Jasper County Health Department Receives Public Health Award.

At a statewide meeting of local public health agencies, Tony Moehr, Administrator of Jasper County Health Department, Carthage, accepted an award for outstanding performance in public health practice. The award was presented by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and recognizes effective implementation of public health measures or methods that achieve positive results in protecting or promoting the health of the public.

Kathryn Hadlock, District Health Director and Steve Krysiak, Environment Public Health Specialist from the Southwestern District Health Office of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services nominated Jasper County Health Department for the award.

Jasper County was selected for the award based upon the local public health agency’s planning effort and their excellent management of a three-day long Route 66 music festival event that brought over 250,000 visitors to Jasper County in July 2001. The event, involving numerous food vendors, was held in an area without any public water supply or sewage disposal system when the heat index was above 100 degrees. The event was moved from another area to Jasper County with little advance notice. Careful planning around health risks, careful monitoring of food concessions, assurance that safe water was available and regularly tested for safety, and collaboration with many other agencies and organizations resulted in a successful event with no reported injuries or illnesses due to food or water contaminants.

The management and staff of the health department followed a carefully laid plan and worked diligently to assure that all health risks were addressed.

The way the situation was managed is an example of how public health protects everyone, everywhere, even those unaware that public health is on the job everyday.

Another Blast On Opening Night.

by Robin Putnam, artCentral

We hope everyone had a joyous Christmas !! Such a wonderful time of family, friends, food and festivity !! Here it is almost 2002.......it's hard to believe another year has passed. We feel we have truly been blessed.....with our fabulous home here in the Hyde House, our many loyal supporters, gobs of helpful friends and a wonderful Board of Directors. We can't thank everyone enough for all they have done and do for us and in the name of art !!

Our newest addition, the walls at Shellie's, is quickly becoming the hot spot for art. We are so pleased that our local artists are soooo interested in showing there. The works in there now will be coming down on January 6th so if you haven't been in yet to see them you still have a bit of time. Kim Kissel has oil paintings and pastels and Debbie Reed has mixed media, watercolor and acrylic paintings. It's been very exciting for all involved as two paintings have sold !!! Again we appreciate the art patrons in this community......we couldn't and wouldn't be here with out them !!

The next group of works will be installed ( at Shellie's) on January 7th with the contributing artists being Paula Giltner and Trisha Courtney, Joplin and Nancy Colaw, Carthage. Paula is the artist in residence at Ozark Christian College and is a free lance graphic designer specializing in architectural renderings. She will have watercolors and drawings. Trisha is a graphic designer for the Joplin Globe and the coordinator of the Ozark Artists Colony web site. She works in heavily applied oils and uses bright colors for her floral paintings. Nancy is a senior at Carthage High School and has some new paintings she is anxious to show off !!

Our calendar for 2002 is booked solid and the Member's Gallery is also filling up. The artists lined up for the coming year will be first timers with the exception of four. Bill Snow, Jack and Lee Ann Sours and Tom Jones have all exhibited with us before but the rest are all new.

We have even booked our first exhibit for 2003 !!! Yay !! There will be exhibiting artists from Arkansas, Springfield and Kansas City as well as from this area. We will have two large group exhibits.....Art Forum and the Ozark Artists Colony. Art Forum is considering making their 'Unveiled" show an annual event !!!

The group exhibit, now in our main gallery, featuring Bill Snow, Jorge Leyva, Perry Fleming and Penny Wilkinson will run through January 11, 2002. Our next opening reception will be on January 18th for the group exhibit "Unveiled".

Everyone here wishes all of you out there a very prosperous and happy New Year !!! For more info call 358-4404. Hours are Tues. - Sat. 9am - 3pm. Also find us at www.ozarkartistscolony.com.

I’ve heard talk about it, but I’ve never recognized if I was in a state of post Christmas blues.

Now there is the possibility that I live in a constant state of the ailment and just don’t notice the difference. I’m more likely to think it’s more a matter of expectations.

A friend a mine, as a child at his grandmother’s for Christmas, opened his gift and found a pair of socks.

"Dang," he said as he threw them on the floor, "I’d rather had the money."

Most likely the grandmother felt a little twinge of the blues right away, not waitin’ for the "post" to set in.

I suppose it takes a little more maturity to really appreciate a good pair a socks for Christmas.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Oak Street health & herbs

Natural Nutrition

by Mari An Willis

Herbs certainly are not something new, but the spotlight is on them now encouraging research to tell us what is "new" with these plants which have been utilized for centuries. I am encouraged by the people who are giving an admiring glance to the Aunts and Grandmothers/fathers who were laughed at in the not too distant past.

It is amazing how influenced we are by the mass media. We in the healthfood stores have been encouraging people to take Ginko Biloba (the botanical name, not the mass medias name) for our memories and to help stay focused. Now that it has been picked up by a pharmaceutical company who has millions to spend on advertising, it has credence and more people want it. It is not that they have spent millions more researching it, but that their market had been cut into by thinking Americans who had been educated and sought out optional answers and opened doors to allow us to choose these things. I am grateful that they advertise, it makes my job somewhat easier; in that those who need media endorsement have it.

But, that is not the only place to seek advice and sit by idly waiting for what you will be told to do next. Start doing your homework and stepping out into this "new" area of healthy choices.