Special Meeting tonight!

Tonight at the Naperville Public Library on 95th Street (3015 Cedar Glade Drive) there will be a presentation on “The Rising Tide of Heroin Abuse in Naperville” at 7 pm. This will be an open forum put together by the Naperville police department, area schools, social workers, parents and young people who have classmates and friends that have died from drug overdoses.

The Chicago area has the unfortunate distinction of having the highest heroin use in the country. There are 50% MORE heroin emergency room than the second highest competitor, New York City! In Naperville alone, heroin arrests have risen in just the past two years by 34%. Drug overdoses have killed at least seven of our young people.

Remember, even “good kids” can fall victim to temptation. We strongly encourage parents and their children attend.

Great Changes in Store for School Lunches

Childhood obesity is an epidemic and the bottom line is too many American children are overweight!  The problem not only stems from unhealthy meal choices at home but in their daily school lunches. Parents struggle with the choice to have their child eat the unhealthy and possibly free lunch at school or pack a lunch in the morning. Packing a lunch in the morning requires more time, more rush and more groceries. If only there was an easier way!

From the desk of Kim Gubbins
PHA Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

Thankfully, some changes are underway for the school lunch menus in grades kindergarten through twelfth. A well-balanced, healthy school lunch will soon be possible! Over the next three years a new menu will be mandated that will impact 32 million children. Changes will include only skim and low-fat milk options, more whole grains, healthy portion sizes, more fruits and veggies and healthier vending machine options. Children will now be able to get whole-wheat cheese pizza, baked sweet potato fries, low fat dressing options, and many choices for raw fruits and cooked veggies. Hot dogs, mystery breaded patties, sugary canned fruit, whole milk and ranch dressing will no longer be an option.

Click on link below to be directed to before and after school lunch menu:
http://www.usda.gov/documents/cnr_chart.pdf

This healthy school lunch movement will not come cheap. It will cost the government $3.2 billion dollars and may take years to completely regulate/mandate the changes. Regardless of the challenges ahead, it is a very exciting first step for our children.

PHA encourages parents to look ahead at the school lunch menu (usually posted online or available in the office) or find out what your child is ordering daily (in some schools parents can view what their child ordered daily)! Work with your child on the choices they make at lunchtime and discuss healthier options.

Ideas include:

• Eliminating mayo
• Eliminating the top half of the bun or sub roll and eating sandwiches open faced
• Drinking water
• Choosing an unhealthy option (pizza, hot dog, etc) only one day per week
• Bring a lunch from home (maybe set a goal or 3-4 days per week?)
• Choosing fruit and veggies options

For more nutrition guidance, please schedule a nutrition consult with the nurse practitioner team at PHA. We will review a 2 week diet log (that needs to be kept before coming to the appointment), discuss changes, healthy options and set goals. This is a great way to make healthy changes and get the ball rolling! We are more than happy to help!

Information obtained from: http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/usda-bans-whole-milk-schools-rolls-major-school-184500153.html

Do you have a little one who loves to climb?

Michelle Maloney
Nurse Practitioner

Young children love to climb. Climbing on furniture is especially exciting for them. Unfortunately, this can lead to tragedy. In the past three months alone, 3 Chicago area children have died after knocking over a TV which fell and crushed them. Furniture and TV tip-overs are among the top accidents in the home for young children.

According to the Consumer Product and Safety Commission for just the ten year period of 2000-2010 there were 245 children ages 8 and under who were killed when a TV or other heavy furniture fell. 169 of these deaths were attributed to TVs. There were also more than 22,000 ER visits for injuries related to these tip over incidents.

Many of the TV deaths were of the older model tube TVs. These TVs were either on TV stands too small for TV or on unstable stands. However, the newer flat screen TVs are not without problems. These TVs are lighter and on small stands as well. Because they are lightweight, it is extremely easy to tip them over. These can severely injure a small child.

TVs are not the only culprits of tip over accidents. Bookcases and dressers are also guilty. The drawers and shelves make it very inviting for a child to climb.

So what can be done to protect our youngest and most vulnerable children? It is best to secure both the furniture and the TV. There are straps that can be bought at Babies R Us, Target, online @ Amazon, etc.  These straps are easy to apply to the TV and then secure it to the wall. You can also purchase wall mount kits to raise the tv out you’re your child’s reach. Bookcases and dressers can be secured by bolting them to the wood studs in the walls.

Of course, close supervision is important but as parents, we know we can step out of a room for just a few seconds and things happen. Keep remote controls, toys and other desirable items off of the TV stands and the tops of dressers and bookcases so children won’t climb to reach them.
 
****PHA Nurse Practitioner Michelle Maloney see patients at our Plainfield office for checkups, sick visits and nutrition consultations.

Now is the perfect time to schedule your child's yearly physical

Kim Gubbins
Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

Want to beat the rush?   Now is the best time to get your child’s physical/annual checkup completed!  Why wait until the summer ‘check-up’ crowd.  Scheduling it now gives you the opportunity to schedule an appointment when it's convenient for you.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and PHA recommend that all children have an annual well child exam even if a physical form is not needed for sports or school that particular year.   This visit will include a history of what is going on in the child's life, developmental screening (autism screening at 18 and 24 months), a physical examination, possible laboratory tests (such as hemoglobin, lead, cholesterol or a urinalysis) or vaccinations. There will also be a discussion about health and safety issues including: anticipatory guidance, prevention, nutrition, exercise habits, sex, alcohol and drugs.

Here's what you can expect during the head to toe physical exam:
• Height, weight, head circumference (only for children under 2 years old) and blood pressure checks (for children over 3 years of age)
• Head, eyes, ears, mouth, teeth and throat examination.
• Neck exam: check for swollen lymph nodes or an enlarged thyroid gland.
• Abdominal exam: check for problems with the spleen, liver and kidneys.
• A stethoscope with be placed on the child's chest and back to assess respiration and listen to the heart.
• Posture is checked to detect if there is any abnormality of the spine or progressive curvature of the spine, such as scoliosis.
• The pediatrician will test muscle strength and reflexes
• Both girls and boys will have their breasts examined.
• Possibly a full-body skin inspection, checking for acne, eczema and suspicious looking moles.
• Lastly, the provider will inspect the genitals.

Don’t forget to ask for a copy of your physical form. These can be easily generated from our electronic medical records system.