News
- Lead Local Training Helps Contractors Meet New Rules Posted:02-25-2010
- Sticker Shock program Posted:02-22-2010
- Greater Supply of Smoke-Free Rentals Available to Maine Tenants Posted:01-21-2010
- MAINE TOBACCO HELPLINE READIES FOR INCREASE IN CALL VOLUME Posted:01-14-2010
- Party Smarter: Plan - Prepare - Pace Posted:12-22-2009
- December 7th -11th Maine's Alcohol Awareness Week Find Out More Posted:11-27-2009
- Community Connections Posted:10-09-2009
- Past News Archive
Lead Local Training Helps Contractors Meet New Rules
February 25, 2010
All contractors who disturb lead paint will be subject to new rules beginning April 22, 2010. The rule addresses hazards created by renovation, repair and painting activities and is referred to as the Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule. The rule was issued in March 2008 by the Environmental Protection Agency, but comes into affect this spring.
Renovations, remodeling, painting, plumbing, electrical work, heating and air-conditioning, demolition and related jobs performed for compensation in 'target housing' and 'child occupied' facilities built before January 1, 1978 will be impacted when they exceed 6 square feet of paint per room or 20 square feet outside. The rule requires that all such work, including work on rental property and schools and day care providers, will be subject to the rule.
The rule requires contractors to have at least one RRP Certified Contractor at each job site. Landlords impacting paint over the threshold will be required to hire a certified contractor, or become certified themselves. Contractors must sign up for the 8 hour class to become certified or a 1/2 day class if they are already certified as 'Lead Smart Renovators'. The rule is intended to instill more rigor in ensuring that contractors and other disturbing lead paint employ lead safe practices and 'cleaning verifications' that work to ensure that lead is cleaned properly. Those subject to the rule must either test all paint they disturb before beginning a job, or assume that it is lead based.
In Maine, there are an estimated 150-200 lead poisoning cases each year, most of them under the age of 6. According to public health officials, lead poisonings are largely avoidable if lead safe practices are employed. It is estimated that there are nearly 16,000 people, contractors and landlords that may be affected by the new rules. Those seeking to find out about training opportunities can visit the Maine Department of Environmental Protection website.
Course enrollment is limited to 20 people. Trainings are planned for March 13 in Lincoln, March 27 in Bangor, and April 24 in Dover-Foxcroft. The course fee is $70, although a limited number of vouchers are being offered through the Maine Lead Poisoning Prevention Fund for landlords that reduce the course fee to $25. To register for the course or inquire about the voucher please contact Penquis and speak to Lynn at 973-3557.
Sticker Shock program
February 22, 2010
Dover-Foxcroft - The Piscataquis Public Health Council (PPHC), a local Healthy Maine Partnership has teamed up with students from Penquis Valley High School to increase awareness of underage access to alcohol in the community by promoting the Sticker Shock Program. Students from the Jobs for Maine's Graduates program, Bryant Lugo, Dakota Howe, and Drew Bragg took time away from winter carnival activities on Tuesday, February 9th to visit several stores to coincide with the annual Schoodic Lake Fishing Derby. They were accompanied by Community Partnership Specialist Shannon Bishop of the Piscataquis Public Health Council.
The Sticker Shock Campaign is designed to reach adults who might purchase alcohol legally and provide it to minors. Stickers warning about the penalties for furnishing alcohol to minors are placed on all multi-packs of bear, wine coolers, and other alcohol products that might appeal to underage drinkers. The impact of the stickers is increased by longer-lasting signs to be displayed by participating retailers. The campaign raises public awareness about underage drinking, and strengthening the deterrent effect of the law against providing alcohol to minors.
Special thanks to those retailers who participated in the program: C & J Variety of Milo, Milo Farmer's Union, The Junction General, Robinson's Fuel Mart of Brownville, and The General Store and More. Officers from Milo Police Department also distributed stickers at other stores in the Milo-Brownville area in preparation for the fishing derby.
In the past year, 144 people from 19 different businesses in our area participated in responsible beverage server training. The result is a workforce that is up-to-date and educated on laws relating to the serving and selling of alcohol, how to properly check IDs, and ways to avoid providing alcohol to visibly intoxicated people.
If you would like more information about how you can get involved in addressing tobacco and alcohol use by youth in your community, please contact Shannon Bishop, Community Partnership Specialist, Piscataquis Public Health Council at sbishop@mayohospital.com, 564-4184.
Greater Supply of Smoke-Free Rentals Available to Maine Tenants
January 21, 2010
Imagine having a child with asthma. You do your best to protect them: you monitor them closely, you visit the doctor regularly to keep the lung disease under control, you always have medication on hand in case of emergency and you avoid high ozone days. Now imagine not being able to protect your child in the place you spend the most time-your own home.
This isn't just a story for hundreds of Mainers-it's a nightmare.
Multi-unit residential buildings who permit smoking in their building allow all tenants to be exposed to secondhand smoke-a leading trigger of asthma attacks as well as known cause of many pediatric ailments such as ear infections, respiratory tract infections, and SIDS. The Asthma Regional Council of New England stated in a 2006 report that children exposed to secondhand smoke in the home are 44% more likely to suffer from asthma, and according to a report from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, there is no ventilation system or sealing which can be done to remove the toxins from secondhand smoke - the only way to eliminate secondhand smoke is to make the building 100% smoke-free.
Fortunately, the fate for many children and adults in this dangerous health situation is starting to change. Through a series of surveys of Maine landlords, the Smoke-Free Housing Coalition has found that 45% of private Maine landlords now offer smoke-free buildings-a 10% increase from 2008. Also reported is that almost 68% of landlords surveyed know that it is legal and justified to have a smoke-free policy in place.
The Smoke-Free Housing Coalition of Maine has conducted four surveys over a 30-month period to assess knowledge and status of smoke-free policy adoption in multi-unit housing in Maine. Over 5,000 private landlords were called and asked to respond to an automated 3-question survey. Funding for this assessment was provided by the Partnership For A Tobacco-Free Maine and have demonstrated a greater understanding by Maine landlords about creating smoke-free environments for their tenants.
Auburn Housing Authority is one of twenty housing authorities in Maine with a smoke-free policy. Maine is recognized nationally as containing the highest percentage of public housing authorities with smoke-free policies, as 90% now have a smoke-free policy, second only to Michigan in total number. "These positive trends will save money for both residents and for the Auburn Housing Authority in the long term," reports Richard Whiting, the housing authority's Executive Director, "as well as significantly improving our housing environments and the health of residents and staff."
Smoke-free policies not only help to protect the health and welfare of residents but save landlords and property managers hundreds, even thousands, or dollars in maintenance expenses and property causality insurance fees. In addition, surveys conducted in Maine show that 78% of tenants want to live in a smoke-free environment, making smoke-free policy adoption not only logical and safe, but highly marketable as well.
"By offering premises and grounds that are 100% smoke-free we have attracted excellent tenants who appreciate a clean and healthy environment," states Janet, a landlord in South Portland. "We have experienced greater marketability, lower turnover and even a discount on our insurance as a result of policy adoption."
"As more tenants demand healthy environments and more landlords understand that they are free to make their properties smoke-free, it's just a matter of time before the supply of smoke-free housing meets the demand", says Tina Pettingill, Coalition founder and Chair.
If you are interested in learning more about smoke-free policy adoption, please visit www.smokefreeforme.org.
Everyday in Maine, one non-smoker dies from exposure to secondhand smoke.
Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, 50 of which are carcinogens. The Surgeon General states that there is "no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke."
Secondhand smoke exposure is responsible for approximately 55,000 deaths among nonsmokers in the United States each year.
Smoke-free apartments are less expensive to maintain. When a tenant who smokes moves out, costly cleaning and repairs (totaling $500-$3700 more than an apartment where no smoking is allowed) are necessary to prepare the unit for the next tenant. Also, property-casualty insurance can be less expensive for non-smoking buildings.
The Smoke-Free Housing Coalition of Maine is a non-profit group of over 50 public health advocates, tenants, landlords, property managers, environmental health professionals and others, who have been working to protect residents living in multi-unit housing from involuntarily exposure to secondhand smoke since 2003. The Coalition is sustained by a grant from the Partnership For A Tobacco-Free Maine, funded by Fund for a Healthy Maine.
The Smoke-Free Housing Coalition's website: www.smokefreeforme.org contains information for both tenants and landlords. The website also includes a Smoke-Free Housing registry, created so that prospective tenants could have a convenient database to search for smoke-free housing options, and as a way for landlords to advertise their units without cost. The free, online registry currently holds nearly 3,700 smoke-free units from throughout Maine.
To learn more about the Smoke-Free Housing Coalition of Maine, please visit www.smokefreeforme.org or call (207) 874-8774.
MAINE TOBACCO HELPLINE READIES FOR INCREASE IN CALL VOLUME
January 14, 2010
Dover-Foxcroft, ME--Maine health officials are expecting a surge in people trying to quit smoking over the next month. The Maine Tobacco HelpLine has one of the highest call volumes in the nation - about 8,000 callers per year -- and New Year's Day begins the busiest time of the year. The HelpLine's telephone treatment specialists expect to speak with 50% to 100% more callers in January than in an average month.
Quitting smoking is always one of the top resolutions that Mainers make over the New Year. However, anyone who has tried to quit smoking knows it is a tough battle and it does not always happen on the first try. For every smoker who successfully quits each year, thousands more make attempts but do not succeed.
"Many smokers reflect on their failed quit attempts and feel discouraged," said David Spaulding, Program Manager of the Maine Tobacco HelpLine. But their experience is not uncommon. "It takes most people a number of attempts before they quit for good. In fact, it takes the typical smoker closer to eight attempts."
The odds are more stacked against people if they do not seek help and support. Fortunately, the Maine Tobacco HelpLine has been proven to work for thousands of people across the state. Whether someone has been using tobacco for decades or just a few years, the chances for success go up dramatically with assistance from the HelpLine, and the Maine Tobacco HelpLine has been recognized as a "Top Performer" by the North American Quitline Consortium.
Personal coaching through the HelpLine has been proven to be three times more effective than an attempt to quit without support. In addition to coaching, the HelpLine provides a variety of services to help people quit, including nicotine replacement medication for qualifying individuals. On average, 30-40% of the people that take advantage of the HelpLine's full program of counseling and medications will be successful.
"Most tobacco users in Maine would like to quit, but tobacco is a very powerful addiction," said Dr. Dora Anne Mills, Director of the Maine CDC, "If someone has tried to quit before without success, we're encouraging them to try again in 2010, and we want people to know that they don't have to do this alone."
Shannon Bishop, Community Partnership Specialist at the Piscataquis Public Health Council adds, "I had the opportunity to meet two people at the State House yesterday who shared stories with me about their efforts to quit. The Helpline provides people trying to quit with some strategies to make it "stick."
The majority of HelpLine callers, about 90 percent, are tobacco users. However, advice and coaching are also available for people who want to help a friend or family member quit. Services are free and confidential.
The Maine Tobacco HelpLine is administered by the Partnership For A Tobacco-Free Maine, Maine CDC, Department of Health and Human Services.
The HelpLine's toll-free number is 1-800-207-1230.
Party Smarter: Plan - Prepare - Pace
December 22, 2009
Are you getting the most out of your nights out? Sometimes drinking too much can get in the way of having fun. Everybody knows not to drink and drive - but there is more you might want to know to help you Party Smarter. Don't miss the night and the fun - take some simple steps to "party smarter" whether you're out at bars, clubs, restaurants, or at a friends' home or in your home.
Plan - Where are you going? Who are you going with? How are you getting home?
Prepare - Eat, drink water, and make sure you take just enough money to have a good time. Leave the credit cards at home!
Pace - Limit how much you drink in a night.
Why Should You Care?
Well, in addition to having to suffer through a hangover, having no money, cleaning up vomit, repairing friendships or much worse - sometimes the amount you drink can be a signal that you may have a problem with alcohol.
Does Size Matter?
When it comes to alcoholic drinks, the size and amount of alcohol varies widely. And if you've decided that you are only going to drink a certain number of drinks in an evening, you should know what "one drink" means. One beer can is generally 5% alcohol - so one "drink" would be one 12 ounce beer. One shot of liquor - 1.5 oz - is equal to one drink. One mixed drink, assuming it has just one shot of liquor, is also 1.5 oz of alcohol and is equal to one drink.
Where can I find more information?
www.piscataquispublichealthcouncil.org/pdf/PartySmarterNewsRelease.pdf
December 7th -11th Maine's Alcohol Awareness Week Find Out More
November 27, 2009
December 7th - 12th marks Maine's Alcohol Awareness Week, a statewide campaign to inform the public about the dangers of underage drinking and provide parents and guardians with strategies for prevention. Piscataquis Public Health Council's Community Partnership Specialist, Shannon Bishop, asks you to have a conversation with your teen on underage drinking, and to consider clipping out and posting these tips, based on research from the Maine Office of Substance Abuse on what works:
www.piscataquispublichealthcouncil.org/pdf/2009_AAW_pr.pdf
For more information and tips for prevention, visit www.maineparents.net or contact Shannon Bishop at the Piscataquis Public Health Council located on the Mayo Regional Hospital campus in Dover-Foxcroft at 564-4184.
Community Connections
October 09, 2009
The Penquis Valley Civil Rights Team is happy to announce Community Connections,a FREE six-week program based on the
CDC's program "Got A Minute, Give It to Your Kid" to increase communication skills between teens/ preteens and parents.
FREE Dinner and childcare will be provided on site. Participants will meet at Milo Town Hall every Thursday beginning October 15th from 6-7pm.
Please pre-register by contacting Heather Webb at 943-7346 or by e-mail at hwebb@sad41.org. This program is funded by the Piscataquis Public Health council, a local Healthy Maine Partnership.
