HR Topics 12-18-11 -- Flu Shots/Pertussis

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Dr. Nancy Welch, the Director of the Chesapeake Health District, discusses flu shots on this edition of Hampton Roads Topics. Dr. Welch says October through December is the best time get a flu shot to provide protection against the height of the influenza season, which is generally January through March. Flu shots are recommended for children, the elderly, and people with chronic illness or compromised immune systems.

We also discuss a new initiative to combat whooping cough, also known as pertussis. The news wire is full of stories detailing how pertussis cases have been soaring in recent years while vaccination rates have gradually been trending down.  The pertussis vaccine is usually given with the so-called T-DAP shot, which also protects against tetanus and diphtheria.  Public school students in Virginia are required to get the T-DAP before entering 6th grade.

For information in getting a flu shot, contact your family doctor or your local health district.  Also visit the Virginia Department of Health's website for more vaccination info.

Combating Drinking and Driving

Because the holidays are such a problematic time for drinking and driving, I'm posting an interview I did in 2010 with Mike Goodove, the President of the Hampton Roads chapter of MADD.  

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New Podcast Added

Sunday's interview with Green Run High School Principal Dr. George Parker has been added to the podcast.  We discuss the upcoming Virginia Beach Schools African American Male Summit, which Dr. Parker's school is hosting.  Click here to view the podcast list

December11th -- African American Male Summit

Sunday, 12/11 @ 6am 
92.9 The Wave, ESPN Radio 94.1, Star 1310 and 97.3 The Eagle

Virginia Beach Public Schools will hold its 5th Annual African American Male Summit on Saturday, January 7th, at Green Run High School.  The event is titled, "Stones of Hope: Foundation for Our Future," a reference to the Martin Luther King Monument that was unveiled earlier in 2011 in Washington D.C.  Dr. King has served as an inspirational theme for the summit since the beginning.

My guest is Dr. George Parker, the principal of Green Run High School.  He says that while the summit is directed after African American boys, all students in 8th through 12th grades are welcome to attend, as are their parents.  The goal of the summit is to engage and inspire students.

The summit includes workshops on goal setting, succeeding in high school, and college preparation.  There will also be representatives from a number of colleges present.

For information about the African American Male Summit, visit the VBSchools.com website.

New Podcast Added

Sunday's interview with Kristen Hatfield and Wes Juezan of the American Red Cross has been added to the Hampton Roads Topics podcast.  Listen to learn how you could win an iPad 2 just for donating blood platelets.

December 4th -- Blood Platelet Donors Could Win iPad 2

Sunday, 12/4 @ 6am 
92.9 The Wave, ESPN Radio 94.1, Star 1310 and 97.3 The Eagle

People who donate blood platelets in Hampton Roads could win an iPad 2 from the American Red Cross.  That is just one of the topics discussed on this Sunday's edition of Hampton Roads Topics, with guests Kristin Hatfield and Wes Juezan of the American Red Cross Mid-Atlantic Blood Services Region.

According to the Red Cross website, "platelets are a vital element of cancer and organ transplant treatments, as well as many surgical procedures as they help prevent massive blood loss."  Juezan says platelet donation takes a little longer than whole blood donation, but it uses a smaller needle and it can be done more often, once every seven days.  Givers of whole blood must wait 56 days between donations.

Everyone who donates platelets during the month of December will be eligible to win an iPad 2.  Other prizes include an iPod Touch, a Kindle Fire, and laptop computers.

The local Red Cross also has a great need for whole blood donors, especially during the holidays when people are travelling, on Christmas break or are otherwise too busy to donate.  Hatfield says they need 500 to 600 blood donors every day to meet demand.

To give blood, a person must be at least 17 years of age (16 with parental consent), weigh at least 110 pounds, and be in generally good health.  Cancer survivors and people with tattoos or body piercings are, in most cases, eligible to donate.  Visit the Red Cross eligibility page for more details.

To learn more about donating blood, visit www.redcrossblood.org/midatlantic

November 27th -- American Diabetes Month

6am Sunday, 11/27 on 92.9 The Wave, ESPN Radio 94.1, Star 1310 and 97.3 The Eagle

The American Diabetes Association has designated November as American Diabetes Month. The organization is hoping to educate the public about the risk factors for diabetes, preventing it, and living with it.

My guest is Lawrence Lambert, a program manager and educator for the Hampton Roads chapter of the Diabetes Association. He says quite plainly that Americans are eating too much, leading to a growing number of diabetes cases. Listen for him to put on a Southern accent as he discusses how "buttah and sugah" have become such a prevalent part of the modern American diet.

Lambert lives what he speaks. His family history includes both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. He is mindful of his weight and even wears a pedometer to ensure he's getting enough exercise.

We also discuss the irony of encouraging food moderation during November, a month when eating is celebrated.

To learn more about the American Diabetes Association in Hampton Roads, visit their chapter website.

Next Interview -- The American Red Cross

My wife and I had one of those "small world" moments last night.  We were walking into the American Red Cross donation center at Pembroke Mall to give blood when we were met by Kristen Hatfield, who I am interviewing today on the air about the need for blood donors during the holidays.  I am sure that our chance encounter will be a topic during the recording of the interview. 

My interview with Kristen will air Sunday, December 4th at 6am on 92.9 The Wave, Star 1310, ESPN Radio 94.1 and 97.3 The Eagle.

Visit RedCrossBlood.org/Midatlantic to learn where you can donate blood.

November 20th -- HR Green

6am Sunday, 11/20 on 92.9 The Wave, ESPN Radio 94.1, Star 1310 and 97.3 The Eagle

This week on Hampton Roads Topics I talk with Katie Cullipher and Brianna Venner from HR Green.  HR Green is a Hampton Roads Planning District Commission program that encourages the three R's:  reduce, reuse and recycle. 

We'll discuss why used grease and food from your Thanksgiving feast should be thrown away and not  dumped down the drain, where it can clog pipes.  We'll also talk about ideas for reusing your Christmas wrapping paper and the Christmas tree.

HR Green has tons of ideas for using less water and other resources at home and at work on their official website, www.AskHRGreen.org

November 13th -- The Got Sole Project

6am Sunday, 11/13 on 92.9 The Wave, ESPN Radio 94.1, Star 1310 and 97.3 The Eagle

My guest on this week's edition of Hampton Roads Topics is Laura Contreras-Rowe, the founder and Executive Director of the Got Sole Project.  The organization accepts donations of gently worn shoes and then distributes them to poor migrant worker families on Virginia's Eastern Shore.

As a working mom, realtor, motivational speaker and author (of the book, Aim High), Laura was already a very busy person before she began the Got Sole Project.   The idea grew out of her own childhood in Texas, where she assumed that everyone knew she was poor because of the old shoes she wore.  She is a fast moving, fast thinking and fast talking person whose energy really comes through during the interview.

I learned of the Got Sole Project from my radio colleague Paul Richardson of 92.9 The Wave.  He did some volunteer work with the organization on the National Day of Service, September 11th.

Links:
The Got Sole Project on Facebook.
Laura's book, Aim High

October 30th -- Honor Flight

6am Sunday, 10/30 on 92.9 The Wave, ESPN Radio 94.1, Star 1310 and 97.3 The Eagle

This week's edition of Hampton Roads Topics will focus on Honor Flight, a group that organizes trips for World War II veterans to the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C.  The trips began not long after the memorial opened to the public in 2005, when the population of World War II veterans numbered about 3,000,000.  The organization estimates the nation loses about 1,000 World War II vets every day.

My guest is Matthew Hartman, the director of Honor Flight Historic Triangle Virginia.  The local chapter makes two trips per year by bus to Washington D.C.  Each trip involves more than five dozen veterans, plus their "volunteer guardians," who provide whatever assistance the visitor might need.

To learn more about the local chapter of Honor Flight, visit www.HonorFlightHTVA.org

www.HonorFlight.org -- The national Honor Flight organization
www.WWIIMemorial.com -- The World War II Memorial

October 23rd -- Virginia Beach Schools Parent Connection

6am Sunday, 10/23 on 92.9 The Wave, ESPN Radio 94.1, Star 1310 and 97.3 The Eagle

This Sunday on Hampton Roads Topics I talk with Melissa McQuarrie of Virginia Beach Public Schools about their Parent Connection program.

Parent Connection was launched three years ago as an outreach effort to link parents with resources, classes and training that will help them with parenting, employment, and more.  It's a bit like a school for parents.

On October 27th, Parent Connection is hosting a workshop on financial literacy.  A guest speaker from Virginia Beach Schools Federal Credit Union will be teaching the basics of budgeting to parents, with the hope the parents can share that knowledge with their children.

Through May, Parent Connection is hosting monthly workshops to teach parents about technology.  Upcoming topics include:

• 11/16 -- Wireless Networking
• 12/8 -- PC Maintenance
• 1/18 -- Microsoft Powerpoint
• 2/15 -- Social Networking
• 3/21 -- Spreadsheets
• 4/18 -- Internet Security
• 5/16 -- Software and freeware tips and tricks

All workshops are taught at the Advanced Technology Center, located near the Tidewater Community College Virginia Beach campus.   www.vbschools.com/ParentConnection/technologyacademy2011.asp

Parent Connection has also grown into a food bank of sorts.  McQuarrie says they found that many of the children who were getting free or reduced cost meals at school were going hungry at home over the weekends.  Parent Connection launched Beach Bags, which provides needy children with a weekend's worth of food.

Link:
www.VBSchools.com/ParentConnection

October 16th -- Low Income Heat Assistance Program

This week's edition of Hampton Roads Topics will focus on LIHEAP, the heating assistance program for low income residents.  My guests are Karen Bradley and Duane Bourne of Virginia Natural Gas.  The company is a major supporter of LIHEAP.

The application period for LIHEAP runs through Friday, November 11th.  Applications are handled by the local offices of the Department of Social Services. 

Too often we hear stories of the less fortunate having to choose between eating and heating their homes.  For many, the decision is life threatening.  If you know of someone who may be in need of energy assistance this winter, help get them in the LIHEAP program.

Links:
LIHEAP Home Page
Virginia Natural Gas page with information about energy assistance.

This edition of Hampton Roads Topics can be heard Sunday, October 16th at 6am on these stations:  Star 1310, ESPN Radio 94.1, 97.3 The Eagle and 92.9 The Wave.

October 9th Program -- The Bra Ha Ha

The 4th Annual Bra Ha Ha is featured on the next edition of Hampton Roads Topics.  The Bra Ha Ha is defined by its name.  It's a tongue-in-cheek public awareness event at MacArthur Center Mall featuring more than 300 wildly decorated bras.  Proceeds go towards providing free mammograms to under served women in Hampton Roads.

My guest is Brenda Kuntz of Chesapeake Regional Medical Center, where the Bra Ha Ha began four years ago.

The Bra Ha Ha will be on display at Norfolk's MacArthur Center through Sunday, October 16th.

Link:
www.BraHaHa.org

About Hampton Roads Topics

Hampton Roads Topics is a 30-minute public affairs program produced and hosted by Hampton Roads radio veteran Jim Long.  It airs Sunday mornings at 6am on these MAX Media stations:  92.9 The Wave, Star 1310, ESPN Radio 94.1 and 97.3 The Eagle.