Healthy Families is a voluntary home visiting service in your community that enjoys partnering with parents to build a community of Happy, Healthy, and Safe Kids/Children that are ready for school. The Healthy Families home visiting program matches parents with knowledgeable and caring workers who provide information and support during pregnancy and early childhood. Services include helping families access community resources and services, educating families on parenting and child development, connecting families with medical providers, and assessing children for developmental delays.
Summer Safety
GRILLING SAFETY TIPS •Position the grill well away from foot traffic and play areas. Areas along siding, deck railings, out from under eaves and overhanging branches could also be potentially dangerous.
•Keep children and pets away from the grill area by declaring a three-foot "kid-free zone" around the grill.
•Keep all matches and lighters away from children. Teach your children to report any loose matches or lighters to an adult immediately.
STAYING SAFE OUTDOORS •Make sure your children have the appropriate clothing and gear. Camps will often send a required packing list. Follow it. The right gear will help your campers stay safe.
•Give your children a few first aid basics such as when to use a bandage, what a tick might look like and how to spot poison ivy.
•Teach kids not to play with matches and lighters and keep a bucket of water and a shovel near your campfire. It’s important to supervise children around an open flame.
SWIMMING SAFETY TIPS •Watch kids when they are in or around water, without being distracted. A Water Watcher card can help designate a responsible adult to keep an eye on kids in the water at all times.
•Teach children to swim with an adult. Older, more experienced swimmers should still swim with a partner every time.
•Swimming aids such as water wings or noodles are fun toys for kids, but are not appropriate to be used as a personal floatation device (PFD). Be sure to use a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket or PFD for your kids.
•Teach children that swimming in open water is NOT the same as swimming in a pool. They need to be aware of uneven surfaces, river currents, ocean undertow and changing weather.
Water and Pool Safety
Summer months are filled with fun, festive activities like trips to the playground and beaches, pool parties and backyard barbecues. Parents and caregivers should take a moment to familiarize themselves with potential hazards and how they can prevent injuries to children.
When you think about places where kids are around water, you may think of recreational areas such as pools, lakes, or oceans but it's important to also keep in mind areas in your home like bathrooms and buckets where kids can get into water.
According to Safe Kids Worldwide, drowning is the leading cause of injury-related death among children between 1 and 4 years old and the third leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children 19 and under. Children less than a year old are more likely to drown at home in the bathtub or a bucket.
Use these tips for water safety at home, whether your kids are in bathtubs, backyard pools, or around buckets:
Watch kids when they are in or around water, without being distracted. Young children can drown in as little as an inch of water, so it's important to keep them within an arm's reach of an adult.
Empty tubs, buckets, containers and kids' pools immediately after use. Store them upside down and out of children's reach.
Close lids and doors. Keep toilet lids and doors to bathrooms and laundry rooms closed when not in use.
Install fences around home pools. A pool fence should surround all sides of the pool and be at least four feet tall with self-closing and self-latching gates.
Stay close and be alert!
Learn CPR and basic water rescue skills. It is important to know how to respond in an emergency without putting yourself at risk.
Baby Bundles!
Are you expecting your first baby? Are you a fostering or adopting your first child? The Wyoming County Health Department is here to help you help you and your child get off to the best start. As part of the NYS Birth Through Five Grant, The Wyoming County Health Department has received funding to provide new parents with tool kits called Baby Bundles. Each kit consists of a reusable tote bag filled with helpful resources, including books for you to read to your new child. If you are interesting in obtaining your Baby Bundle, or would like more information please contact Natalie at the Wyoming County Health Department. 585-786-8890.
Tick Reminder
Year round ticks that can spread Lyme disease and other infections. The Wyoming County Health Department would like to remind you to wear bug repellent when outdoors, shower as soon as possible after coming indoors, and check your whole body for ticks--every day. If you’ve been bitten by a tick and develop fever, rash, or fatigue, seek medical care.
Narcan Training
Narcan training is a free training program, which aims to both give citizens the skills they need to safely administer Narcan and raise awareness about addiction as a whole. Free Narcan Kits are distributed to individuals who become trained. Call 585-786-8890 to schedule a training.
State Septic System Replacement Program
The Clean Water Infrastructure Act of 2017 (L. 2017, c. 57, Part T) established the Septic System Replacement Fund to provide a source of funding for the replacement of cesspools and septic systems in New York State. This grant program (the “Program”) seeks to reduce the environmental and public-health impacts associated with the discharge of effluent from cesspools and septic systems on groundwater used as drinking water, as well as threatened or impaired waterbodies. Silver Lake and Java Lake have been identified as threatened or impaired waterbodies in Wyoming County. Click here to see a complete program summary.
If your property is located next to one of the identified waterbodies and you wish to participate in this program, please complete the online grant application.
Pay Your Environmental Health Related Fees & Invoices Online
In addition to paying your Environmental Health related charges by check, you now have the option to pay online with a credit or debit card using GovPayNet. For this service a small processing fee will be added to your transaction. If you would like more information please review GovPayNet Fee Schedule and GovPayNet Terms of Service prior to paying.
immers should still swim with a partner every time.