Live Well Allegheny: December 2021 E-Update
A Letter From Our Director
Greetings from the Director’s Office,
The holidays are fast approaching, and I want to wish everyone a happy, healthy, and safe holiday season. Of course, in this new era of COVID-19, staying healthy and safe presents unique challenges.
For those of you who listen to my regular Wednesday afternoon COVID-19 briefings with County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, you’ve heard my advice before. But it’s worth repeating:
- Get vaccinated for both COVID-19 and Influenza! The vaccines work. They help protect against serious illness, hospitalization, and death.
- Mask up. Wearing a mask is an easy way to reduce the spread of COVID and other respiratory viruses like flu and RSV. So please follow CDC guidance on masking.
- Maintain physical distancing.
- Wash your hands regularly.
- If you’re sick, stay home and get tested.
- If you’re attending or hosting a holiday party, try to leave windows and doors open (weather permitting) to increase air circulation, and keep guest totals low so people can properly distance.
I repeat this advice regularly because we know that such steps work. We’re all in this together, so please do your part this holiday season and help us limit the spread.
Moving into the new year, I wish I could report that the pandemic is nearing its end – but alas, I don’t think that is so. However, there are many reasons for hope. The scientific community continues to adapt and respond! New therapies are in the pipeline both to prevent and to treat infections, some of which will likely be approved by the FDA in early 2022. Our schools, businesses, community centers, etc.… are back in full swing – albeit with some adjustments. We are gathering with family and friends and attending community events – again with modifications.
It is important to understand that we may never be totally free of COVID. As is the case with influenza, this virus is likely to stay with us, to intensify seasonally and to require additional vaccines for maximum protection over time. I have said repeatedly that we need to use data and evidence in support of our decisions individually and collectively. I recognize that change is hard, but we must all be open to change. The inevitable change that drives the study of science is one reason I pursued a science career, first as a chemist and then as a doctor. Scientists must be lifelong learners – and now the world must adopt that posture to get through this pandemic and move beyond it.
On behalf of everyone at the Health Department, I wish you all a wonderful holiday season, and as always, I urge everyone to please be safe and be kind.
Dr. Debra Bogen
Director, Allegheny County Health Department
Health Observances
National Influenza Week
National Influenza Vaccination Week is a call to all Americans 6 months and older to get their annual influenza vaccine. The flu remains a significant public health concern, and this week will serve to remind people that there is still time to get a flu vaccine- the only vaccine that protects against the flu – to prevent illness and potentially serious complications. For more information, including a map of local flu vaccine locations, visit Allegheny County Health Department’s web site
What’s Happening in Public Health
6 Tips to Stay Active This Winter
- Take nature walks
- Monitor the weather and plan ahead
- Wear Layers
- Workout online
- Do some chores
- Volunteer in active ways while maintaining social distance
For more information visit: CDC – 6 Tips to Stay Active This Winter
Partner Information & Opportunities
Please join us for our first Live Well Allegheny Collaborative Virtual Speaker Series of 2022 on Tuesday, January 11, 2021 from 10 a.m.-11 a.m. The topic is Alzheimer’s & Dementia Impact on Families, and our speaker will be from the Alzheimer’s Association.
Questions for the speaker can be sent to [email protected] – please email any questions by December 30.
To sign up use the QR code or use this form!
Thank you & hope to see you there!
Live Well Allegheny Story
Tobacco Free Adagio Health Services and Programs
Tobacco Free Adagio Health (TFAH) is the Regional Primary Contractor for the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s tobacco prevention and control work in Allegheny County. The goal of TFAH is to assist smokers in quitting and prevent new users from starting.
TFAH works to promote tobacco-free policies that protect residents from the harms of secondhand smoke where they live, where they work, and where they play. TFAH uses certified tobacco treatment specialists (CTTS) to help smokers interested in beginning their quitting journey identify triggers and build new, healthier habits and strategies. These strategies help people find more success in their attempts to quit smoking. This program is offered virtually, in person, individually or in group cessation classes.
TFAH Youth Services Coordinators provide health education on the following topics:
- Big Tobacco’s impact on the community
- Big Tobacco’s marketing campaigns’ impact on underserved communities
- Ways we can come together as a community to improve health outcomes for everyone in our region
- Tobacco’s impact on the body, the brain and the environment
TFAH partners with a lot of healthcare providers and community-based organizations to provide education and to address health disparities for people in the following communities:
- African Americans,
- LGBTQIA+ individuals,
- Veterans,
- Youth,
- Women,
- Those contending with mental and behavioral health issues.
For more information, please visit tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org.
For 50 years, Adagio Health has been serving the healthcare needs of women and families throughout Western Pennsylvania. Our service area includes:
- 62 counties in Pennsylvania
- Seven counties in West Virginia
- Five counties in Southern New York State
Many of the 110,000 patients receiving Adagio Health’s services are women who are uninsured or underinsured. Services are provided through funding from foundations, the State and Federal Government, and in partnership with a variety of local organizations and other funders. For more information, please visit adagiohealth.org or call 800-215-7494.