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March/April 2011 Edition

Eliminating Mosquito Breeding Sites

Join Vector Control in getting rid of these pesky and sometimes dangerous insects. Mosquito season is just around the corner with warmer and wetter weather descending on San Antonio. Spring is the ideal time to be pro-active and get an early start on outdoor spring cleaning to curtail a population boom of mosquitoes and the risk of West Nile Virus. Mosquito season typically begins in April across the state and brings with it the dangers of the virus. West Nile Virus is carried by some species of mosquitoes and can cause serious, life-altering and even fatal disease.

Mosquitoes need standing or calm water to complete their life cycle and can breed in as small as a thimble of water. As part of a year-round program, Vector Control is looking for mosquito breeding sites in public drainage systems, parks and other public properties. Crews also have been removing tires from public areas illegally used as dumping sites.

The following are action steps property owners can take to reduce the mosquito population:

Clean and/or repair rain gutters. They will hold water if they are full of leaves or if the slope is incorrect.
Empty the water from containers such as buckets, soda cans, pet bowls, toys and small wading pools. Remove or invert them so they will not collect rain or water from sprinklers.
Fill any tree holes with sand so they will not hold water.
Use tight-fitting screens on rainwater collection containers.
Remove all old tires from your premise and dispose of them properly.
Change bird bath water every three (3) days.

In this issue...
Fitness in the Park to Provide Healthy Resources The Metro Health Department, Parks & Recreation, and the Mayor’s Fitness Council are working together to bring you and your family "Fitness in the Park!"... read more
Eliminating Mosquito Breeding Sites Join Vector Control in getting rid of these pesky and sometimes dangerous insects... read more
Texas Tobacco-Free Kids Day Conveys Strong Message On March 23, 2011 Texas schools and community agencies will be recognizing Tobacco-Free Kids Day (TFKD)... read more
Military Recognition for Metro Health Team Member In January, Caryl Hill, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, visited Metro Health... read more
Former SAMHD Employee Oralia Bueno Passes Away The Food and Environmental Division recently lost a dear friend and former colleague, Oralia Bueno... read more
National Nutrition Month Highlights Benefits of Healthy Lifestyles As part of National Nutrition Month in March, Metro Health will have a bulletin board contest... read more
CPPW Find Your Balance Announces More Fitness Resources South Side Lions Park will soon have free outdoor fitness stations completed for public use... read more
Illegal Food Vendors; Party Poopers Metro Health cautions Fiesta revelers about illegal food vendors that set up shop during Fiesta... read more
National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) Focuses on Prevention NIIW highlights the importance of protecting infants from vaccine-preventable diseases and... read more
To Your Good Health/Para Su Salud Debuts Metro Health’s public access channel show, “To Your Good Health,” now has a Spanish-language version... read more
Various WIC Clinic Sites Move The SAMHD WIC Program has moved various clinic sites across the City... read more
Por Vida Expands with Latest Additions The Healthy Restaurants Coalition and Metro Health staff continue to bring more restaurants into the Por Vida program... read more
Metro Health Joins the World of FB Facebook is the latest social media venture that Metro Health has joined in order to... read more
Healthy School Meals Workshop In an effort to help improve school meals in San Antonio schools... read more

In the Community

Metro Health partnered with the mighty San Antonio Spurs to help increase AIDS Awareness. April marks Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) Awareness Month, aimed at increasing safe sex practices. Metro Health partnered with the Greater than AIDS Campaign at the Spurs game against the Pistons on March 9, 2011 at the AT&T Center. The Kaiser Family Foundation's "Greater Than AIDS" campaign has entered into a partnership with the NBA to promote HIV prevention in cities around the league. A major component of this partnership is in-arena activations. Metro Health was highlighted at the game, having its logo showcased and hotline/referral information on promotional materials. Volunteers staffed the concourse table at the game and shared information with game attendees.

Featured Employee

KATHY SHIELDS

Years of service with SAMHD: 12

Title: Chronic Disease Prevention Manager, Population-Based Services

What she enjoys most about her job:
I love the dedicated and talented staff that I work with every day.

Background: Community health education. "I am proud to work in public health in San Antonio and committed to serving the community."

Favorite TV shows: "The Biggest Loser" and "Law and Order: SVU"

Favorite Cuisine: I love San Antonio's world famous Tex-Mex cuisine...in moderation of course!

Something you may not know about Kathy: I live for family vacations! Even though I don't get to take too many of them.

Did you know...?
Metro Health provides free tobacco cessation kits? Bexar County residents who want to quit using tobacco can receive telephone counseling and may be eligible for a free 2-month supply of nicotine replacement therapy medicine by calling the Texas Quitline at 1-877-YES-QUIT. City of San Antonio employees and their spouses can call a dedicated employee Quitline at 1-866-QUIT-4-LIFE.

Snapshot of Health

Steve Ridini, Ed.D., Vice President, Health Resources and SAMHD Interim Deputy Director Charles Pruski in Action

Charles Pruski, interim deputy director of SAMHD, was one of four community leaders that responded to the 2010 Health Assessment Summary presented on February 23, 2011 by the Bexar County Community Health Collaborative. Both Mayor Julian Castro and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff participated in the annual event and shared their concerns about the health of our community. More than 200 people from area health systems, hospitals, clinics and other organizations attended the breakfast.

Healthy Link
Quitting tobacco is challenging but not impossible. For free help and information, call the quit line at 1-877-YES-QUIT. Quit now, and you may add more than 10 healthy years to your life.

Our Vision
Optimal health for our communities and our environment
Our Mission
Provide leadership and services for San Antonio and Bexar County

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Eliminating Mosquito Breeding Sites

In this issue...

In the Community

Featured Employee

Did you know...?

Snapshot of Health

Healthy Link

Our Vision

Our Mission