It’s almost Thanksgiving – the biggest meal I cook all year. I always get a little anxious when I think about feeding so many people – What kind of turkey should I buy? Fresh or frozen? Stuffed or unstuffed? How do I store my turkey? And how long should I cook it to make sure it’s safe to eat? The last thing I want is for someone to get sick!
Here are four tips (courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control) to help you safely prepare your Thanksgiving turkey meal.
Continue ReadingWe’ve all heard the saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” There’s a reason for that! Good nutrition is vital to good health and disease prevention. And it’s essential to “growing up big and strong” as my grandmother used to say. Eating nutritious foods (along with a little exercise, of course) can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Those are some of the leading causes of death in our County and the country.
Seems easy enough, right? If I eat healthy food, I will be healthier. But it’s not that simple. Not everyone has access to healthy food. I know! It’s hard to believe that in 2020, there are people in our community who don’t have access to a grocery store to get the foods they need to live healthy lives.
Reggie Singleton, one of Public Health’s policy coordinators, was inspired by the fruit tree orchards he grew up with in the Sea Islands of Charleston, SC. He suggested partnering with other community organizations to install orchards and a system for distributing the food to the communities with food insecurity. And the Edible Landscape Project was born!
With support and partnership from community organizations, Public Health and its partners have established multiple orchards across priority communities in Mecklenburg County. The orchards produce plums, figs, pears, peaches and persimmons. They have even expanded to plant seasonal herbs and vegetables like squash, string beans, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Neighbors harvest, process and distribute food to nearby community members directly or through the church food pantry. To date, their efforts have supplied fresh, nutritious food to over 25,000 people in the County. Here’s a look inside how the orchards work.
Earlier this year, the Edible Landscapes Project received a Best In Category award from the National Association of Counties. This project combined with farmers markets and healthy corner stores is helping communities get better access to healthy food.
A big thanks to our community partners for helping establish and nurture our Edible Landscapes: N.C. Cooperative Extension Service, TreesCharlotte, Village HeartBeat, Mecklenburg Extension Master Gardener, and The Males Place Inc.
Stats under #1 updated October 3, 2023.
Contributed by Laura Thomason, MPH, Safe Routes to School Coordinator
Ever feel like your day consists of too much time spent in the car chauffeuring the kids from school to baseball practice and dance class and karate lessons and friends’ houses and the list goes on? Somedays it feels like we live in our car! But, now that school is back in session, it’s the perfect time to reflect on daily routines. Lots of families are changing things up by walking or biking or scooting to school. And you can too by joining our local Safe Routes to School (SRTS) movement.
SRTS works with parents, school administrators and communities to improve and increase opportunities for kids to bike or walk to school safely. Here are five reasons to get up, and get your kids active in the mornings (and if you’re always pressed for time to exercise like I am, it can benefit you too):
Continue ReadingThe best part of my Saturday mornings is meandering the local farmers market. I get to explore new vendors, sample fresh produce and engage with other people in my community. Not only am I investing in my community, but I’m getting fresh food at a great price.
Here are four tips to save some green during your next farmers market visit.
Continue ReadingMoms-to-be and new moms get a lot of baby advice. Although people usually mean well, not all of it is based on fact. Myths about breastfeeding are common. The fact is that breastfeeding is a healthy way to feed your baby. The decision to breastfeed is a personal one, and it should also be an informed one.
In honor of National Breastfeeding Month, we’re busting NINE common breastfeeding myths*.
Continue Readinghealthy adjective:
/ ˈhel-thē also ˈhelt-\
healthier; healthiest
1 – a: enjoying good health
: free from disease
b: not displaying clinical signs of disease or infection
2 – beneficial to one’s physical, mental, or emotional state : conducive to or associated with good health or reduced risk of disease
3 – showing physical, mental, or emotional well-being : evincing good health
4 – a: prosperous, flourishing
b: not small or feeble
At least, that’s how Merriam-Webster defines it.
Continue ReadingWhether you realize it or not, there are many things you probably know about Mecklenburg County government. For starters, you are probably aware that the County is governed by the nine-member Board of County Commissioners. You may also know that Mecklenburg’s day-to-day operations are managed by County Manager Dena R. Diorio. Chances are you are also familiar with a few County services such as Public Health, Department of Social Services or Park and Recreation.
That doesn’t come close to being everything about us, though. There’s so much more that we do and within all of our departments there are so many programs and initiatives that it can be hard to list them all out. But, we do have a few “best kept secrets” that we think you should know!
Continue ReadingThat’s how Jeanne Williams summed up her 12-year (and counting) career with the County’s Public Health Department. “It’s a commitment – to myself, my colleagues and my community – to improve people’s lives every day.”
Continue ReadingEveryone, from your neighbor to the minivan-driving parent beside you in the school pick-up line, has an opinion about the flu shot. And more importantly, they’re not afraid to share it with you. The best protection against the flu virus is to get vaccinated in the fall. There is still a lot of misinformation about the flu and the flu shot out there.
by Hannah Stutts, Grant Coordinator, Mecklenburg County Public Health
I don’t know about you, but when I’m driving around Charlotte (or stuck in traffic) I soak up everything about our beautiful city. New construction is everywhere, colorful lights paint the skies of uptown, trees and flowers decorate the sidewalks and buses with vibrant ads fill the streets – that’s right, I think the buses are beautiful, too. Especially the 30 buses that are rolling around with this PrEP ad on them.
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