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Childhood obesity awareness month is not only a time to recognize the health issues linked to obesity in children, but to celebrate our community’s progress in keeping our kids healthy. Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD) provides oversight to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – Education (we like to call it SNAP-Ed for short) activities for a ten-county region in eastern Washington. Through the hard work of our partnering agencies, SNAP-Ed works to educate and make changes that help kids choose healthy foods and activities. What does that look like in our region? Since school just started, let’s look at some examples in our schools!

The timeline for the COVID-19 vaccine can be unclear to many, but if you want to look at the big picture, research began all the way back to the 1930s with the discovery of the first coronavirus infection in chickens. Decades later in 1965 Dr. June Almeida was able to identify a coronavirus under a microscope.

Over the last year and a half, most of our health education has centered around COVID-19. While the pandemic has certainly affected all of our lives, we want to bring attention to another disease that is quickly spreading around our community—syphilis. Syphilis is a bacterial infection that anyone can contract, so it's important to know what it is and the steps you can take to treat it.

blue-green algae, cyanobacteria

We appreciate all of you who are wearing masks out there. Whether you’re wearing your mask for health, to cover up the spinach in your teeth from lunch, or so you don’t have to wax your lip, we are glad you’re doing it. You are helping to protect the person who just finished their chemo treatments, the medically fragile kid who finally gets to play at the new playground, and everybody else around you. We also know many people still have a lot of questions about masks, so we wanted to answer some questions we’ve been getting lately.

In recognition of suicide prevention week, we want to acknowledge the struggle many are facing. Mental health can be a hard topic to talk about and a person’s emotional pain can often go unnoticed. This is why it’s always good to check in with friends and loved ones even if they don’t appear to be in crisis.

Time to talk bats. Don’t worry! We’re not jumping to Halloween already; we’ll leave that to the retail industry. We want to discuss the bats that have been out all summer scaring some and amazing others.

Bats are beneficial to people and the environment by feeding on night-flying insects (including mosquitos) and pollinating plants and trees. Unfortunately, bats can carry rabies, so it is best to avoid contact with them and if contact does happen, know what to do. When it comes to bats, here are some safety tips.

Today is International Overdose Awareness Day; a somber reminder of the health issue our community still faces. We know there are people in our community who have experienced or witnessed someone battle addiction or suffer an overdose. As we remember those we’ve lost today, it’s also an important time to continue our education on substance abuse and what to look for if we suspect someone has overdosed. The more we know, the more we can help others in our community stay safe.

We all know how fun it can be to relax by the pool, try a new trick off the diving board, or make a splash going down the water slide. So when it comes to enjoying the last bit of summer with our friends and family, most of us are more than willing to soak it up at one of our favorite local pools. But did you know our water recreation team here at SRHD actually plays a role in making those fun summer memories happen?