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ALPINE THREADS Community and Family Life in the California Alps Spring 2018 Community and Family Life in the California Alps Spring 2018 Masthead photo courtesy of Alpine County photographer Todd Branscombe. Resources to Help Children in the Wake of a School Shooting 2 First 5 Alpine 3 Tips for Healthy Teeth 4 Alpine Watershed 5 Kickoff Event! 6 TYFS Summer Groups 6 Your Best Shots at Staying Well! 7 Healthy Eating, in a SNAP!.... 8 In this Issue... Masthead photo courtesy of Alpine County photographer Todd Branscombe. Building Resilience in Children and Teens All youth face difficulties, which can range from traumatic losses to everyday disappointments. The ability to cope and recover (or “bounce back”) after a setback is important to their success. Experts call this “resilience”, and it’s a skill that can be learned. What you can do to help your children develop resilience: Model a positive outlook. Children will learn from your ability to bounce back from difficulties. When faced with a challenge yourself, model an “I can do it attitude”. Remind yourself and your child that the current problem is temporary and “things will get better.” Build confidence. Comment frequently on what your child does well. Point out when he demonstrates qualities such as kindness, persistence, and integrity. Build connections. Create a strong, loving family and encourage your child to make good friends. This will help ensure that she has plenty of support in times of trouble. Encourage goal-setting. Teach children to set realistic goals and work toward them one step at a time. Even small steps can build confidence and resilience. See challenges as learning opportunities. Tough times are often when we learn the most. Resist the urge to solve your child’s problems for him- this can send a message that you don’t believe he can handle it. Instead, offer love and support, and show faith in his ability to cope. Remind him of the times when he has solved problems successfully in the past. Teach self-care. Many challenges are easier to face when we eat well and get enough exercise and rest. Self-care can also mean taking a break from worrying to relax or have some fun. Help others. Empower your child by giving her opportunities to help out at home or do age-appropriate volunteer work for her school or community. For more about building resilience, see the following: Building resilience (American Academy of Pediatrics) @ Resilience Guide for Parents and Teachers (American Association) @ apa.org Information from “2018 Prevention Resource Guide: Keeping Children Safe and Families Strong in Supportive Communities” ---PAGE BREAK--- [ 2 ] Alpine County Threads I Spring 2018 As adults struggle with their own reactions to the school shooting in Parkland, Florida - the 29th mass shooting in the United States in the first two months of 2018 alone - young eyes and ears are watching and listening. This is an important time to talk to children about what they are seeing and hearing, even when they did not directly witness the event. While it can be difficult to know what to say, evidence from research and clinical practice can help us with these difficult conversations. We begin with a few suggestions for adults who care for children indirectly affected by a school shooting: Talking to children about school shootings Honesty is important when speaking with children about school shootings, but that doesn’t mean they need to know the details. What children need to know, and how we talk with them about such tragedies, is best considered through a developmental lens. How we answer their questions, for example, should depend on what they can understand and process without heightening their distress. For a child of any age, it is important to begin by finding out what they already know. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network recommends gently correcting inaccurate information, encouraging children to ask questions, and answering them directly. Adults can respond by acknowledging the child’s experience and feelings about the event, rather than focusing on the event itself. Parents can use a number of resources to find the right words to say, including apps such as Help Kids Cope. However, conversations should be tailored to the age of the child: • Infants and toddlers are comforted when caregivers are warm, sensitive to their needs feeding, sleeping, comforting), and maintain predictable routines. Conversation about the event can be harmful to very young children, who are highly sensitive to adults’ emotions. Even if they can’t understand the content, they can sense that something is wrong and experience distress. • Preschoolers do best when adults use a calm voice, simple language, and respond to their questions honestly but with limited detail. Death should not be a taboo subject with young children just because it is upsetting to adults. Most important, preschoolers need reassurance that they are safe. Safety can also be communicated nonverbally - for example, by participating in normal, everyday activities and receiving extra attention from adults. Early childhood programs and parents can jointly support children who experience a school shooting. • School-age children understand more than younger children and may want to talk about events at length with a trusted adult. Still, it is important not to offer disturbing details or to assume that children’s concerns are the same as those of adults. Like younger children, they need comfort and reassurance of their safety. They may want extra attention from adults and friends, and time to talk about subjects other than the school shooting. Schools can also serve as important sources of support by understanding and responding to a school shooting in trauma-informed ways. • Adolescents benefit when adults take time to listen, without judgment, to their thoughts and feelings about the school shooting. Teenagers can think abstractly and may struggle with larger issues, such as the meaning of life and death and social justice. They tend to value honesty and are quick to point out hypocrisy. However, it is important not to force adolescents to discuss the event until they are ready, as they are likely to resent when adults appear push their own agenda. OTHER HELPFUL HINTS Talking to children and adolescents is not the only way to help them negotiate tragic events such as a school shooting. Here are a few additional tips: • Protect children from too much information. It is critical to carefully monitor adult conversations, limit media use in children’s presence, and seek support from other adults in private—exposure to disturbing images and conversations about the school shooting can stir up difficult feelings in children of all ages. • Keep children busy. Boredom can intensify negative thoughts and behaviors, but children are less likely to experience distress when they play and interact. • Ensure that adults receive the attention, support, and care they need. Parenting in the wake of a trauma can be difficult. Adults also need time and space to cope with their own reactions, as well as social support from family, friends, clergy, mental health professionals, and other adults. • Seek professional help. Seek professional help if a child’s difficulties do not improve. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network recommends seeking help if problems persist longer than six weeks. • Find age-appropriate ways for children to help. Even very young children benefit from being able to make a positive difference in others’ lives while learning important lessons about empathy, compassion, and gratitude. • Emphasize hope and positivity. Children need to feel safe, secure, and positive about their present and future. Seeing and hearing stories of people helping people in difficult times is both healing and reassuring. CHILDREN WITH DIRECT EXPOSURE TO A SCHOOL SHOOTING Children who directly experience school shootings are at the highest risk of developing posttraumatic stress and related nightmares, trouble eating and sleeping, academic difficulties, excessive crying, clinginess, irritability, withdrawal, aggression, or avoiding the issue altogether). Moreover, upheaval among families, the school, and the community after a shooting can make it especially challenging for adults to maintain the predictable routines and calm demeanor that help children feel safe. In these instances, comprehensive approaches grounded in research on risk and resilience after trauma, such as First Aid, can be implemented. This may enhance both parents’ and children’s sense of safety, orient and soothe survivors, provide assistance to address a family’s immediate needs, and connect survivors with social support and services. Resources to Help Children in the Wake of a School Shooting By Jessica Dym Bartlett ---PAGE BREAK--- Alpine County Threads I Spring 2018 [ 3 ] Contact us at [PHONE REDACTED] or www.first5alpine.com to receive yours today ---PAGE BREAK--- [ 4 ] Alpine County Threads I Spring 2018 Tips for Healthy Teeth Brush your teeth Brush your teeth at least two times a day: after breakfast and before bedtime. Another good time to brush is after eating snacks. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste. Brush the top and side surfaces of your teeth. Make sure to also brush at the gum line to get rid of all the plaque. Get a new tooth brush every three months. Get a new one sooner if the bristles lose their shape. A child’s toothbrush can wear out sooner and needs to be replaced more often. An old toothbrush will not clean your teeth right. CAHealthWellness.com © 2017 California Health & Wellness. All rights reserved. CHW_FLY005432XP00 1-[PHONE REDACTED] (TTY:711) It is easy to keep your teeth clean. Follow these simple tips to have a great smile and healthy teeth. See your dentist See your dentist at least twice a year to get your teeth checked and cleaned. Go to your dentist right away if you have any pain or notice a bad flavor in your mouth when you are not eating food. Healthy Lifestyle Cut down on food and drinks that are high in acid, such as sodas. High acid can erode the outer surface (the enamel) of your teeth. Do not smoke. It stains your teeth, causes bad breath and increases your risk of getting tooth disease and oral cancer. Floss Floss at least once a day to help remove plaque from between teeth and the gum line. Slide the floss up and down the sides of the tooth and under the gum line. Use a clean section of floss for each tooth. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Please always follow your health care provider’s instructions. Programs and services are subject to change. ---PAGE BREAK--- Alpine County Threads I Spring 2018 [ 5 ] A Big Community of Volunteer Monitors By Marina Vance, AWG Restoration & Monitoring Coordinator Alpine County Public Health is now on Facebook & Twitter Like us and follow us for up to date information and tips about healthy living and emergency preparedness in beautiful Alpine County! There are over 350 Volunteer Monitoring Groups across the USA conducting monitoring and associated activities according to the National Water Quality Monitoring Council. Alpine Watershed Group (AWG) is proud to be one of these many important volunteer monitoring groups as we head into our 14th year of the flagship water quality monitoring project - Ambient Monitoring. AWG kicked off the 2018 Ambient Monitoring project on a chilly morning on March 10th with 16 dedicated volunteers visiting their assigned sites. Each of our experienced volunteers donate their time for not only the monitoring events but also to attend the trainings in which they learn how to conduct all of the sampling and measurements consistently to assure credible data. This first monitoring event of 2018 brought in four new volunteer monitors who shadowed the experienced monitors. With busy schedules and active volunteers, it can sometimes prove difficult to have enough volunteers for each of the 8 sites four times per year. With this in mind, AWG wishes to invite all those who are curious about learning more to our in-house two-hour training on May 29th at 5:30pm. These yearly trainings ensure that each volunteer is performing to the standards required by AWG’s Quality Assurance Project Plan approved by the State of California. Volunteer monitors conduct water quality sampling for vital indicators of watershed health such as dissolved oxygen, water temperature, air temperature, total dissolved solids, and pH. They also take a water sample and bring it back to the AWG office to test for turbidity. Ambient monitoring dates occur four times a year: March, June, August, and September. Alpine County’s small community of volunteer monitors contributes to a larger community of citizen scientists and monitoring programs. AWG reports the data collected by monitors to the California Environmental Data Exchange Network (CEDEN), Water Quality Exchange (WQX), and the public via data summaries and reports. To find the latest reports, check out the AWG website: www.alpinewatershedgroup.org. To learn more about AWG’s volunteer monitoring program or to RSVP for the monitor training, May 29th, contact Marina at [EMAIL REDACTED]. Alpine Watershed Group encourages you to visit for a chat, questions, or just to share some tea at their office at 50 Diamond Valley Road Monday through Friday from 9 am to 4 pm. ---PAGE BREAK--- [ 6 ] Alpine County Threads I Spring 2018 Alpine County Health Wellness Coalition Our mission: Building strong community partnerships promoting healthy living through outreach, advocacy and education. Tuesday, April 17th Meet inside Firehouse; 9:00am every Tuesday; prizes! FREE! water bottle, tote bag, journal, log book, pedometer & cookbooks! CONTACT! Chelsea: [EMAIL REDACTED] [PHONE REDACTED] Shandra: [EMAIL REDACTED] [PHONE REDACTED] KICKOFF EVENT! COMMUNITY WALKING CLUB Washoe Native TANF Program & Community Service Solutions We want to launch a new and improved walking club program! A new member will receive a Washoe Native TANF Program bag, water bottle, writing journal, log book (weight log, food log, activity log, and any flyers or information you would like to add to it from the program), a pedometer to count steps, and cookbooks! On the days of inclement weather we will go inside to the Wellness Center. Once a month, weather permitting we will go on a trail walk! Summer Groups Tahoe Youth & Family Services will start their Summer Group at the end of June. Groups will be conducted once a week and open to all youth. Contact us for more information regarding the summer program! Jessica Kline: [EMAIL REDACTED] I (530) 694-9459 Betty Hathaway: [EMAIL REDACTED] I (530) 694-9459 ---PAGE BREAK--- Alpine County Threads I Spring 2018 [ 7 ] Your Best Shots at Staying Well! Richard O. Johnson, M.D., MPH I Public Health Officer Create a Circle of Protection Around Babies Are you pregnant or around someone who is, or has recently delivered? Vaccines are an important part of a healthy pregnancy to protect yourself and your baby against serious diseases. With pertussis (whooping cough) on the rise, protect your baby by getting a Tdap vaccine. Influenza is more likely to cause serious illness in pregnancy, so be sure to get your annual flu vaccine. Newborn babies do not have fully developed immune systems, making them particularly vulnerable to infections. In addition, they do not receive their first vaccinations against pertussis for 2 months, and flu for 6 months. They are most likely to catch whooping cough or flu from someone at home. When a baby’s family members and caregivers get vaccinated, they help to form a “cocoon” of disease protection around the baby. Parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, and other caregivers can all help to prevent the spread of disease by getting vaccinated against pertussis and flu. The Ultimate Childproofing Plan You have the opportunity to vaccinate your children in order to protect them from 14 potentially serious diseases before their second birthday. As the mother’s antibodies and the protection from breastfeeding wear off, the vaccine schedule is carefully designed to provide the best protection at just the right time. Delaying vaccines could leave your child vulnerable to disease when he/she is most likely to have serious complications. It is best to vaccinate before your child is exposed to dangerous diseases. In addition, not vaccinating your child on time can make someone else sick. Because of the concept of “herd immunity”, when most of the population is vaccinated, not only is your child protected, but also your family, friends, and community benefit too. You’re Kidding – My Teen Also Needs Shots? Yes, in addition to the childhood vaccines received at school entry, there are a few others that become important. Since protection provided by the whooping cough vaccine does not last as long as we would like it to, preteens and teens should get one shot of Tdap at 11 or 12 years of age, a school requirement. Everyone should also be getting an annual flu vaccine. 14 million people, including teens, become infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV) every year, which can cause various cancers and warts. All those who are 11-12 years old should get the series of shots. Meningococcal disease kills 10% of those who come down with the disease, either meningitis or bloodstream infections. There are 2 different vaccines available, and your pre-teen becomes a candidate starting at age 11-12, with possible boosters at age 16-18. Vaccines Are Only for Kids – Right? As we get older, our immune systems tend to weaken over time, putting us at higher risk for certain diseases. An annual flu shot is recommended for all. Over 60% of seasonal flu-related hospitalizations occur in people 65 years and older. Adults should receive a Tdap vaccine every 10 years, and sooner if around a pregnant woman or her infant. Almost 1 out of every 3 people in the US will develop shingles in their lifetime. The risk grows as we grow older. Shingles vaccines protect against shingles and the complications from the disease and are recommended for healthy adults 50 years and older. Pneumococcal vaccines, which protect against pneumococcal infections in the lungs and bloodstream, are recommended for all adults over 65 years of age, and for adults younger than 65 years who have certain chronic health conditions. So, no one is exempt! It is much easier and cheaper to prevent disease than it is to treat disease. Talk to your healthcare provider to find out which vaccines are recommended for you at your next medical appointment. Alpine County Health Department, 75-B Diamond Valley Rd., Markleeville, CA 96120 ---PAGE BREAK--- Healthy Eating, in a SNAP! Sesame Chicken with Peppers and Snow Peas Ginger and sesame add an Asian flare to this dish. Serves: 4 Alpine Threads is brought to you by Alpine County Tobacco Control, a Prop 99 funded program. 75 B Diamond Valley Rd. Markleeville, CA 96120 Phone: (530) 694-2146 Addressing the needs of the Alpine County Community ALPINE THREADS Standard Rate U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 3 Markleeville, CA 96120 POSTAL CUSTOMER [ 8 ] Alpine County Threads I Spring 2018 For more recipes, borrow SNAP-Ed cookbooks from the Library & the Woodfords Indian Education Center. Salsa Ingredients l Nonstick cooking spray l 1 tablespoon sesame seeds l 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips l 2 cups snow peas, trimmed l 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped l 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped l 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce l 2 tablespoons water l 1½ teaspoons packed brown sugar Preparation 1. Place sesame seeds in a large nonstick skillet; cook for 2 minutes over medium-high heat until browned. Remove from skillet and set aside. 2. Spray same skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Add chicken; cook and stir for about 10 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. 3. Add snow peas and bell peppers; stir fry for 3 to 4 minutes more until vegetables are crisp-tender. 4. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, water, brown sugar, and ginger; add to skillet. Cook for 5 minutes over medium-high heat. 5. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions. Serve ¾ cups of chicken mixture over ½ cup of brown rice. l ¼ teaspoon ground ginger l 2 green onions, sliced l 2 cups cooked brown rice Alpine Threads Editorial Board First 5 Alpine 100 Foothill Rd. PH: [PHONE REDACTED] www.first5alpine.com Alpine County Health and Human Services 75 B Diamond Valley Rd. PH: [PHONE REDACTED] FAX: [PHONE REDACTED] The Learning Center and Local Child Care Planning Council 100 Foothill Rd. PH: [PHONE REDACTED] Disclaimer: This wellness-focused publication is not intended to provide timely news and/or personal, political or discriminatory statements. Alpine ThreadsEditorial Board reviews all content. Website Links l www.alpinecountyca.gov/ calendar l www.first5alpine.com l www.alpinecounty.com l www.alpinewatershedgroup.org l www.alpinebiomasscommittee. wordpress.com ATTENTION LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS & AGENCIES If you’d like to share your website link send it to Gina at [EMAIL REDACTED] and we’ll add it to our column.