News You Can Use

October 26, 2007

False and Misleading Dairy Product Labels to be Removed

Did you know hormones occur naturally in milk and that Pennsylvania employs a 10-fold testing process preventing the sale of milk containing antibiotics, pesticides, and chemicals? Through labeling on some products, you may think otherwise.

Misleading labeling and marketing practices are prompting the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) to remind milk and dairy producers of compliance standards. All milk processed and sold in Pennsylvania must be antibiotic- and pesticide-free. "Absence labeling" misleads consumers into thinking products from other producers contain antibiotics and pesticides.

Health, safety, and economic concerns for consumers and producers are being addressed by the PDA. Notices for mislabeled products have been issued and the companies have until January 1, 2008 to correct labels.

PA's milk labeling standards and procedures and frequently asked questions related to labeling are available to consumers and producers.

Holiday Fine Craft Fair

This Thanksgiving weekend opt for a different shopping experience with a selection of unique and eclectic gifts for everyone on your shopping list. Enjoy craft demonstrations and extraordinary finds at the Pennsylvania Guild Holiday Fine Craft Fair at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA on November 24 and 25, 2007.

Watch as artists sculpt, plait, weave, emboss, spin, throw, and carve their way to beautiful pieces of craftsmanship. Then choose works of craft from among those created by more than 180 craftsmen.

The Holiday Fine Craft Fair to be held in the Alumnae Sports and Fitness Complex of F&M College opens its doors on Saturday, November 24, 2007 at 10 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m. The Fair runs from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Sunday, November 25, 2007. Here is more information and complete details go to.

Radius, the Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC) Gallery & Museum Shop located in the Pennsylvania State Museum, offers high-end crafts and giftables produced by students and artisans from the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen. Radius is open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday noon to 4:30 p.m.

Schools & MRSA -- Education and Healthcare Communities Receive MRSA Advisory

The education and healthcare communities are the target of an advisory pertaining to Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH). Health Advisory #107 dated October 19, 2007 examines both hospital- and community-acquired MRSA.

Through professional organizations, including those for school nurses, school administrators, superintendents, and principals, educational institutions are receiving information and recommendations for responding to MRSA in our communities. The health advisory also requests hospitals, labs, health centers, and health-related professional organizations receiving the information to share its content with all medical, pediatric, infection control, nursing, and lab staff.

School healthcare professionals should coordinate infection control efforts with the athletics department, residential services, and other school colleagues. Guidelines for preventing MRSA infections at school:

Encourage and practice hand hygiene. Regular hand washing is the best way to prevent getting and spreading staph/MRSA.
Practice and encourage good skin care. Since staph infections begin when staph enters the body through a break in the skin, keeping skin healthy and intact is an important preventative measure.
Ensure access to sinks, soaps, and clean towels.
Ensure the availability of alcohol-based hand sanitizers, if soap and water are not accessible.
Educate school personnel (i.e., coaches, athletic trainers, etc.) about the importance of personal hygiene for students.
Encourage daily showers with soap and water.
Discourage sharing of personal items such as towels, razors, and toothbrushes.
Regularly clean sinks, showers, and toilets by saturating with disinfectant.
Disinfect athletic equipment between users.
Launder sheets, towels, sports uniforms, and underclothing with hot water and detergent, and dry on the hottest setting.
Wear gloves when handling dirty laundry.
Wear gloves when caring for another person's wounds, and protect clothing from touching wounds or bandages.
Encourage those infected to always keep draining lesions covered with dressings.
Dispose of dressings containing pus and blood carefully.
Disinfect contaminated portable equipment such as stethoscopes, blood-pressure cuffs, equipment handles, tourniquets, pagers, and cell phones.

Access Health Advisory #107 for complete details.

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention offer answers to the most frequently asked questions regarding MRSA in schools.

Lead Poisoning Prevention Month

If you have not been able to visit a lead screening and awareness program during the October 2007 Lead Poisoning Prevention Month campaign, the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH) offers an array of tools including a toll-free lead information number for parents, physicians, contractors, and homeowners eager to prevent and control lead poisoning.

The PA DOH recommends lead poisoning tests be conducted by your family doctor. Those without a family doctor may call 1-800-986-KIDS (5437) for assistance in locating a clinic in your local area providing free testing or possibly charging on a sliding fee basis.

Most homes built before 1978 contain some amount of lead-based paint. Inspections must be conducted by Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry-certified inspectors. Call 717-772-3396 for a list of certified inspectors. In certain high risk areas, financial assistance exists to help with the removal of lead-based paint in your home.

PA DOH tools for screening and preventing lead poisoning:

Railroad Tracks & Safety

A motorist colliding with a train is 20 times more likely to die than in a crash with another vehicle, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In the past five years, 87 people have been killed on or around railroad tracks in Pennsylvania, 17 of those occurring in 2006. During that same five year period, 13 people were killed in collisions between vehicles and trains.

A Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PA DOT) rail and highway safety reminder offers five tips:

Always look both ways before driving across railroad tracks.
Only cross railroad tracks at designated crossings and obey all warning signs and devices. If you see flashing lights and lowering gates, a train is approaching.
Exercise caution when driving behind vehicles that are required by Pennsylvania law to stop at railroad crossings, such as school buses, commercial buses and trucks carrying hazardous materials.
Never walk or play on railroad tracks, trestles, or other rail equipment which is not only dangerous, but also illegal.
Never attempt to hop aboard railroad equipment at any time.

PA DOT is recommending school and civic organizations contact Operation Lifesaver at 1-800-537-6224 to schedule a presentation on increasing public safety around railroad tracks. You can also request a presenter and access educational resources promoting rail safety.

PA Game Commission 2008 Calendar Ready for Distribution

Capture the sight of a bugling male elk silhouetted against a cloudy sky, a Canada goose preparing to land, and a trio of barn owls in the 2008 Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) calendar. That's just a few of the scenes depicted in photos shot by current and retired PGC employees.

Approved season dates from January through June 30, 2008 and tentative season dates for July 1 through December 31, as well as National Hunting & Fishing Day in September are noted in the calendar. Along with a brief overview of the PGC is a list of contact information for the agency's Harrisburg headquarters and six regional offices.

Here is more on the 2008 PGC calendar. Order the 2008 calendar through the PGC's Outdoor Shop. Consult the Outdoor Shop for licensing, subscriptions, and merchandise.

Anglers and boaters can go to the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission Outdoor Shop for related licensing, subscriptions, and merchandise.