August 2016
Your community. Your health. Your life.
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August 7 is National Kids Day
 
What is Healthy Families?

Pictured are Healthy Families
nursing staff Rozanne Gross
and Rhonda Lassen.
Healthy Families, a voluntary program offered at no cost through Northwest Iowa Empowerment Funding, has been developed to support the needs of families with newborns. Families are eligible when they are expecting a child or within three months of their child's birth. The goals of Healthy Families are to strengthen families and provide safe, nurturing environments in which children thrive.
  
Participants in the Floyd Valley Healthy Families program receive home visits by trained professionals including Rozanne Gross and Rhonda Lassen (nurses) and Jay Lenhart (social worker). Typically, home visits occur weekly at the family's convenience. As the child grows, the visits may gradually decrease to fit the family's needs. The nurses use resources to make learning fun and meaningful for the whole family.
  
What can Healthy Families do for me?
Having a baby can be stressful. Our staff is trained to offer you support and guidance. We will listen to your concerns and help your family solve problems.
  
What can Healthy Families do for my baby?
The first three years of a child's life are the most important, because it is the time when the brain is "wired" for life. Healthy Families believes you, as parents, are the best teachers your children will ever have. Our staff will provide you with the necessary tools to help your children succeed. Healthy Families has a variety of materials to offer fun activities to stimulate infants and start life-long patterns of positive parent-child interaction. Growth and development will be monitored, and our nurses will collaborate with physicians and other professionals as needed.
  
What can Healthy Families do for the other members of my family?
Healthy Families knows that each member of the family thrives when the whole family is healthy. Home visitors will help you monitor each child's growth and development and provide games and activities to strengthen the entire family. Home visits may occur with all or just a few members of the family present.
  
For more information about Healthy Families, please contact Floyd Valley Community Health at (712) 546-3335 or (800) 642-6074 x3335.
Back to School in Good Health
August often reminds you there are tasks you need to complete for your kids prior to the beginning of school...school supplies, school clothes and maybe one last family vacation. Floyd Valley Clinics would like to remind you how important an annual preventative care visit is for your student too. Reviewing your student's health history each year with your family health care provider assures that you are receiving the very best personalized care for your child. You may want to check with your insurance company as many policies will cover this visit without a co-pay!
  
During annual physical visits, your provider will conduct a physical assessment of your student's overall health.   Many important topics can  also be discussed, such as healthy weight, proper nutrition, screen time and immunizations.  It is also a great time to ask questions you may have. And, if you have a student athlete, your physical exam form for school athletics can be completed at this time.
  
During the appointment, your provider can confirm that the student health requirements are being met so you are not caught by surprise when you head back to school! The Iowa Department of Education does have requirements on immunizations and screenings in grades PK - 12, including:
  
Kindergarten
  
  
  
  
Grades 7 - 12
All student-athletes must have a completed Iowa Athletic Pre-Participation Physical Examination along with a signed receipt of the Heads Up: Concussions in High School Sports Fact Sheet.
  
The bottom line - when children are healthy, they learn better and are happier! And as parents, we want what is best for them. For additional questions or to learn more about the Iowa Department of Education requirements, please visit https://www.educateiowa.gov/student-health-requirements .
The Power of Play

Recently several FVH occupational therapists and speech therapist were able to attend a continuing education course entitled:  "The Power of Play: Effective Play-Based Therapy and Early Intervention." They came away with excellent information for patients and family regarding playtime.
Play is defined as: a freely chosen, intrinsically motivated and personally directed activity. It should be guided by imagination more than fixed rules. Children learn best through play that is relevant and meaningful to their life. Often adults want to direct play and introduce high-tech toys for young children. This does not allow kids to problem solve and use their imagination as they would with activities that spark their creativity and curiosity.
With so many electronic devices available, screen time has replaced true play. In a young child there are so many benefits of play, such as promoting healthy brain development; expanding cognitive, language, social-emotional, and motor skills; providing relevant and meaningful activities; facilitating appropriate social interactions with peers and adults; testing boundaries and exploring risks; providing decision-making opportunities; providing sensory rich experiences; fostering self-esteem; and....it is FUN!! Play is also beneficial in teaching children how to concentrate and learn to deal with frustration which can be integral in decreasing negative behaviors in children.
The following criteria can be used when looking for toys:
  1. Select toys without batteries.
  2. Look for toys that require active play instead of passive entertainment.
  3. Choose toys that can be used multiple ways.
  4. Make sure toys are safe, durable and age-appropriate.
  5. Choose toys that your child finds interesting and easy to manipulate for their age.
  6. Find toys that spark both the child's and adult's imagination.
 Bottom line for parents: the more the child has to use his/her own mind and body during playtime, the more they will benefit from play!  
A short list of toys that are typically recognized as good toys for toddlers include (but not limited to): blocks, stacking towers, balls, wooden puzzles, pegboards, bubbles, musical instruments, push-pull toys, ride-on toys, art supplies, farm toys, toy vehicles, toy tools, toy food and dishes, baby doll and accessories and books. And remember, one of the best activities for children is time spent outside and in nature! 
I am a Young Child 
I need motion, I need novelty, I need adventure,
 I need to engage the world with my whole body.
 Let me play!
714 Lincoln Street NE
Le Mars, IA 51031
712-546-7871