•June 8, 2022•
Mental health and substance use issues are common. Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. adults lives with a mental illness according to the National Institute of Mental Health. From 1999 to 2016, 630,000 people died from drug overdose according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Give someone in your community a hand by learning how to recognize and respond when someone might need help with a free Mental Health First Aid workshop offered by University of Illinois Extension and the North Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Center.
Mental Health First Aid is a skills-based program, where participants learn and practice a five-step action plan to identify common signs and symptoms of someone coping with mental health or substance use problems and how to help. Gain skills to feel confident interacting with a person in crisis and leave with resources to connect the person with appropriate care. Topics also include trauma, addiction and self-care. Read More
Illinois Master Naturalist Program Accepting Applications for August Training
•June 8, 2022•
University of Illinois Extension, Coles-Cumberland-Douglas-Moultrie-Shelby Counties will be offering Illinois Master Naturalist training from August 10 - October 11 with the majority of classes every Tuesday from 5:30 PM-8:30 PM held at Douglas-Hart Nature Center. There will also be classes onsite at Warbler Woods and Shelbyville Visitor’s Center.
The mission of the University of Illinois Extension Master Naturalist Program is to provide science-based educational opportunities that connect people with nature and help them become engaged environmental stewards. Read More
Lake Land College Recognizes EMS Graduates
•June 8, 2022•
Lake Land College recognized EMS program graduates at an annual pinning ceremony in May.
The recipient of the Top Student Award for highest score in the program was Joseph Batusich.
The Professional Development for overall growth in skills and confidence went to Jordan Disch. Adam Payne earned the Perseverance Award for pushing through personal difficulties. Read More
Woof – it’s Pet Preparedness Month
•June 8, 2022•
June is Pet Preparedness Month, and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) wants you to learn about the potential difficulties you and your pets face in an emergency. “A pet is an important part of your family and it’s equally important to include your pet in emergency plans,” said IEMA Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau.
“If you have to evacuate, the single most important thing to you can do to protect your pets is to take them with you,” said Tate-Nadeau. “Don’t wait until the last minute to get ready. If a disaster is imminent, bring your pets into the home and confine them so you can move quickly.”
More pet
preparedness tips:
Have an evacuation plan for your pet Read More
Facts for Families: Monarchs, Milkweed and Mowing
•June 8, 2022•
By Cheri Burcham
Family Life Educator
Most people that know me know that I am very passionate about protecting monarch butterflies. I do my best to encourage people to plant milkweed seeds, and I hunt monarch caterpillars and relocate them to my indoor nurseries until they transform and are ready to be released as butterflies. Their numbers have been rapidly declining each year, primarily due to loss of habitat. Many landowners mow their ditches, and I cringe to see them mowing down all the milkweed – the only plant that monarch butterflies lay their eggs on and their caterpillars eat. So, when I saw this article from Extension Horticulture Educator Chris Enroth, I knew I had to share it with my readers. Read More
Lake Land College to Host Laker Visit Day
•June 8, 2022•
Lake Land College will host Laker Visit Day from 9 a.m. to noon Thursday, June 16 in the Luther Student Center, giving potential students the opportunity to learn about The Laker Advantage and how it can guide them on the path to success. Read More
Lake Land College Celebrates Nursing Graduates
•June 8, 2022•
Graduating nurses received their pins at the 2022 Lake Land College Associate Degree Nursing pinning ceremony.
The Associate Degree Nursing Program Peer Awards were presented to Devin Mette and Megan Walters for exhibiting excellence in the classroom and in clinical, showing willingness to help others, caring nature, professionalism and spirit.
The Patient Advocate Award was presented to Jamie Marley for displaying professionalism and compassionate care in the Associate Degree Nurse program. Read More
Use of Backyard Bird Feeders, Bird Baths may Resume
•June 8, 2022•
Bird lovers may resume using backyard feeders and baths effective Wednesday, June 1, 2022, wildlife biologists at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) advised today.
IDNR originally recommended the use of bird feeders and bird baths be suspended through May 31 in response to the EA H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Illinois. Read More
Rural Residents at a Disadvantage with Mental Health Services
•June 8, 2022•
By Tammie Sloup
Farm Week
The sea of dark purple on a map of Illinois counties told a concerning story.
Most of the counties were dark purple, indicating a shortage of mental and behavioral health providers in those areas. Only a handful of counties, mostly in Cook County and the collar counties, had no shortage or partial shortages.
But it’s not just an Illinois issue. Mental health care in rural areas throughout the U.S. is in crisis.
Heather Whetsell, Southern Illinois University Medicine Population Science & Policy administrative director, presented findings of a yearlong study into mental health care in rural areas during the National Rural Health Association’s (NRHA) Annual Rural Health Conference. The research was conducted by the NRHA Rural Health Fellows mental health workgroup.
Barriers to mental health care in rural America are driven by three factors: availability of health care, access and acceptability, the fellows found. Read More
Is this NOT a Double Negative?
•June 8, 2022•
By Jim Baumann
NP Guest Writer
Reader David Bruun wanted to talk about double negatives. I’m not uninterested in the topic, so here goes:
“I was listening to the radio several days ago, and a Realtor was being interviewed as to financing a home purchase. The exact quote was as follows: ‘It is important that you were never not late in a mortgage payment.’ There are several of us who disagree, Is this not a double negative? And what does it mean — perhaps that one was never late in a payment?”
David, it IS a double negative, and it makes no sense.
When Mick Jagger sings “I can’t get no satisfaction,” the implication is not that he is 100% happy but that he can’t get ANY satisfaction.
He’s being colloquial, and he landed upon a word that was one syllable short of “any” so the lyric matched the beat. When I wrote that I’m “not uninterested” in the topic of double negatives, I was conveying a modest amount of interest rather than an all-consuming love for them. Read More