Mental Health Awareness Week
Oct. 6-12, 2024 has been designated as Mental Illness Awareness Week. Millions of Americans are living with a mental health condition — mental illness affects everyone directly or indirectly through family, friends, neighbors or coworkers. During Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) the goal is to raise awareness about mental health and provide support and treatment options for mental health conditions.
One in five U.S. adults experience mental illness each year and less than half of them receive treatment. The numbers for youth are one in six. Half of all lifetime mental illness begins by the age 14 and 75 percent by the age of 24. Sixty percent of Americans are concerned about the stigma and around mental illness.
With limited resources for mental health in our community and the current circumstances we are facing locally and globally, it is now more important than ever to provide individuals with the behavioral/mental health support they need. Through the hard work and dedication of our two psychiatric nurse practitioners, clinic and school-based mental health therapists, and mental health nurses; First Choice Healthcare is pleased to be able to offer this support to our community.
The First Choice Healthcare providers are prepared to support patients aged 5 and above who may be struggling with depression, anxiety, stress, behavior problems, bipolar disorder, family/parenting issues, obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia and other related disorders, sexual assault, suicide prevention, trauma and loss.
For more information on mental health services or to schedule an appointment, call First Choice Healthcare in Kewanee at 309-852-5272. Help and understanding are just a phone call away.
Health Department offering drive-thru adult flu shot clinic in Kewanee
The Henry and Stark County Health Departments and First Choice Healthcare in conjunction with the Henry County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) will be conducting one drive-thru adult flu shot clinic in Kewanee on Thursday, Oct. 10 from 11:00 a.m.-1 p.m. in the health department west Parking Lot, located at 110 N. Burr Blvd.
The clinic is for adults (18 years of age and older) only. Children’s flu shots are available by appointment at the First Choice Healthcare Clinic nearest you: Kewanee 309-852-5272; Colona 309-792-4011; or Toulon 309-852-3115.
Flu shots will only be given on a “drive-thru” basis, no “walk ups.” In addition, participants must have working car windows. Bring your Medicare and/or Insurance card, $45 cash or check at the time of vaccination.
According to the CDC, flu activity most commonly peaks in the US in January or February; so, this is a great time to get your seasonal flu shot. The 4-component quadrivalent seasonal flu shot will be administered at the upcoming Kewanee drive-thru flu clinic and at our First Choice Healthcare Clinic locations in Kewanee, Colona and Toulon. According to the health department, the vaccine is going to give area residents the most comprehensive protection from influenza this year.
For more information call the department’s First Choice Healthcare Clinics at (309) 852-5272 Kewanee or visit our website at www.henrystarkhealth.com or find them on Facebook at Henry and Stark County Health Departments or follow on Twitter and Instagram.
October-Healthy Lung Month, health department offering radon detector test kits for $15
October is Healthy Lung Month. The health department believes this important health observance is a good time to remind local residents that radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer overall and the leading cause of lung cancer for non-smokers. Because of that the health department has radon home test kits available for purchase at a cost of $15 per kit through their offices in Kewanee, Colona and Toulon while supplies last.
The Health Department Staff notes, “Many people don’t even know that radon gas is such a health threat. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas present in the soil and water that can build up to dangerous levels in the home. Radon gas is odorless, colorless, tasteless, and invisible and the only way to know if a home has a radon problem is to test for it. Breathing radon can increase one’s risk of lung cancer. If you are a smoker, your risk is even more heightened.”
Testing your home is the only way to know if you have elevated levels of radon. If radon levels, above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) action level of 4 picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L), are detected in your home; the Health Department can provide you with information regarding radon mitigation on our website at www.henrystarkhealth.com or through our Environmental Health Division.
For more information on the $15 radon home testing kits call the location nearest you Kewanee 309-852-0197; Colona 309-792-4011; and Toulon 309-852-3115.