Author Archives: ongovhealth

FREE Colorectal Cancer Screening Tests Are Available

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. All men and women are at risk for colorectal cancer but it occurs most often in adults over the age of 50. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in men and fourth in women. The best prevention for colorectal cancer is to undergo colorectal cancer screening… Read more >

WIC Clinics Closing

Due to deteriorating weather conditions, the Onondaga County Health Department’s Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC) clinics at Gifford Street, Bayberry Plaza, and St. Michael’s Lutheran church will be closing at 3:00 pm today.… Read more >

Community Urged to Take Precautions During Severe Cold

Due to the Winter Weather Advisory that has been issued, Health Commissioner Dr. Indu Gupta recommends that Onondaga County residents take precautions against cold-related injuries and carbon monoxide poisoning. Dr. Gupta explained, “With the extreme cold in the forecast, people, especially the elderly and young children, need to take measures to protect themselves from hypothermia… Read more >

FREE Tests to Detect Cervical Cancer are Available

January is National Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. All women are at risk for cervical cancer but it occurs most often in women over the age of 30. Approximately 12,000 U.S. women get cervical cancer each year. Cervical cancer is easily prevented with regular screening tests and follow-up and is highly curable when found and treated… Read more >

Flu Vaccine Myths and Misconceptions

By Karyn Johnson, Public Health Educator Over the years I have heard many reasons why people choose to get vaccinated against the flu. Unfortunately, I have also heard a few reasons why people choose not to get a flu vaccine (injectable or nasal spray), many of those reasons are based on incorrect information. Even though… Read more >

End the Stigma: Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders

By Mariah Senecal-Reilly In October both National Substance Abuse Prevention Month and Mental Illness Awareness Week are observed. During this time families, communities, and organizations come together to raise awareness about the importance of substance abuse prevention and to celebrate people living in recovery. According to SAMHSA, around 43.6 million (18.1%) Americans ages 18 and… Read more >

Breast Cancer: It’s Not Just One Disease

By Emily Young, Public Health Educator Although often thought of as just one disease, there are many types of breast cancer. A woman’s treatment options and prognosis are dependent upon the type of breast cancer that’s diagnosed. In order to determine this, all tumors are tested for estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 receptors. Breast tumors that… Read more >

Shake, Shake, Shake?

By Roseanne Jones, MS, RDN, CDN As a Registered Dietitian, I do like to “shake things up” while I am working but the past couple of months, I did a lot less shakin’! Let me explain. Recently, I have been working with Chef Bill Collins, a Culinary Specialist at Syracuse University, to gather chefs and… Read more >

Film Students Team Up with the Health Department to Promote Safe Sleep for Infants

By Lisa GreenMills, Program Coordinator, Syracuse Healthy Start and Kara Verbanic, Public Health Educator Finding out you’re pregnant can be life-changing news, and along with all the congratulations and well wishes from family and friends, new parents also get bombarded with plenty of unsolicited advice! It can range from helpful, to mildly amusing, to outright… Read more >

The Pink Shawl Initiative: A Story of Joining Together for Breast Cancer Screening

By Emily Young, Public Health Educator For many years, the Cancer Services Program (CSP) has collaborated with the Onondaga Nation to screen local Native American women for breast cancer. This partnership has grown and evolved in many ways over the years. It is true that breast cancer rates do tend to be lower in American… Read more >