blood drive November 25th, 2012, in the St. Francis PAC.

Blood Drive

St.Francis

is sponsoring an American Red Cross Blood Drive

November 25^th. 2012, From 8:00-2:00 pm in the

St. Francis PAC

Sign up at www.givelife.org and enter sponsor code stfranciscc to schedule an appointment  or   call 734-769-2550

When you donate blood through the American Red Cross in the next few weeks, you can help save the lives of up to three people. See Madeline's story.  Your donation, too, can help offset the slump in blood collections that typically occurs around this time of year.

Blood donations can taper off during the fall and winter when people are busy with planning festivities, community and family activities, parties or travel. Regardless of the season, more than 39,000 pints of blood are needed every day across the nation to help patients beat serious diseases or survive accidents or trauma.

The time to give is now. Please take the time to give someone the greatest gift: the gift of life.

 St. Francis is sponsoring an American Red Cross blood drive scheduled on November 25^th, 2012, from 8:00 to 2:00 pm, in the St. Francis PAC.  Please make and keep your appointment to donate blood, and encourage others to give at the drive, too. You can sign up at www.givelife.org and enter sponsor code stfranciscc to schedule an appointment.

Thank you for all you do, from your St. Francis Healthcare Ministry and The American Red Cross.

High Blood Pressure!! - FREE blood pressure screenings

The St. Francis  Health  Ministry is offering FREE  blood pressure screenings after masses November 11, 2012.   Know your numbers and change your life! You can prevent heart disease, stroke, kidney disease  and numerous other medical conditions by controlling your blood pressure.  

 

Smart Goals for Hypertension

Talk to your health care provider about the lifestyle changes that are appropriate for you

1. Follow the DASH Diet "Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension"

The DASH diet has been proved to reduce blood pressure, which can help you live a longer and healthier life. Follow these tips from the DASH diet to lower your blood pressure:

· Eat fewer processed foods (such as snack items, lunch meats, canned soup)

· Eat foods high in calcium, potassium, and magnesium (such as fruits, vegetables, and dairy)

· Eat foods with less sodium (salt)

· Eat 8-10 servings of fruits and vegetables and 3 servings of low-fat dairy products each day.

· Eat foods low in fat

 2. Get Moving!

Do 30-45 minutes of exercise each day. Walk, bike, swim, or

Other exercise for thirty minutes each day. You can do it!

3. Reduce salt

· Do not add salt to food at the table

· Reduce or get rid of salt used in cooking

· Limit processed and fast food

· Read package labels for amount of salt (sodium) in food

 

 

Health Ministry article - The Flu

Health Ministry News of the month

The Flu

The St. Francis Health Ministry would like to thank The Michigan Visiting Nurses for vaccinating over 100 people at our flu clinic on October 2, 2012!! Thank you so much for participating and getting your flu vaccine! There is still time to receive your flu vaccine and multiple locations are offering it on a walk in basis. Please see the list below: The best time to receive your flu vaccine is from now through first week in December, when the peak flu season hits.

·                                 Oct. 14, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Ann Arbor YMCA, 400 W. Washington, Ann Arbor

·                                 Oct. 15, 9 a.m.-noon, Fowlerville Senior Center, 203 North Collins, Fowlerville

·                                 Oct. 17, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Wiard's Orchards and Country Fair, 5565 Merritt Road, Ypsilanti

·                                 Oct. 18, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Wiard's Orchards and Country Fair, 5565 Merritt Road, Ypsilanti

·                                 Oct. 19, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and 2-5 p.m., Dexter Senior Center, 7720 Ann Arbor St., Dexter

·                                 Oct. 20, 12:30-2:30 p.m., Jewish Community Center, 2935 Birch Hollow Dr., Ann Arbor

·                                 Oct. 20, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Medicine Shoppe - Adrian, 905 N. Main St., Adrian

·                                 Oct. 20, 9 a.m.-noon, Unadilla Senior Center, 126 Webb, Gregory

·                                 Oct. 21, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Medicine Shoppe - New Boston, 19162 Huron River Drive, New Boston

·                                 Oct. 23, 9 a.m.-noon, Northfield Township Senior Center, 9101 Main St., Whitmore Lake

·                                 Oct. 27, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Medicine Shoppe - Adrian, 905 N. Main St., Adrian

·                                 Oct. 27, 9 a.m.-noon, Ypsilanti Township Senior Center, 2025 E. Clark Road, Ypsilanti

·                                 Oct. 30, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Zion Lutheran Church, 1501 W. Liberty, Ann Arbor

·                                 Oct. 31, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., MVN, 2850 S. Industrial Dr., Suite 75, Ann Arbor

·                                 Nov. 8, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Zion Lutheran Church, 1501 W. Liberty, Ann Arbor

·                                 Nov. 14, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., MVN, 2850 S. Industrial Dr., Suite 75, Ann Arbor

·                                 Nov. 28, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., MVN, 2850 S. Industrial Dr., Suite 75, Ann Arbor

The Flu Vaccine

                     

Your options

·                             Get a flu vaccine

·                             Don't get a flu vaccine.

Key points to remember

·                             Most people get better from the flu without problems, but the flu can be deadly. It can lead to serious health problems such as pneumonia, or it can make an existing disease worse. Every year, thousands of people end up in the hospital with other health problems from the flu.

·                             A flu vaccine may not always keep you from getting the seasonal or H1N1 flu, but it can make the symptoms milder and lower the risk of other health problems from the flu.

·                             A few people should not get a flu vaccine without talking to their doctor first. These include people who are allergic to eggs, those who have had a serious reaction to the vaccine in the past, and some people who are ill. The flu shot is not recommended for children younger than 6 months. The nasal spray vaccine is not recommended for people younger than 2 or older than 49.

·                             The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone age 6 months or older should get a flu vaccine. But it's most important to get one if you're at high risk for other health problems from the flu. Those at high risk include young children, pregnant women, older adults, and people with chronic diseases or weak immune systems.

·                             If you care for someone who is at high risk, it's a good idea to get a flu vaccine. This can lower the chance that you could spread the flu to the person you care for.

·                             Flu viruses change quickly, so you need to get a flu vaccine every year.

·                             You can't get the flu from a flu vaccine.

Health Ministry Upcoming Events & Canticle Article

Upcoming Events:

October 02, 2012/ Flu Clinic/2-6pm/PAC/Danaica Watson 734-821-2115

November 11,2012/ Blood Pressure Screening/ Church gathering space after masses/ Danaica Watson 734-821-2115

November 25, 2012/ Blood Drive/8-2pm/PAC/Danaica Watson 734-821-2115
December3-7,2012/ Hand Washing/ times TBD/ School PreK-4th grade/ Danaica Watson 734-821-2115

December 10,2012/ Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids/times TBD/ School 5th-8th grade/Danaica Watson 734-821-2115 

I need to confirm dates of blood drive and blood pressure screening ...

 The Health Ministry is busy keeping St. Francis Healthy and Well!

St. Francis Health Ministry taught the 4^th grade class about the lungs as they learned the human body organs and systems. The dangers of smoking and the effects of how smoking harms the body and its' organs was shown in a demonstration using pig lungs! The children really enjoyed this demonstration.

The Health Ministry also taught the Girl Scouts about first aid and would like to thank Huron Valley Ambulance for providing basic CPR skill training and providing first aid kits for the troop. The Health Ministry is committed to providing education to our children and community on prevention of disease and living a healthy lifestyle. We have provided blood pressure screenings that have resulted in detection of high blood pressure and have educated our children on the importance of hand washing to prevent germ transmission.

Our Annual Health Fair in May was a great success! Over 40 vendors volunteered to provide health screenings including blood sugar checks, glaucoma screening, education on ovarian cancer prevention and early detection, Crohns Disease, colitis, Gift of Life, and U of M Allergy were just a few of the topics covered. If you would like to become a member of The St. Francis Health Ministry please email our Parish Nurse at nurse@stfrancisa2.org

We thank our volunteers and wish you all health and wellness in mind, body and spirit. May God bless you on your journey toward health. To learn more about The St. Francis Health Ministry please visit our blog at stfrancishealth.blogspot.com 

Health Ministry News

The St. Francis Health Ministry Events of 2012-2013!

The St. Francis Health Ministry is focused on our community being healthy and well! We have had a number of events this year including our most recent, The St. Francis Annual Health Fair. Over 40 vendors volunteered their time to provide health education and health promotion offering free screenings. Blood pressure, glucose testing, free glaucoma screenings, oral health checks, and a number of other health related topics were covered. The Health Ministry is so thankful to all of the volunteers and community sponsors who continue to make this event a success.

Our Health Ministry is also focused on giving back to those in need and one way we have done that is partnering with The American Red Cross. We have had blood drives throughout the year and will continue to do so. The greatest gift you can give is the gift of life. The American Red Cross is in very short supply of blood, currently only enough for emergent situations and about a 12 day supply. If you have donated before thank you! If you haven't, please consider giving the gift of life. Our next blood drive will be September 2012, date to be determined. We have collected over 150 pints of life saving blood this year, but considering there are over 3000 members in our parish I know we can do better. Being a Catholic is about giving back and doing something for someone else without asking anything in return. Giving blood can be one way to give something to someone else in need.

Education of our children is also a focus of The St. Francis Health Ministry. Hand washing education for pre-K-4^th grade took place in December and the children learned how important it is to wash your hands to stay healthy and well.

Future events include a flu clinic on October 2, 2012 in the PAC from 2-6pm; questions can be directed to nurse@stfrancisa2.org

Please visit our St. Francis Health Ministry blog at http://stfrancishealth.blogspot.com for a detailed listing of future events and pictures of our events throughout the year!