Babies born at Great Plains Regional Medical Center (GPRMC) will soon be getting a stylish new bib, with an important message, to add to Mom and Dad’s arsenal of anti-laundry weaponry.

The Community Connections-Tobacco Free Lincoln County Coalition will be providing newborn babies at GPRMC with bibs that say, “Tender Lungs at Work-Thank you for not smoking,” in an effort to reduce involuntary exposure to secondhand smoke.

Community Connections Coordinator, George Haws, said, “We are especially concerned about little children.” He added, “They are growing rapidly and breath more air for their body size than the rest of us do.”

The release of the bibs corresponds with the 50th Anniversary of the first Surgeon General’s report on smoking and health in 1964.

Haws said, “A lot has been learned since then about the dangers of using tobacco and about the harm caused by secondhand smoke.”

Research has shown that exposure to secondhand smoke increases the risk of premature death, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), learning difficulties, asthma and other health problems.

Haws hopes the bibs will serve as a reminder to parents and caregivers that we need clean air to breathe, especially the children.

 

 

With negative temperatures and even lower wind chills throughout much of Nebraska and Iowa, it is important that families and individuals remain vigilant in practicing home fire safety. Although rarely making headlines, home fires are the most common disaster the Red Cross responds to, sending volunteers to the scene of fires at all hours of the day and night to help those affected.

Heat sources such as space heaters, fireplaces or wood and coal stoves can pose a fire hazard. To reduce the risk of heating related fires, the Red Cross recommends keeping anything that can burn such as paper, bedding or furniture, at least three feet away from heating equipment and fireplaces and to never leave these unattended.

“Last month, the Nebraska/SW Iowa Region responded to more than 60 home fires across Nebraska and in portions of Iowa,” said Tina Labellarte, Region CEO. “But the good news is that there are steps you can take to reduce your risk of a home fire.”

Home Fire Safety Tips

• ·         Keep items that can catch on fire at least three feet away from anything that gets hot, such as space heaters.
• ·         Never smoke in bed.
• ·         Talk to your children regularly about the dangers of fire, matches and lighters and keep them out of reach.
• ·         Turn portable heaters off when you leave the room or go to sleep.

The most effective way to protect yourself and your home from fire is to identify and remove fire hazards. About 65 percent of house fire deaths occur in homes with no working smoke alarms. During a home fire, working smoke alarms can save lives.

Smoke Alarm Safety Tips

• ·         Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas.
• ·         Teach your children what smoke alarms sound like and what to do when they hear one.
• ·         Once a month check whether each alarm in the home is working properly by pushing the test button.
• ·         Replace batteries in smoke alarms at least once a year. Immediately install a new battery if an alarm chirps, warning   the battery is low.
• ·         Smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years. Never disable smoke or carbon monoxide alarms.
• ·         Carbon monoxide alarms are not substitutes for smoke alarms. Know the difference between the sound of smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms.

For more information on home fire safety, download the American Red Cross First Aid App, which provides tips on how to prevent home fires and on severe winter weather safety. This free app is available on the Apple iTunes or Google Play stores. Find all of the Red Cross apps at redcross.org/mobileapps.

A North Platte woman has been charged with a felony after she allegedly neglected an elderly woman under her care.

According to Officer Rodney Brown, at around 12:30 a.m. on Monday, an officer responded to the Emergency Room at Great Plains Regional Medical Center on the report of possible neglect of a 62-year-old female.

Hospital staff advised the responding officer that the victim had not been given the proper medication, which led to her having seizures and becoming unresponsive.  Staff reported that this had occurred at least once every month over the past six months.

During the investigation, the officer learned that 33-year-old Tia Eggers had been placed in charge of caring for the woman.

Eventually, Eggers arrived at the hospital and, following further investigation, the officer determined there was probable cause to arrest Eggers for abuse of a vulnerable adult, a class IIIA felony.

Additionally, while the officer was processing Eggers, he smelled burnt marijuana and, following a subsequent search, located a small amount of marijuana on Eggers’ person.  As a result, she was also charged with possession of marijuana.

Eggers was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center.

(AP) — Pet owners are being encouraged to bring their animals inside during the bitter cold snap.

Temperatures are predicted to fall to at least 15 degrees below zero Sunday night and Monday morning in Nebraska and Iowa. Then strong winds will make it feel 30-to-60 degrees below zero.

The Nebraska Humane Society says it’s best to bring pets inside during periods of extreme cold like this.

But if pets must remain outside, it’s important to make sure they have a solid structure to protect them with hay or straw inside for insulation.

Dogs also need constant access to water, so pet owners should use heated bowls during freezing weather.

(AP)–Nebraskans are preparing to deal with the coldest air of the season.

A blast of artic cold is moving into the state on Sunday afternoon. The National Weather Service says dangerously cold temperatures will follow.

Temperatures will fall as low as 15-to-20 degrees below zero across Nebraska Sunday night, and Monday’s high temperatures could remain below zero in many places.

Wind chills of 30-to-40 degrees below zero are expected across Nebraska Sunday night.

Officials are warning that frostbite and hypothermia are possible if people aren’t properly bundled up.

But forecasters say the temperatures aren’t likely to set records across eastern Nebraska and western Iowa.

(AP) — Fire chiefs and lawmakers are working to protect the system of volunteer firefighting that has served rural America for more than a century but is threatened by an ambiguity in the federal health overhaul.

Volunteer firefighters are considered employees for tax purposes because they’re often offered such incentives as stipends, retirement benefits and gym memberships.

That leaves open the question of whether they’ll fall under the health care law’s requirement that employers with 50 or more employees working at least 30 hours a week must provide health insurance for them.

Small-town fire chiefs say they can’t afford to pay for health insurance for volunteers.

But others say it’s too early to ring the alarm. The federal government is expected to release its regulations this year that could answer the question.

(AP) — Construction work is scheduled this coming week on Interstate 80 southeast of Grand Island.

The pavement project runs for about six miles west of the Giltner interchange. The Nebraska Department of Roads says there will be lane closures and lowered speed limits.

The work is expected to be finished by the end of the month, weather permitting.

Several North Platte businesses and Community Connections are teaming up to help you get healthy and save money.

25 businesses and the city Recreation Center are offering coupons to people who sign a pledge to keep their homes and vehicles smoke-free.

There are discounts on sporting equipment, fitness classes, fast food, books, haircuts and car parts.

The pledge drive coincides with the 50th anniversary of the US Surgeon General’s first report on smoking and health, January 14, 1964.

Since then, researchers have uncovered much more on the dangers, not only of smoking, but also the dangers posed by exposure to secondhand smoke.

Organizers say homes and personal vehicles are the places where people are most likely to be exposed to tobacco smoke.

The pledge form is available from a website, www.CommunityConnectionsLC.org, or by calling 308-696-3356.

Pledge forms and coupon books are also available at West Central District Health Department, 111 North Dewey St.

(AP) — Police in Chadron are urging merchants to keep a lookout for counterfeit $20 bills circulating in the area.

The bills should be easy to spot. Compared to real currency, the fake bills are printing on low-quality paper with dull and blurry images. The serial numbers are the same, and both the security thread and color-shifting ink are missing. Police say the bills give the appearance of having been checked with a counterfeit-detection pen on the right-front side.

Sgt. Mike Loutzenhiser says merchants should check bills with their own counterfeit-detection pens, and compare the bills to others in their cash registers.

Police say anyone who receives a bogus bill can call Dawes County Crime Stoppers at 308-432-0519.