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Show The Daily Herald It's difficult promoting good health The task of responding to the specific public health needs of a community, and providing quality services is a challenging one. Many of the services provided by the local health department are required by law. These are traditional public health services of communicable disease control including food, drinking water and sewage sanitation. Other traditional services have been improving Dr. Joseph K. Miner Public Healthline the care of infants, children and pregnant women. ' The need for these programs has been demonstrated over the years and as a result, in order to protect and promote the health of county residents, state and federal laws dictate how these services are rendered. But what about those health issues in our community which are not addressed by past public health practices. These include unhealthful behaviors which are major contributors to our most common health problems: heart dis- disease, cancer, strokes, lung ease, accidents, suicides, homicides and other violence. In order to best use the limited resources available to us, an extensive planning process is used to determine which topics are most critical and need the most attention. Part of the planning is learning as much as we can about the community where we live and work, our strengths identifying and resources, and evaluating the ability the community has to respond to those needs. For more than a year, the health department has been involved in a planning program designed to better meet county needs, while maintaining the services that are required. While the health department can't provide programs that fill all needs, there are some areas that do fall under the umbrella of public health. Our own assessments have given us a wealth of information about the priorities of county residents and the kinds of services that need to be established. From surveys mailed to education, judicial, political, religious health and other community leaders we learned what they thought Utah County's health risks and concerns were. In addition, hundreds of residents were questioned regarding their feelings of health risks and concerns. In planning meetings with community representatives, those public health issues were narrowed to four areas of focus. These focus areas of lifestyles, teen parenthood, substance abuse and violence will be the new (and in some cases continuing) directions of the health department. y Health Department is not the only health care or community group involved in this type of activity. "Healthy Utah Valley," another large coalition of businesses, local governments, schools, United Way and other priit vate agencies, hospitals, physicians, insurance companies and other health care City-Count- non-prof- providers including our health department also determined the highest priority needs for improving the health of Utah Valley. also chose This group lifestyles, teen parenthood, substance abuse and violence among their top priorities. This should not be all that surprising that the two different groups would validate each other's results. "Healthy Utah Valley" will elevate the level of health and services and be an advocacy group to help fill in the gaps not covered by our health department. Determining these interest areas has been one of the most important responsibilities of public health. So much more is known now about how health behaviors affect peoples' health twenty to forty years in the future. The big challenge facing us in public health is getting people to translate this improved knowledge into positively ciuinged behaviors. Tlu's is commonly referred to now as the Second Public Health Revolution. Dr. Miner is executive director the Health Departof ment of Utah County. , City-Count- y Qctober 27 1995 Frjdgy Batmans, Barbies and cows popular for Halloween By SHEILA NORMAN-CUL- P Associated Press Writer NEW YORK The treat is venturing into the night disguised as the Caped Crusader, the beautiful princess, the comic cow. The trick is finding the right costume to do it. When the frost is on the pumpkin, the pressure is on at Rubie's Costume Co. the largest manufacturer of Halloween costumes in the United States. Rubie's sells magic and fantasy t, to Toys R Us, Party City mi.; Wal-Mar- and about 8,000 other stores, including local pharmacies. It ships embroidered satin "Princess Bride" costumes to F.A.O. Schwarz where they retail for about $65 and sends simple $7.99 witch suits to Pathrnark. It makes costumes for infants, Samurai warrior outfits for men weighing 280 pounds. Each of its 230 rubber masks drips more blood and gore than the next. Wigs start with Elvis, go on to Cleopatra, and end with Lady Godiva, blond strands down to the floor. An adult could enter their showroom and not come out for days. A second-grade- r could go in and never come out. Rubie's is serious about Halloween. The word this year? Two words, Batman and Barbie. actually To date, Rubie's has sold 300,000 costumes related to the movie "Batman Forever," including 27 different renditions of Batman, Robin, The Riddler, Harvey Two-Fac- e and Catwoman. And that's just for children. Adults have nearly a dozen versions of their own. "The kids love Jim Carrey," John Daidone, above, displays his mask design, "The Gladiator," at Rubie's Costume Co. in New York's borough of Queens. Rubie's is the largest manufacturer of Halloween costumes in America. At right, women assemble costumes at Rubie's. John Kearns, head of Rubie's design department, said of the rubber- comedian who played The Riddler. Other costumes never get old. This year Barbie's 36th has sold Rubie's anniversary 200,000 of her outfits in 16 different styles, from "Rappin' and Rockin' Barbie" to the traditional "Wedding Fantasy Barbie." "Kids want to be pretty," said company spokeswoman Terry Goldkrantz. "Some things do not -faced change." But even Rubie's can be surprised by a hit. This year's unsung winner: cow costumes with udders. The company made more than 100,000 for kids, 60,000 for adults. "Don't ask me why on that one," laughed Kearns. His team has already finished dozens of costumes for 1996, but don't try to sneak a peak they're under wraps until next year's Toy Show, when they'll be unmasked to the industry. "Every year we have mothers coming in they want the costume we are making for next year and they don't care what it costs." Goldkrantz said. "They go home without it." Halloween generated more than S30 million in sales for the company in 1994. and demand in the last five years has been so strong it has opened new factories in Westbury, N.Y.. Greer, S.C. and Greenville, S.C. With just a few weeks to go, Rubie's cutters, seamstresses and packers were in full swing at its headquarters, which is tucked under an elevated subway in the city's borough of Queens. It was time. "When it gets close to Hallow een, and stores need a costume, this is the only place they are going to get it." Goldkrantz said. In one row. mounds of oransie By DENISE COWIE Newspapers Painted bright red and decorat- ed with cheerful storybook characters, the crib on sale at a secondhand shop in South Jersey w as cute cribs are quite safe, of course. But many aren't. The trick for parents is know ing the difference. McGerty-Siebe- r didn't buy any- for her first thing second-han- d Gabi idle, but baby. she understands that money worries make resale items a necessity enough to catch the eye of any new parent. But Maryanne McGerty-Siebe- r isn't just any new parent. She's a More infant public affairs specialist with the with any U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in Philadelphia. To her, the crib was a nightfor many people. mare. Its innocent-lookin- g appear"But if new parents can afford ance offered a catalog of potential to buy only one new thing." she tragedies: adds, "the commission suggests It had been d and they buy a new crib." decorated by a previous owner, More infant deaths are associatraising the possibility of lead coned with cribs than with any other tent in the paint. In a couple of nursery item. CPSC chairwoman areas, the paint had already started Ann Brow n has said. to chip. Each year, about 50 infants die The slats were more than 2 38 from crib injuries, mostly stranguinches apart, which meant a baby's lation or suffocation. Thousands but not the head could "more are body injured. slip through, and possibly strangle The good news is that the death" him or her. rate is only about a quarter of w hat There were decorative it was before the development of curlecue cutouts on the headboard safetv standards in the early '70s. and the footboard, offering lots of The had news is that babies continopportunity for a baby to get its ue to die needlessly because of head stuck. unsafe cribs bought at (lea marThe corner posts had knobs kets, garage sales, second-han- d several inches long and tapered on church bazaars or even the ends, making them likely to shops, handed dow n within families. hand-painte- and possibly strangle the baby. The hardware looked unreliable. Even the decorative knobs easily screwed off, exposing thin screws a couple of inches long that turned loose knobs into formidable stabbing weapons. It was a perfect example of one of the safety traps awaiting unsusunsafe cribs pecting parents Many resale acquired second-han- '1 AP Photos and yellow tulle were being sewn together into a deluxe "Pumpkin Princess" costume. In the next, a "Even seems like an overwhelming task for new parents, and the crib is just one of the things they have to worry about. But cribs are the only children's product manufactured expressly for leaving a child unattended, points out Jack Walsh, executive director of the Dannv deaths are associated with cribs other nursery item. than snag clothing t light-gra- y quilted material w as being transformed into a "Robo- cop" chest protector. Down the hall, boxes upon boxes we re being filled with costumes lor ; tnels. harem girls, pirates, witches and ninjas. cribs may have safety problems Second-han- d Knight-Ridd- er a crib that was new for the first child should be before using it for a second child." Brown says. Only cribs made after 1991 are likely to meet all current safety standards. And many parents won't even buy one of these unless it bears the certification stamp of the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association. Babvproofing y Foundation, a national in California. based organization That means parents must take "extraordinary measures" hi make sure a crib is safe, especially since three out of four newborns are placed in used cribs, according to a study comparing registered births to new crib sales. There is no effective way to regulate all those second-han- d sales. crib-safet- "There are certain standards ih.it are suifosed to je met in the resale of eM: sass Aih'lf" Mayer, manager of the National Association of Resale and Thrift Shops, adding that her oigania-tiopublishes a newsletter that keeps members updated on CPSC recalls and safely issues. However, since many resale and most garage-sal- e stores operreceive no safety updates, ators experts suggest checking up on second-hand cribs before buying. "We won't tell (callers) it's safe or not. but we will tell them whether it meets current standards." says Walsh of the Danny Foundation, which runs a safe-cri- b hotline and offers a pamphlet telling parents what to look for. The cause of most deaths, he adds, "is when a gap is created between the mattress and the side of the crib, and the baby suffocates or strangles." All it takes is for one screw to pull loose, allowing the crib to w iden and creating a gap. A parent should be able to fit no more than two fingers between mattress and crib. The foundation came into being because of a crib tragedy. In 1984. the shirt on Danny Lineweaver became entangled on the corner post extension of his crib, and he suffered permanent brain damage. Two years later, his father. John Lineweaver. began the foundation. Dannv died in 1993. e The CPSC also has a number caregivers can find out if a certain make or model of crib meets standards or has been recalled. toll-liv- I Setting up a sale nursery and babyproofing the house can be a g task for new Even second-timer- s may leel the need for a refresher course. There's no shortage of advice out there. It's in doctors' offices and at birth classes. You can gel it at health fairs and through the mail FiHire magazines and catalogs are devoted to infant and child safety nerve-wrackin- pai-ent- But you don't have to buy every gizmo ever invented to feel reasonably secure. Many organizations and nonprofits have practical information for the asking child-safet- y A good place to start for new parents may be "The Safe free CPSC Buyers' Guide tfiwhas succinct information on the potential hazards of nurseiv equipment from cribs and chang ing tables to walkers and baby cai riages Nuis-enttff- by Cathy Guisewi'e cathy WU JUST TOlD 6U5 HE COULDN'T HAVE A COOKIE f HOU) AND CflUlD VOU BREAK, DOWN) &IUE . HW COOKIES ?? the TAKE A BATH AM HOUR A&O SHE HASN'T EVEN GOT- TEN HER SOCKS OFF VET AND ' 1n V tm- - litfTll THEV ClEANED UP... AW THEYKE PORTAMT iPLOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MESS WATCH INCt VIDEOS! IS, WE'RE BEIN& NO VIDEOS THIN& CONSIS TENT. the house often .Hihiwi 1 SHOULD WE'Wf-N- - TtON BEDTimE, OR SHOULD WE S01E MINTAIN Ol&NiTV AND 3UST LIT THEM STAW UP ? ft |