Travis County Commissioners Court
Tuesday, April 5, 2011 (Agenda)
Item 4
Number 4, approve resolution recognizing April 4 through 10, 2011 as public health week in Travis County.
and are all the others here with you?
>> yes, they are.
>> they may as well come on up.
share this day in the light.
this one is shorter.
should I read it?
>> yes, please.
>> whereas since 1995 the american public health association as educated the public, policy makers and public health professionals about issues important to improving the public's health.
whereas each year nearly 150,000 people die from injuries and almost 30 million people are injured seriously enough to warrant an emergency room visit for unintensional injuries like bicycle and motor vehicle crash oh, poisonings and burns which rank among the top ten cause of death for people ages one to 44.
and account for 12% of annual medical spending totally $69 billion per year.
whereas this year's theme, safety is no accident, live injury free -- excuse me -- emphasizes the need for active initiatives such as wearing seat belts, bicycle and motor helmets, and utilizing properly installed child safety seats which can aid in preventing many injuries and associated costs.
and whereas Travis County in partnership with the city of Austin has historically prioritized its commitment to public health through the coordinated efforts of the Austin-Travis County health and human services department in educating, promoting and protecting the health of our residents by engaging in preventive steps to increase safety measures and decrease the likelihood of injury in addition to the activities of diverse programs operated by the county and health and human services, the office of emergency management, transportation and natural resources, and justice in public safety.
now therefore be it resolved we the Travis County Commissioners court do hereby proclaim the week of April 4 through 10, 2011, as public health week in Travis County, and call on residents to assist families, friends, neighbors, co-workers and leaders to better understand the importance of public health to a successful health system.
that's why I move approval.
>> second.
>> comments?
>> good morning, judge, Commissioners, sherri fleming, county executive for health and human services and veterans service.
we thank you so much for this this morning.
this is an opportunity for us to highlight a great partnership that we have with the city of Austin as well as many important departments within the county, and so I won't spend all of the time talking this morning, but I will introduce you to the interim director of the Austin-Travis County health and human services department who will have a few words and that's shannon jones.
>> mr. Jones.
>> thank you very much for the opportunity to be here and thank you so very much for the proclamation.
joining me here today are part of the public health infrastructure we have with the city of Austin, Travis County, to talk about and to acknowledge the great work that we do in public health.
what we like to say in public health prevention is our intention.
we try to prevent the costs of health care from being escalated and prevent injuries and prevent all of the negative things both in the health and human services component to make a difference.
we use this opportunity to highlight for you and for the citizens of Travis County what we do.
and we have present in your lobby today a lot of the activities so you will see the foot on the ground in terms of the community.
what we do, where we do it, how we do it, so that you can understand when we talk about prevention, the underlying things we do to prevent the cost to the taxpayers of Travis County, a lot of the health care drivers in our economy.
we would like to thank you for the opportunity of acknowledging us, for allowing us to raise this elevation of public health and look forward to continuing the working relationship we have with you in this endeavor of improve public health in our community.
thanks again so very much.
>> thank you.
>> thank you.
any other comments?
anybody else bold enough to give comments?
yes.
>> I'd like to give comment.
I'm lee anne courtney, a forensic investigator at the medical examiner's office.
one issue that is not really talked about a lot is the issue of safe sleep and infant suffocation deaths.
and here in Travis County, we have seen an increase in the rate of infant suffocation deaths.
every infant death that we -- accidental infant death we have seen within the last three years have all been related to unsafe sleep environments.
so education really, really needs to get out to the public, to the caregivers.
and the simplest recommendations that we have are the abcs of safe sleep where the baby sleeps alone, on its back, in a safety approved crib or bassinet with the dangers eliminated.
and by the dangers, we mean all the fluffy toys, the fluffy pillows, the comforters, bumper pads, all that needs to be removed from the crib.
the baby should not sleep on an adult bed, should not sleep with anyone, they should sleep alone in the approved crib next to the parents' in a separate environment.
>> thank you.
>> thank you very much.
>> thank you.
>> thanks for waking up, ms. Courtney.
I know it's quiet at the forensic center most of the time.
anybody else?
these are all public health professionals, right?
>> yes.
>> we appreciate all that y'all do.
keep up the good work.
>> thank you.
>> thank you so much.
>> all in favor?
that passes by unanimous vote.
>> thank you.
we want to keep inviting you back to the county, mr. Jones.
follow the rules over here.
>> thank you so much, mr. Jones.
>> take care.
good to see you.
>> thank you for coming.
The Closed Caption log for this Commissioners Court agenda item is provided by Travis County Internet Services. Since this file is derived from the Closed Captions created during live cablecasts, there are occasional spelling and grammatical errors. This Closed Caption log is not an official record the Commissioners Court Meeting and cannot be relied on for official purposes. For official records please contact the County Clerk at (512) 854-4722.
