Sierra County Health Council

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 8, 2021

Southwest Region Public Health Offices Offering

Back-to-School Vaccinations 

SANTA FE –The New Mexico Department of Health’s Public Health Offices in the Southwest Region will be providing no-cost back-to-school vaccinations by appointment or walk-in basis. Parents or guardians can bring their child to one of the locations listed below with the current schedule from now until the start of the school year in August. We encourage all students to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Students are required to be up to date on their childhood immunizations in order to attend school. The COVID-19 vaccination will also be available for parents and students 12 years and older. 

Sierra Public Health Office 

201 East 4th Street, Truth or Consequences, NM 87901

• Monday and Wednesday – 8:00am-5:00pm- Walk-ins Welcome 
• Tuesday – 3:00pm-4:00pm – Walk-ins Welcome 

Call 575-894-2716 for more information. 

The Sierra Health Council received a grant and partnered with 15 local organizations to provide education and cable gun locks to local residents. The project goal is to help reduce intentional or unintentional gun related injuries and help reduce suicide rates in Sierra County.

FACTS

1. Boys account for 80% of victims by guns.

2. Over 2/3 of school shooters acquire their guns from their own home or the home of a relative.

3. More than half of youth who committed suicide with a gun obtained the gun from their home, usually a parent’s gun.

Teenagers act on impulse and the impulse to commit suicide can pass in a matter of minutes, hours or days. A gun that is locked up buys your teenager time to let the impulse pass and his or her life be saved.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number 1-800-272-TALK (8255)

Numero de linea Nacional de Prevencion del Suicidio 1-800-272-8255

The Sierra Health Council has been awarded a grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico to help promote healthy eating and physical activity within the schools in Sierra County. The Sierra Health Council is the first Health Council in New Mexico to receive this grant opportunity. We will be collaborating with the Sierra County Community Schools Coordinators in both Truth or Consequences and at the Arrey Elementary School to implement the grant.

SANTA FE–As the Independence Day holiday weekend approaches, the New Mexico Department of Health urges residents to celebrate a safe Fourth of July and to use extreme caution with fireworks.  The most recent available Department of Health data reveals in 2019, there were 21 visits to New Mexico’s emergency department due to discharge of fireworks between June 21st and July 21st in 2019.  About 10,000 fireworks-related injuries were treated in emergency rooms in the United States in 2019, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Seventy-three percent of these firework-related injuries occurred during that same June 21-July 21 time period. The CPSC found that nationally nearly half of the fireworks-related injuries were to people younger than 20 years of age. Also nationally in 2019, 66 percent of the firework-related injuries happened among males.  Sparklers are the number one cause of firework-related injuries, which are estimated to cause over 900 injuries each year. In fact, half of reported sparkler-related injuries involved children younger than 5-years-old.   For New Mexicans who decide to purchase legal fireworks, the Department of Health and the CPSC recommend the following safety steps:  ·     Make sure fireworks are legal in your area, and only purchase fireworks that are labeled for consumer (not professional) use.  ·     Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy. Always douse spent fireworks with plenty of water from a bucket or hose before discarding the device to prevent a trash fire.  ·     Never try to relight or handle malfunctioning fireworks. Soak them with water and throw them away. ·     Never allow young children to play with, or ignite, fireworks, including sparklers. Sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit—hot enough to melt some metals.  ·     Never place any part of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse. Always move to a safe distance immediately after lighting fireworks.  ·     Never point or throw fireworks (including sparklers) at anyone. ·     Light fireworks one at a time, then move away quickly.  For more fireworks safety tips visit www.cpsc.gov/fireworks.

The Sierra County Health Council has secured Grant Funding from two initiatives to promote Physical and Mental activity to Seniors who are home alone and isolated during COVID-19. We are also collaborating with agencies and organization in our community to help with resourcing and to get these care packs out through out the County.

The Sierra County Health Council holds it’s Monthly Membership Meetings on the third Wednesday of each month on Zoom during lunch noon-1 PM. These meeting are open to all in Sierra County who would be interested in attending. Please join us by visiting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88547053261?pwd=N3MxbE05ZGxYbTZISm5qbm92QjFDdz09.

The Sierra Health Council defines health as the highest quality of living that can be experienced mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, and environmentally.