since they were attacked by a pit bull March 25.

After the attack, surgeons worked on Zoey for nine hours to reconstruct the right side of her face, which was ripped to shreds. Her jaw was also shattered and required dissolvable screws to hold it together.

Several more surgeries and medical procedures are required to repair damage to the right side of Zoey's face. One is set for August at a Miami eye institute, and another one is in March.

"When we go to the one in Miami, they will try to repair her tear ducts, raise the eyelids and get the skin graft done," Woody said. Zoey will be in the hospital for one to two weeks.

The family has set up a You Caring page to raise money for the medical procedures and supplies Zoey requires day to day. While the goal is listed at $20,000, it's not an exact figure.

"All I know is right now, for her medical supplies which are not covered by insurance, we spend about $300 a month out of pocket outside of Medicaid," her mother said.

Zoey also undergoes a treatment for scarring twice a day. The treatment, called Silagen, uses silicone sheets to reduce the puffiness of the scar. According to the fundraising web page, the treatment costs about $65 every two weeks.

Zoey is only able to go outside during the day on a limited basis.

"She can't go outside during the day because the UV (ultraviolet sun rays) will cause the scars to get harder," her mother said. She can only be limited to going outside if her face is completely patched, or wears a hat when doing things like going to a store.

She is unable to attend school or go to daycare because she can't risk being rough-housed due to her broken jaw, her mother said. She is on a soft food diet while that heals.

When asked what her own medical needs were, Woody said, "I am in the process of finding a neurologist so they can give me injections to the back of my head. The nerves are growing back, causing a great deal of pain."

The two are also dealing with a lot of anxiety after the attack.

"We went to pick up a fish tank and they had a Great Dane mix (at the store). Well, it came up to the front door that was open and that didn't go well," Woody said. "I freaked; she did, too …"

HOW TO HELP

Go to the You Caring page, http://bit.ly/2scVJQK, to make a donation, or to https://www.gofundme.com/evj94r-help-for-zoey.

All donations are used for medical expenses, supplies and related bills.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Dog attack survivors cope with anxiety, seek funds for treatments