-Hello, this is Tom Britt.

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-Summertime temps are rising, and it's only going to get hotter in the weeks ahead.

Extreme heat isn't just uncomfortable, it can be dangerous.

Coming up, the warning signs to watch for and how to stay safe when the heat won't let up.

What do Madison County residents say are their biggest health concerns?

A new study reveals the top issues, and some of the results might surprise you.

Vicki Lake from West Tennessee Healthcare joins us in studio with wh.. for our community.

Still ahead, looking for a summer recipe your kids will eat and you'll feel good about?

A special guest chef joins us with a fun, kid-friendly dish that's healthy, easy, and parent-approved.

-Our health.

Children's health.

Senior health.

Family health.

Healthy eating.

Healthy living.

This is Channel 11 Checkup with Ginger Rowsey from the Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department.

-Hi, I'm Ginger Rowsey.

Thank you for joining us for this edition of Channel 11 .. a show that focuses on the health of our community.

In this show, we'll provide education and resources on health and wellness issues facing West Tennesseans.

First, here are some health headlines.

Summer is here, school is out, and we're all ready to enjoy more time outdoors.

As we head toward the dog days of summer, it's important to stay safe, especially when working or exercising outdoors in extreme heat.

The heat can take a toll on anyone.

Staying hydrated and finding shade can make all the difference.

Certain groups are at even greater risk, like pregnant women, children, and those with conditions like asthma, heart disease, or diabetes.

How can you tell if someone's been in the heat too long?

We're taking a closer look at the signs of heat-related illness and what Johns Hopkins experts say you should do if you spot them.

-What are heat-related illnesses, and how can you spot them?

Johns Hopkins Medicine has identified three different types of heat-related illnesses.

Heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke.

Heat cramps are the mildest type, consisting of painful muscle cramps and spasms that occur during or after intense exercise and sweating in high heat.

Symptoms include painful muscle cramps, especially in the legs, and flushed, moist skin.

Heat exhaustion is more severe, resulting from the body's loss of water and salt.

It occurs when the body cannot cool itself properly.

If left untreated, it can turn into heat stroke.

Symptoms include muscle cramps, pale, moist skin, a fever greater than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 Celsius, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, anxiety, and feeling faint.

Heat stroke is the most severe form of heat illness.

It is a life-threatening emergency that requires immediate medical attention.

Symptoms include warm, dry skin, high fever, usually greater than 104 degrees Fahrenheit or 40 Celsius, rapid heart rate, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, headache, fatigue, confusion, agitation, lethargy, stupor, and seizures, coma, and death are possible.

Here are some ways to respond to heat-related illnesses.

Rest.

If you see someone with symptoms of any of these heat-relate.. move them to a cool place and let them rest.

Call for help.

If you suspect heat stroke, take immediate action.

Call emergency medical services for help.

Cool.

To help an overheated person cool down, remove any e.. or she may have on that could be trapping heat.

Place cool cloths on their skin or place ice packs on his or her armpits or groin area.

Aim a fan at the individual's skin to improve airflow.

Hydrate.

Give the individual a cool sport drink to help replenish salt.. the body has expelled.

If the person doesn't seem to be improving, call 911 or take him or her to an emergency room.

They may need intravenous fluids.

Stretch.

Help those with heat cramps further by slowly and gently stretching cramped muscles.

-Planning a trip this summer?

Don't forget to pack more than just your clothes and sunscreen.

Health experts say every traveler should carry a personal first aid kit.

What goes inside depends on your health needs and where you're headed.

The goal is simple, be prepared to handle minor injuries, manage ongoing conditions, and treat common travel issues like upset stomachs, insect bites, or allergies.

Depending on your destination, you may also want to pack over-the-counter medications to prevent or treat things like traveler's diarrhea, malaria, or altitude sickness.

Here's an important note.

If you're bringing prescription medicine, it's best that they be in the original prescription container.

If heading abroad, some countries only allow a 30-day supply.

Also, make sure your kit is packed in a sturdy, water-resistant container and easy to access on the go.

Still not sure what to include?

We recommend checking with your doctor or visiting the CDC's travel health website for a full checklist.

If your travel plans require vaccinations, the health department is a trusted location to get the shots you need before you go.

Speaking of vaccinations, summer has just begun, but it's not too early to begin thinking about childhood immunizations for the next school year.

At the health department, we encourage parents to never miss a shot when it comes to your child's health.

Now, while supplies last, children who receive immunizations at the Madison County Health Department will receive a free basketball.

To make an immunization appointment, call 731-423-3020.

Every few years, community leaders take a closer look at what's impacting the well-being of our community, from chronic illness to access to care.

The latest community health needs assessment for West Tennessee is out, and it highlights the health challenges facing residents in our area.

Joining us now to break down the findings is Vicki Lake from West Tennessee Health Care.

Vicki, thanks so much for being with us.

-Thank you, Ginger, for having me.

-The new community health assessment is out.

Can you tell us about how the assessment is done?

-Sure.

-Who participates in this?

-Sure.

What we do is we do these every thre..

The Affordable Care Act requires public hospitals to do them every three years.

We've been doing them 2012, 2015, 2018, 2021, and now 2024.

What we do is we use a blending of what people's perceptions of the health issues are with secondary data that show what the issues are.

We did a survey.

We had 777 people respond throughout West Tennessee on what they thought the health issues were in the community, plus a little bit about themselves, so we got some demographics on there.

-What were the big health issues that were identified?

-The big health issues were heart disease, chronic pulmonary issues, COPD.

The one that was amazing, we had stroke, your general chronic diseases.

The most interesting one that came up was postpartum depression.

-That surprised you a little bit?

-It did.

If you look at the secondary data, sadly, rural West Tenn.. one of the highest mortalities of mothers post-childbirth.

-Wow.

That is troubling, then.

-That is very troubling.

-That really stuck out to you.

Were there other things that really stuck out to you?

-We also looked at what they call social drivers of health care, so what in the environment and their communities cause or relate to them to have health issues, like transportation, like food insecurity, like housing insecurity, poverty.

We looked at those in relation to our community.

Rural West Tennessee has very little public transportation.

We do have Jackson Transit.

Outside of the city, there's very little public transportation for people to access health care.

-Yes.

Is that contributing to the maternal mortality rates?

-What we feel on the maternity, maternal poverty is one, and lack of access to prenatal care because of transportation, and the lack of, quite frankly, physicians and health care professionals trained to deal with prenatal care.

-When you look at these and you mentioned, in addition to the postpartum depression, the diabetes and stroke, and heart disease, which priority do you think we should be addressing first?

-I think in a health care system, we're going to look at all of them.

Jackson Madison County General Hospital is a tertiary care center, which means we care for the sickest with the most specialized care.

We deliver over 4,000 babies a year.

-Wow.

-It is going to be high on our list.

What we have been working to with our mental health center pathways is to provide mental health staff up there on the floor to work with mamas right after they have their babies.

Then one of the others, to deal with chronic health conditions, we're doing virtual care.

Virtual care came as a result of COVID, where people couldn't get into the doctor's office.

We did care virtually with them and follow-up care with diabetes, so we can test their sugar levels and their A1C and help them through their plan that their doctors put on, but on a virtual level.

-Yes.

That helps with the issues with transportation.

-It does.

-You also mentioned housing instability, though.

How does housing instability affect-- -[crosstalk] Housing instability, it's very interesting.

We're a public hospital.

A lot of hospitals will discharge patients that are homeless.

We do not discharge people that are homeless because they have no home to go to.

That's for a variety of reasons.

They give us an address when they get to the hospital because they're afraid, or, quite frankly, if they're very sick, their families don't want them because they can't care for them.

They don't have a place to go to recover.

They don't have a stable home.

That can lead to lack of care with your diabetes, lack of even knowing if you have it, because if you're homeless, you're worried about where you're going to sleep at night, where you're going to get something to eat.

You're not really worried or paying attention to your health till it's very acute and you end up in the emergency room.

To address that, we do a couple of things.

The hospital has an arrangement with Tennessee Homeless Solutions that if we have a patient who is homeless that we can't discharge, they help us find them a place to live.

If you tell us that you're food insecure when you come to the hospital, we don't question you any further.

We give you £2, £5 bags of food when you leave our hospital.

If you say you need hygiene products or you lack hygiene, we provide you with a hygiene bag.

We have ones for men and one for women.

We're being proactive to help our most vulnerable patients not only get the great healthcare, but to provide those other things that relate and cause, or correlated with their health.

-Yes.

Earlier, you mentioned the food instability.

We don't have access to those healthy foods.

Why is that here in rural West Tennessee?

-It's because we have what's called food deserts.

What they look at as food deserts is they look at it nationally by census tract.

They look, do you have a grocery store in your census tract or within walking distance?

Just think about your neighborhood in your home and your area.

How many people just have convenience stores that have fried chicken or corndogs?

That's what they're eating.

-Just candy bars.

-Yes, that's what they're close to.

They call them food deserts.

-All these other aspects that we don't maybe associate directly with health do have an impact.

-They do.

-If you can't get to healthy food, then you're not going to eat it.

If you can't afford it, you're not going to get it.

All of these things-- -Transportation.

-Yes, exactly.

[crosstalk] -[?]

transportation.

What we're doing as a healthcare system is partnering with areas in the community, like Regional Inter-Faith Association, to help us with our food, Tennessee Homeless Solutions to help us with our homeless.

What we do is we partner with them to try to address the needs and issues that our patients have, that we as a healthcare system, that's not our mainstream job.

We partner with the experts in that area to help us.

-Are you looking for more partners?

-Yes, yes.

-How can other people get involved in this?

-They can let me know.

We have specific groups that deal with homelessness or food insecurity.

Just for the community to know, the hospital is leading a street outreach for the homeless on June 5th, from 8:00 to 2:00 at RIFA.

We'll be doing street outreach throughout the city.

We'll be going to the homeless encampments.

What we're going to do is try to identify those people that are homeless and to help them find housing and food.

-All right.

That's a great opportunity for anybody that.. -Oh, sure.

-That's something you do monthly?

-We do it quarterly.

-Quarterly, okay.

That's a great opportunity there.

Before you leave, how do we track our progress?

How do we know that what we're doing is making an impact?

-The state provides a lot of data on the Department of Health, provides a lot of data on your chronic diseases.

They provide it annually on what the rate is by county.

We can look at each county in our service area to see how we're doing from the previous year.

In our needs assessments, which are on the website, the wth.org website, we have them all the way back to 2012.

We have trend data on all our chronic diseases, so we can see how we've been doing.

-Are we making strides in some areas?

-In some areas, we're decreasing the rates and the rate comparable to the state.

We still have issues here with fried foods and bad eating habits that lead to and lack of access to healthy foods, that leads to chronic health diseases.

-A long ways to go.

Maybe we're making- -We are.

--some improvements for a little positivity.

A lot of things to go.

Just last words, what would you just like everyone to take away from this?

-I think West Tennessee health care's main role in the community is provide compassionate care and excellent care to the patients that come to one of our facilities.

We're also very community-minded and want to do prevention and want to do outreach in the community in a very broad sense.

We view health care as very broadly, that deals with all these social drivers of health, not only your chronic diseases and having babies, but also broad homelessness, lack of food, poverty.

We really take a broad view of what we do in.. -Vicki, we really appreciate you- -Sure.

--being with us and sharing it.

Once again, if anybody wants to go online and look .. tell us again where they can find this.

-Sure.

There is wth.org.

You scroll to the bottom of the page, it says Community Health Assessments.

We do them in every county where we have a hospital.

Then we do them in Chester and Crockett County because they do not have hospitals.

-Just about every county in West Tennessee- -Yes, we do.

--you can find your data the.. where you live.

These main issues were the main issues acro.. -Main issues across rural West Tennessee.

-Got you.

Thank you so much- -Sure.

--for being here.

We appreciat.. -Happy to be here.

-Thank you.

As any parent will tell you, getting kids to eat their daily servings of fruits and vegetables can be tough.

As parents, we can't give in because fruits and veggies provide important vitamins and nutrients that will improve kids' health now and help reduce their risk of disease later on in life.

Research has shown that involving kids in meal planning and preparation can increase their fruit and vegetable consumption.

In our new segment titled Raising Healthy Eaters, we're going to highlight healthy recipes that kids will enjoy eating and helping you make.

This month's recipe creates a healthy, flavorful twist on traditional French fries using one of my favorite garden vegetables, zucchini.

Here to show us how it's made is our guest, Chef Sebastian.

-Hi, I'm Sebastian.

I'm your chef.

Today, we're going to make zucchini fries.

You need zucchini, breadcrumbs, egg, and seasonings.

First, take a piece of the zucchini and dip it in some egg.

Now, dip it in the breadcrumbs and put it on the pan.

-Very good.

-My fingers got messy.

Pick up your zucchini and dip it in the egg and dip it in the breadcrumbs, and put it on the pan.

Get your mom to put them in the oven for 15 minutes.

I had a big one, and I ate the whole one.

-Is that good?

-Yes.

Thumbs up.

Thanks for watching.

[music] -Summer is the perfect time for a picnic, whether it's at the park, the lake, or right in your backyard.

Warm weather and outdoor dining can also create the perfect conditions for foodborne illness.

Fortunately, there are simple steps you can take to keep your summer gathering safe.

This report from the Mayo Clinic has what you need to know before you pack your next picnic basket.

-Picnic tip number one, when you open the cooler, keep an eye on the clock.

-The general rule is to have food out only two hours.

However, on a hot day, 90 and above, you want to limit the time that food is out in that hot weather to one hour.

You might even consider a bowl of ice and then set your food container in that ice.

That can help maintain a cool temperature [?]

-- -[crosstalk] Dietitian Kate Zeratsky's second tip, pay special attention to proteins.

-Bacteria like protein.

-Keep meat cold until it hits the grill, then use a meat thermomete.. it's cooked to a safe temperature.

At least 160 degrees for ground meats and 165 for poultry.

Picnic tip number three, shield your sweets, including the ones from Mother Nature.

-Fruit with its natural sugars is going to attract some bugs, so you might want to keep it covered.

-Number four-- -When in doubt, throw it out.

You don't want anyone to get si.. -For the Mayo Clinic News Network, I'm Jason Howland.

-If you're expecting a baby, there's a new opportunity to get some extra help with essen.. like food and diapers.

The health department is offering up to $300 in free vouchers to eligible pregnant women.

Joining us now to tell us how it works and how you can sign up are LeKendria Mays and Alex McHugh with the Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department.

Thank you both for being here.

-You're welcome.

-Alex, this sounds like a g.. Tell us a little bit about this program.

-GIFTS is a program for pregnant mamas, and they come in, they do have to be pregnant.

If they've ever smoked in their past or currently are smoking any type of tobacco, nicotine, that could include a vape as well, they come in to us and we get them situated with us, comfortable with us.

They know it's more of a personable thing.

We're not telling people their business.

It's just between me and them.

We just get with them, close with them, so they know they can lean on us when the.. some help or just some advice on things, and we guide them through their pregnancy.

They come in four times while they're pregnant, and if they wish to stay enrolled after they give birth, then they can stay enrolled for 12 months and still continue to get those vouchers as well.

-Are they monthly vouchers for $25?

Is that how it works?

What's the time frame of the-- -Their first time, when they're pregnant, they come in four times.

It's about once every other month, and they do get a voucher.

They can spend it on anything, whether that be food, diapers, wipes, any necessities for themselves.

It can't be spent on alcohol or drugs.

-Sure.

-They can spend it on what they need.

Then, after they have the baby, they do come in, if they can, once a month for 12 months for a year, and they do get that voucher again.

-You have to come in to get the voucher, but coming in, they get to talk to you all and talk about how to quit tobacco or stay tobacco-free.

-Yes.

-They can also bring.. their child or the spouse or the boyfriend, whoever's going to keep your child, y'all stay in the same house, and they smoke as well or vape, they're also eligible for a voucher, too.

-Oh, great.

This is just another incentive to keep the baby as free from secondhand smoke as possible.

-Yes.

-Awesome.

You mentioned that even if you're not a current smoker, but maybe you've smoked in the past, that you could be eligible for this program.

-Yes.

If you've smoked before you've gotten pregnant, let's say you found out you're pregnant and you immediately stopped smoking, some people do go back to smoking as it can help some of their symptoms, they say, help feel better, or they fall back into it.

Let's say they've quit for two weeks, but they just can't handle that, and they go back into it.

We're just here, again, as a crutch to try to help you stay off of smoking cigar.. and to get you headed into the right direction of bettering your health, not only for you, but also for your baby.

-Okay, great.

How do they sign up?

-They can call me, or they can call LeKendria, and we just talk to them over the phone, make sure that this is a program they do want to do, and just understand the aspects of it.

Then they come in, we meet them, we get to know them, we get personable with them, and then we just start from there.

-Great.

GIFTS program, it's a new name, but it's a program that's been around for a while.

LeKendria, I know you've worked with it for years, but out of some of the moms that have been a part of it, what are some of their thoughts after they've been through it?

-Their thoughts.

They call, they see me out, they're like, "Thank you, thank you, thank you.

It's not much, but it helped."

By me being personable with them, I told them, "You can call me at any time.

If you think you're going to relapse or go back to smoking or something, just call me.

My phone is always open."

They always thank me.

They say, "You're so nice, you're this, you're that, and you're so understanding."

I feel like when I'm understanding and I don't judge, I let them just talk, they feel better.

They feel like, "Oh, I can do it," because sometimes they're like, "Oh, I hate I'm pregnant.

I'm doing this, I'm doing that."

Let's talk about it.

We got on a personal level, and they were happy with it.

-Okay, good.

Some great health benefits, no doubt, through .. -Because when you're pregnant and you're carrying the baby, when you're smoking and all that nicotine is in your lungs, you can't breathe, and the baby can't breathe.

Why not quit now, so when you have your baby, you won't have any complications?

You'll have a healthy baby.

-Some great advice.

Again, you can call the health department, ask for .. about the GIFTS program and earn some incentives.

That would be very useful when that new baby comes because it is very expensive when the baby gets here.

Any little bit helps.

We appreciate y'all being here, and we're almost out of time, but any quick plug for any other classes you have coming up this summer?

-This summer, we have had some camps to call us, church camps, for us to come out and talk to the kids about bull.. boundaries, good touch, bad touch, hand washing, brushing your teeth, just different subjects we can come out and talk to the kids about.

Even physical fitness, we can come and exercise with them.

Just something to keep them busy and learning while they're not at school.

-All right.

They do a great program fo..

Absolutely, reach out.

We thank you both for being with us.

-Thank you.

-You're welcome.

-As the temperatures rise and more of us head outside to soak up the sun, health experts are urging a simple but important reminder: Don't skip the sunscreen.

It's more than just avoiding a sunburn.

Using sunscreen regularly can help prevent premature aging and reduce your risk of skin cancer.

CDC behavioral scientist Dawn Holman shows us why protecting your skin should be a part of your daily summer routine.

-Hi.

I'm Dawn Holman.

I'm here to talk to you about how to protect your skin while enjoying time in the sun.

Sun safety is a combination of simple things that, when done together, add up to sun-safe skin, like using sunscreen.

Anyone can get sun damage, even people with darker skin tones.

Today, there are so many options.

Take the time to find a sunscreen you like.

Apply it 15 minutes before you head outside and use a lot.

You'll want to pick a sunscreen that's broad-spectrum with an SPF of at least 15.

Reapply it every two hours and after you've been sweating, swimming, or toweling off.

Remember, sunscreen is just one part of your sun-safe strategy.

-Before we leave, a few reminders from our show.

If you're traveling overseas this summer, be sure you're protected before you go.

Some destinations outside the US carry a higher risk for vaccine-preventable diseases.

Recommendations vary based on where you're going, how long you'll stay, and your travel plans.

We stock most travel vaccines at the health department.

You can call through current vaccine availability and pricing.

Also, kids who will need school immunizations this fall should not put them off.

Come to the health department now for childhood vaccines and beat the back-to-school rush.

Plus, kids who come early can get a free basketball while supplies last.

Please call ahead for appointment availability.

For any moms-to-be, you could earn $300 in free food and diaper vouchers .. For more details, call the health department and ask for LeKendria or Alex.

We want to thank our guest, Vicki Lake, with West Tennessee Healthcare, and LeKendria Mays and Alex McHugh with the Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department.

A special thanks to our kid chef, Sebastian.

Finally, we'd like to thank you for joining us on this episode of Channel 11 Checkup.

I'm Ginger Rowsey.

Thanks for being with us, and we'll check in next time.

[music] -The program you've been watching was made possible through the generous financial support of West Tennessee PBS viewers like you.

Please visit westtnpbs.org and make a donation today so that we can continue to make local programs like this possible.

Thank you.

[music]