Portage County Health Department – Reporting Public Policy

How to protect health, finances during flu season

December 4, 2014 Alicia Balog 0 Comments Ebola, Flu season, Flu shot, Health, Ohio, Portage County Department of Health, portage county health department, Portage County Health Department, Robinson Memorial Hospital

by Alicia Balog As students prepare for both the upcoming winter and finals week, Kent State University and health departments throughout the country recommend preparing for flu season as well. What is the flu? The “seasonal flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by flu viruses” that usually lasts one to two weeks, according to flu.gov. Flu season, which began in October, typically goes to April or May depending on the year, said Becky Lehman, director of health education and promotion at the Portage County Health Department. Approximately 5 to 20 percent of people get the flu, according to flu.gov, Lehman said despite what people say, a person does not

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Kent’s storm water fund running low

December 3, 2014 Patrick Williams 0 Comments Capital Improvement Plan, David Coffee, EPA, james bowling, Kent, Kent City Council, Ohio EPA, Portage County, Portage County Department of Health, Portage County Health Department, Portage County Storm Water District, Ravenna, storm water, storm water management, Streetsboro

In a warning to Kent City Council on October 15, city budget and finance director David Coffee explained the need for the city to reallocate or raise more money for its storm water fund. The fund, which pays to allow the city to assess and maintain the city’s storm water, will be able to pay for storm water capital improvement projects, or storm water projects built by contractors, through 2015, but most likely not for the years following, Coffee said during the council’s annual Capital Improvement Plan update. “The Capital Improvement Plan is essentially a five-year rolling plan,” Coffee said. “Obviously the year that is most significant is the

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Kent City Council becomes informed on Ebola, passes ordinance to purchase properties on College Avenue

October 15, 2014October 16, 2014 Megan Brown 0 Comments city council, College Avenue, Community, Ebola, Kent, kent, Kent City Council, Kent Health Department, Parking, Portage County Health Department

Kent City Council held a meeting Oct. 15, which took more of an informational turn as the talk of Ebola made headlines in Northeast Ohio. Kent Mayor Jerry Fiala invited Jeff Neistadt, Kent Health Commissioner, to give the council and audience an overview of information about the latest Ebola issue related to Northeast Ohio. “This is kind of putting a puzzle together with various pieces,” Neistadt said. The infected individual, Amber Vinson, arrived in Cleveland’s Hopkins Airport Friday afternoon. Her mother and stepfather picked her up from the airport and returned to Tallmadge. Her parents did attend the Kent State football game on Saturday; she did not. “At this point,

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Respiratory enterovirus spreading across nation

September 15, 2014 Mackenzie Wallace 0 Comments City of Kent, Community, enterovirus, EV-D68, Health, Kent State University, Portage County, Portage County Health Department, respiratory

At least 12 states, including Ohio, are investigating an increase in respiratory illnesses that could be related to the rare enterovirus known as EV-D68. Photo from StrangeSounds.org. Ohio health departments and hospitals are looking into an increase in respiratory illnesses in children. The Enterovirus D68, known as EV-D68, is a rare respiratory virus that has possibly hit at least 12 states and continues to spread, affecting young children and those who have asthma. According to the Portage County Health Department, Ohio does not have any positive tests for EV-D68 at this time, but people need to be paying attention to their symptoms if they’re sick, said Rose Ferraro, Director of Nursing. “If your