Lake Health District offers various classes and education opportunities for our community.
Better Breathers
Lake Health District offers a free, one-hour educational session each month at the Lake County Senior Center. The classes cover such topics as how to breathe better, nutrition, medications, Alzheimer’s, and other subjects of interest to attendees. Classes start at 11 a.m. the third Thursday of the month. All ages are welcome. The Senior Center is at 11 North G. St., Lakeview. For more information, call Theresa Conklin at 541.947.2114 ext. 322.
Bicycle Helmet Program
Oregon law requires all youths younger than 16 to wear a helmet while on a bicycle, scooter, skateboard, or rollerblades, but helmets are a good idea for people of all ages. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that wearing a helmet can reduce a bicyclist’s risk of head injury by 50 percent, and the risk of a head, face, or neck injury by 33 percent. Lake Health District offers free helmets to patients who have been injured in an accident and need to replace a damaged helmet. Helmets also are available at no cost for cyclists who don’t have one. For more information, call Abigail Finetti, RN, at 541.947.2114 ext. 386.
Car Seat Safety Checks
In southern Oregon, 97 percent of all child safety seats are improperly used. Are you making one of these common mistakes:
- The child safety seat moves more than inch from side to side.
- The seat faces the wrong direction.
- The seat is in the path of an airbag.
- The child is not the appropriate height, weight, or age for the seat used.
- The harness straps are loose and at the wrong height.
Anyone can have a child’s car seat inspected for safety. Expect about 20 to 30 minutes per seat. We have car seats available for low-income families. For more information or to schedule an inspection time, call Abigail Finetti, RN, at 541.947.2114 ext. 386.
Childbirth Education
Lake Health District offers prenatal education classes for expectant parents. Each series includes three two-hour classes. The first class covers preparing for birth, including nutrition, exercise, early labor at home, comfort measures, and breathing and relaxation. The second class focuses on active labor, pain control, breathing and relaxation, delivery, hospital procedures, equipment, and unexpected outcomes. The third class is about breastfeeding and newborn care.
The sessions are offered four times a year, in January, April, July, and October, in the Penn Wilbur Conference Room at Lake District Hospital. See the Announcements page for upcoming classes. For more information, call Megan Kruse at 541.947.2114 ext. 381.
Safesitter Classes
Classes are offered to young teens to learn important life skills, safety skills, childcare training and CPR. For more information call Holly Fairburn 541.947.2114 x 133
CPR And First Aid
Lake Health District offers first aid and CPR classes for medical professionals and community members.
Basic Life Support Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation classes teach a level of care for victims of life-threatening illnesses or injuries until they can be given full medical care at a hospital. Training is geared toward professional rescuers such as paramedics, nurses, certified nursing assistants, doctors, dentists, emergency medical technicians, and others in patient-related care positions. These classes are more detailed than training for the general public and use equipment that would be found in a healthcare setting.
Heartsaver CPR and First Aid classes offer basic training that can be used on adults, children, and infants. This course teaches a simpler version of CPR and uses equipment that may be found in a public setting. The class is designed for daycare providers, construction workers, coaches, office workers, and other community members who want to be prepared for emergencies.
For more information or to sign up, call Holly Fairburn at 541.947.2114 ext. 133.
Trauma Nurse Talks Tough
This program, created by Portland-based Legacy Health, teaches youth ages 5 to 18 the importance of pedestrian, bicycle, and automobile safety to help them avoid time in the emergency room.
The program is tailored to specific age groups. Kindergarten through third grade: The youngest children learn what the brain does so they can understand how important it is to keep their brains safe. They learn they should only cross busy streets if an adult is available to help them, and the importance of wearing seat belts and bicycle helmets.
Grades four through six: Children are given a slightly harder-hitting message about safety and the importance of following the rules of the road. They also learn about the science behind wearing seat belts and bicycle helmets.
Grades seven through nine: The presentation for older youths covers the risks involved with alcohol and other drugs. The program places more emphasis on motor vehicle use and abuse; while these youths might not be old enough to drive, they may be asked to get into cars with intoxicated or unsafe drivers.
Teenagers: Through the use of facts, figures, and a presentation, teens learn the reality of unsafe driving, and underage alcohol and other drug use.
The program emphasizes the importance of driving practice and experience, includes information about motorcycles, and covers speeding and driving under the influence. To learn more, call Abigail Finetti, RN, at 541.947.2114 ext. 386.