Health in the 406

 

See Public Health Differently: First Years Initiative

• Montana recently launched the First Years Initiative (FYI) to prevent and or intervene in cases of child abuse and neglect.
• FYI connects child protection specialists and home visiting professionals to Montana families in 15 counties.
• Find out about FYI services available in your community.

WIC in Montana

• Each month Montana WIC offers healthy food, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and a community of experts and peers to an average of 16,000 income-eligible pregnant and postpartum women, infants, and children up to 5 years old.
• WIC supports nursing moms by providing breast pumps and offering professional advice on a range of breastfeeding issues, including positioning, latch, milk production, and returning to work.
• To learn more about WIC in Montana and see Montana WIC Program’s new look, visit the Montana WIC Program website.

May 23, 2019: Stop the Bleed Day

• May is National Stop the Bleed Month and May 23 is National Stop the Bleed Day.
• Learning How to Stop the Bleed by taking a Bleeding Control Basics Course can make the difference between life and death, even before professional rescuers arrive.
• Stop the Bleed continues to empower the general public to make a difference in a life-threatening emergency.  Find an instructor near you.

Prevention Week 2019: Suicide Prevention

• Preventing suicide starts with changing how we talk about it.
• Knowing what to say can be challenging, especially when you don’t understand the struggle.  Use non-stigmatizing terminology when talking about suicide.
• If you feel that you or someone you know is in danger of suicide call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, text MT to 741-741, or call 1-800-273-8255.

Prevention Week 2019: Prevention of Underage Drinking

• Most Montana parents (91%) DISAPPROVE of high school students drinking alcohol.
• In 2018, 14.7 percent of 8th graders, 32.4 percent of 10th graders, and 44.8 percent of 12th graders had used alcohol within the past 30 days.
• Alcohol remains the number one drug of use for Montana youth.  Start the conversation today with your teen about NOT using alcohol.

Arthritis Awareness Month

• About 10 million adults with arthritis have symptoms of anxiety or depression.
• Chronic joint pain and mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression can influence each other, causing symptoms of either or both to worsen.
• Healthcare providers can screen arthritis patients for anxiety and depression, as well as encourage patients to take part in physical activity and self-management education programs.

Prevention Week 2019: Focus on Binge Drinking

• One in three high school students reported alcohol use in the last month; over 50% of students who reported alcohol use also engaged in binge drinking behavior (consuming 5 or more drinks for men, or 4 or more for women within 2 hours).
• From 2012-2016, on average, 475 Montanans died each year due to excessive alcohol use. Over two-thirds (67%) of these deaths occurred among Montanans aged 20 to 64 years.
• Binge drinking is a serious but preventable public health problem.

Prevention Week 2019: Focus on Naloxone

• For the past two years in Montana, 343 opioid overdoses and 51 opioid overdose deaths occurred.
• Naloxone is a prescription medication that can immediately treat opioid overdoses, and anyone can obtain it from their local pharmacy through the Montana Standing Order for Opioid Antagonists.
• Free training is also available to learn how to administer Naloxone to someone who has overdosed.