Are you shopping for cell phone service for the first time, or considering a new plan? The basic approach is to determine your calling needs, shop carefully, and avoid pitfalls.
How to choose cell phone service and avoid problems:
Study which kind of service best fits your calling needs.. There are local, regional, or national plans, family plans for two or more phones, and pre-paid plans. Consider which plan is best for the time of day and number and length of calls you will make. (You pay a hefty charge for using minutes that exceed your plan, so study the details.) Many plans offer far more minutes for night calls, but “night” may not begin until 9 p.m. Plans may offer free minutes for incoming calls, or for “mobile-to-mobile” calls from others who have the same cell phone company. For more tips and information about the many choices available, check out the links below -- especially if you are a first-time shopper for cell phone service (also known as “wireless” or “mobile” phone service.)
Determine which company offers you the best service. Ask friends and neighbors which companies have worked out best for them. Check the “home calling area” and where “roaming charges” apply for different cell phone companies. (Outside your home area, the phone may not work, or you may incur costly roaming charges.) Ask to see a “coverage map,” especially if you travel frequently -- but remember, the map will not indicate holes or ‘dead zones’ and is no guarantee of service.
Ask to test the cell service for a trial period (often 15-30 days). Be sure you get a good signal where you need it -- at home and work, and places you visit often..
Check for complaints about providers.. Call the Attorney General’s Office or the Better Business Bureau, and ask your friends and neighbors about their experience.
Know that you are entering a contract with termination fees. Most cell phone service plans are for two years -- and require you to pay a $150-200 termination fee per phone, even if you move out of state, move to an area with poor service, or simply change your mind and cancel your service before the end of the contract. Ask if termination fees can be pro-rated, i.e., reduced proportionately to the amount of time you have had the service. (If you are concerned about contract duration and termination fees, you might consider a pre-paid plan offering a set number of minutes and no contract duration, usually with inexpensive, no-frills phones. Some people use pre-paid plans for kids, emergencies, or temporary situations.)
Know that changing your calling plan or getting a new phone usually renews your contract and termination fee period for another two years.
Know that contract termination dates may not coincide with your billing cycle. Here’s why that is important: If you are changing cell phone service providers, you probably will not receive a refund for unused minutes or service in that billing cycle, even if you “port” your old cell number to the new service, and the original service is dead. Tip: activate your new service at the end of the billing cycle of the old service, even if that is a little later than your termination date.
Compare phone warranties, and consider hazard or loss insurance, especially for expensive cell phones. Most cell phone contracts do NOT provide you with a free cell phone if your initial phone is lost or damaged or simply fails to work.
Watch out for web sites that advertise “free” ring tones, games, chat lines, text messaging or graphics. When kids or others visit these web sites and put their cell phone number in to retrieve the “free” item, many times they also are authorizing the company to debit their or their parents’ cellular account a monthly service fee. For many consumers, cell phones are a source of convenience and security, but they also raise many consumer questions and complaints. The tips above are some of the most important points to understand about choosing cell phone service. We encourage you to read up even more – go to the web sites listed below, especially if you are considering cell phone service for the first time.
To file a complaint, contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division, Des Moines, Iowa 50319. Call 515-281-5926, or 888-777-4590 (toll-free.) The web site is www.IowaAttorneyGeneral.org. Links to More sources with good information about choosing cell phone plans: 1. Federal Communications Commission
2. AARP
3. Wireless Guide
4. Wireless Advisor
Cleaning Up After the Floods - 2008-04-25
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Description: Winneshiek County Public Health reminds you to stay safe when cleaning up flood waters. The recent heavy rains, and more anticipated have resulted in some area basements filling with water.
Do not drive or walk into the flood waters. You cannot be sure of the depth or if the road or bridge is truly present. The water moves fast and it only takes a small amount of water to move a vehicle. Children and adults should not swim in floodwaters no matter how good of a swimmer you may be. The water just moves too fast and many times there is floating debris such as large tree branches making the waters dangerous.
As a homeowner, you’ll want to get the water out of the basement. Before you enter the basement, turn off the electricity and fuel service valves, and check the outside walls for cracks and other damage. Wear protective clothing such as long pants, long sleeved shirts and boots when working near flood waters. Flood waters can become contaminated from human and livestock wastes or chemicals being washed from farms and fields. These can carry deadly bacteria. You may need to put in a sump pump to pump the water out of the basement. These are available at most hardware stores.
You will want to dry things out as quickly as possible. This may mean using a dehumidifier or fans. To disinfect items such as the walls and floors, it is suggested to add ½ to 1 cup of bleach to a gallon of soap and water. Some discoloration may occur. Start from the top of the water line and work down to the floor. Wood floors need to be cleaned per manufacturer’s instructions. Be sure to wear gloves when working with bleach water.
You will need to throw away things that you cannot clean or wash. Examples of these would be mattresses, carpet and sheetrock. To launder items, it is recommended you use hot water, laundry detergent and either chlorine bleach or all-fabric bleach, depending on the colors and fabrics. Wash contaminated clothes from uncontaminated clothes.
Do not eat foods that have been in contact with floodwaters. This is especially true for foods such as cereals and crackers and other items found in cardboard boxes. Canned goods may be kept provided there are no signs of leaking or swelling. Wash cans in hot soapy water before opening.
This is always a good time to check the status of your most recent tetanus shot if you are working in flood waters or standing water. If you have an open sore or cut and are working in the waters that are dirty and contaminated, you may be at increased risk for a disease called tetanus(lockjaw). Tetanus is a preventable disease when given a vaccination and that protection is up to date with a booster shot at least every 10 years. The following is information from the Iowa Department of Public Health: FACT SHEET TETANUS (Lockjaw disease) What is tetanus? Tetanus is a disease caused by a toxin formed by the bacteria Clostridium tetani. It grows without oxygen at the site of an injury and has a short and relatively severe course that is often fatal. What are the symptoms of a tetanus infection? The illness is characterized by painful muscle contractions, especially stiffness and convulsive spasms of the jaw and neck muscles and the upper body or trunk muscles. A common first sign of tetanus in older children and adults is painful stiffness of stomach muscles. How soon do symptoms appear? Illness usually starts in 3 - 21 days, although it may occur as soon as 1 day depending on the type and location of the wound; the average is 10 days. A shorter time to illness is associated with a dirtier wound and more severe illness. How does tetanus spread? Tetanus spores are introduced into the body, usually through a puncture wound dirty with soil or animal or human feces. They may also be introduced through cuts, scraps, burns and trivial or unnoticed wounds, or by infected, contaminated street drugs. Tetanus may follow elective surgery, ear infections, or dental infection. Tetanus is not spread from human to human. Who gets tetanus? Anyone may get the illness, regardless of age. If a person has suffered a wound or injury and has not been adequately immunized against tetanus and received a booster shot every ten years, tetanus may occur. Most current cases occur in older adults who have not gotten a booster shot every 10 years to maintain protection. For how long is a person infectious? There is no infectious period because tetanus in not spread from person-to-person. Tetanus is the only vaccine-preventable disease that is not contagious. What is the treatment for this illness? Antibiotics play almost no role in the treatment of tetanus. Other drugs may be used by the healthcare provider. Do infected people need to be excluded from school, work, or child care? No, tetanus in not spread from person-to-person. What can be done to help prevent the spread of tetanus? Tetanus can be prevented by vaccination and keeping that protection up-to-date with a booster shot every 10 years.
If you have questions about water safety or sewage backing up into your home, please contact the Winneshiek County Environmental Health Specialist, Doug Groux at 563-387-4120
For further information please visit the following links:
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Study your billing statements for unauthorized charges. Some consumers are being charged for products or services and don't even know it. This happens especially when consumers receive "free trial offers" for buying club memberships, travel clubs, or “credit card protection plans” -- and then are charged automatically on their credit cards or bank accounts when the free trial period ends.
Consumers often are surprised when – and if – they discover the unexpected bill. The problem seems to stem from two things: First, consumers may not realize a seller already has the key information to bill their credit card or checking account. Second, some sellers may use questionable tactics to try to shift the burden onto the consumer to cancel.
If you don’t cancel within the “free trial offer period” (usually 30 days), you will then be charged the monthly or annual membership fee, possibly as much as $100 or more. And you may be charged repeatedly every month or every year if you don’t cancel. And you may not even notice the charges!
Questionable “free trial offers” may come in several ways:
On the phone. You may order a product or a ticket, or make a hotel or car reservation – and then the telemarketer may ask you to consider a “free trial offer” membership.
In mailings. For example, a bank or credit card statement may include a check made payable to you for a small amount (say, $10 or $15) with fine print on the back of the check that signs you up for some kind of buyers club or program -- and a monthly or annual charge if you cash the check!
Over the Internet. You may order something over the Internet and receive a “pop-up” ad on your computer screen with the “free trial offer.” Remember, sellers may already have access to charge your credit card or checking account -- and they will bill you after the free trial period without further approval from you. They count on you forgetting, not noticing the billings, or not noticing if they send you a mail notice that you discard as “junk mail.” And some unscrupulous sellers may start billing you even if you decline the free trial offer!
Don’t be trapped by “free trial offers”:
Reject a free trial offer unless you are absolutely sure it is something you will use. Make it very clear to a phone solicitor that you are declining an offer. Don’t cash checks mailed to you that might trick you into signing up for a program, and paying for it.
Examine your credit card bill every month, and also your checking account statement, mortgage statement, and phone bill. Watch for unauthorized charges, and dispute them at once, in writing.
Watch your mail carefully. (Some cancellation notices look like junk mail.) To file a complaint, write to the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division, Des Moines, Iowa 50319. Call 515-281-5926 or 888-777-4590 (toll-free.) The web site is www.IowaAttorneyGeneral.org
Mold - 2007-08-28
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Why worry about mold? Mold can cause several problems. It can be an allergen. This causes symptoms similar to hay fever- red, itchy eyes, sneezing, and runny nose. Or it may be an irritant- the symptoms of this are irritation of the eyes and or skin. This is similar to allergy, but is not an allergic reaction. Finally and less commonly, there are mycotoxins- toxic substances released by the molds. Here in Iowa, the one you may have heard of is aflotoxin, a mold that sometimes grows on grain that is stored too wet. Aflotoxin can be up to and including fatal by causing liver cancer.
Mold is everywhere and you can't eliminate it. Mold becomes a problem when it establishes and begins colonizing. What allows it to do that? Water. While it is everywhere, there are some things it needs for colonizing and the leading ingredient is a high moisture level. This is not only as in a flood, though you can be almost certain that a flood will create significant problems. Some of the most insidious infestations are due to water we provide in our buildings. High moisture areas in a home such as poorly ventilated bathrooms, laundry rooms, kitchens and attics are leaders on the list.
The problem generally starts with a water incursion- a leaking roof, pipe, window or basement wall/floor. If you have a water incursion, you should get it dried up in 48 hours or less. In that length of time the mold can get established. It is more likely to be a problem if humidity levels in excess of 60re maintained after the incursion. Do your windows “sweat” or frost? Is your bathroom/laundry/kitchen vented properly? Can you see any discoloration on ceilings or walls? Today's tight construction, while it may reduce heating/cooling costs, can also contain moisture. Moisture needs to be vented somehow. If you don't provide means for this, it is likely to collect where it can, which in winter is a cooler surface.
Heating, ventilation and cooling systems are another potential area of concern. If you have a reason to question your furnace, have it inspected by a professional- this is a good idea to have done annually to keep it maintained and safe anyhow. There are companies that offer to clean your furnace ducts- this may help, but is not always necessary. (The EPA has information on this- see below.) Change your filters at recommended intervals and consider the high quality filters available today.
Generally, the specific type of mold is less important than it being present at all. If you can see it, you should do something about it. If it covers less than 10 square feet (roughly 3 foot x 3 foot area), you may be able to remedy it yourself. If it is larger than that or requires you to do work you need training for (furnaces, etc.) you should hire it done. Seek assistance of someone with professional experience with mold. If you do it yourself, you MUST be careful of your exposure to mold. If you have symptoms that you feel are mold related, you should not do the work. Either way, it is recommended that you wear gloves, goggles, and a respiratory mask.
First stop any direct water leaks. Then dry the area completely. Hard, nonporous surfaces such as plastic, concrete and metal can be washed with soap and water or even stronger chemicals such as Lysol or fungicides (again, caution with these chemicals). Porous surfaces are a bigger problem. Wood, plasterboard, ceiling tiles, and carpets with significant growth are generally removed and disposed of at the landfill.
If you choose to seek further information on this, the EPA has some references to it on the Web. (http://www.epa.gov/iaq/molds/preventionandcontrol.html) If you do not have Internet access, you can call the EPA Indoor Air Quality Information Clearinghouse at 1-800-438-4318, or go to your library and ask them for assistance. Another current website with information is www.cdc.gov/floods .
Home Health Telemonitoring - 2006-11-30
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Winneshiek County Public Health is pleased to announce the newest addition to our skilled nursing services with the in home telemonitoring systems. Our agency has been placing the monitors in some of our client’s homes since September of 2006. The HomMed monitor system is hospital grade quality, it consists of a small compact monitor, a blood pressure cuff, a finger probe and a scale. If the client has difficulty with balance, the monitor can be used without the scale or the scale can be used only when the nurse or a family member is present to assist them to get on and off the scale.
Our trained nurses will deliver and install the monitor system with easy to follow instructions. The monitor will be programmed to start as a specific time every day. It is possible to activate the monitor up to four times a day if needed; the activation times are flexible and scheduled to meet client need and preference. The monitor will automatically turn on, much like an alarm clock. The monitor will use a voice to prompt the client step by step to checking their vital signs and will ask the client a few simple questions that have been customized to meet their specific needs. With a push of a button the client will send their vital signs to our office. The nurse will monitor their blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen level and weight. Our nurses check the monitors daily, including week ends and holidays between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. The nurse will call the client and make a home visit if needed.
HomMed monitors enable the nurse and physician to monitor changes in client status while adjusting medication and treatment of disease process. The telemonitoring system provides our agency the ability to keep the physician updated by sending them monitor print outs of the client’s vital signs and weights with graphs and tabular trends. This allows early detection and intervention to decrease emergency room visits and hospitalizations with continuity of care.
Our goal is to empower our clients and families to be active in their health care while providing them with feelings of security and to promote safety.
The Honeywell HomMed Monitor System is available to clients who meet guideline criteria. The telemonitoring system is not an emergency alert device.
For more information call 382-4662
EMERGENCY PANTRY LIST - 2007-03-29
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Baking mixes (pie crust mix +canned pie filling=cobbler) Baking powder Baking soda Barley Beans—dry Bottled drinks and juices Brown sugar Boullion, concentrated broth Candy Canned beans Canned broth Canned chili Canned ready-to-eat meats (chicken, tuna, salmon, SPAM) Canned tomato products Canned fruit Canned milk, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk Canned pie filling Canned pumpkin Canned soups Canned stew Canned vegetables Canned dry drink mixes Cheese dips Cheese soups Chocolate chips Coffee filters (to strain silt from water) Cornstarch Corn meal crackers Cream of Wheat Crisco Dried eggs Dried fruit Dried soups Cocoa Electrolyte drinks (Gatorade) Flour Granola bars Hard candy Honey Instant coffee (for the die-hards) Instant mashed potatoes Jarred or canned spaghetti sauce Jellies and jams Jerky Ketchup Kool Aid Packages of dry pasta Marshmallows Mayo packets (if really necessary) Nuts Oatmeal Oil (can freeze) Pancake mix—one step, and other mixes that already have eggs in them Peanut butter Powdered sugar Power bars Powdered milk Raisins Ramen noodles Ravioli or other canned pasta Butter or margarine(can keep frozen) Rice Salt and pepper Spices and herbs your family likes Stovetop dressing mixes Sugar Summer sausage Syrups Tea Trail mix Vanilla Velveeta (can freeze) Vienna sausage Yeast
Consider baby and pet needs: Pet food Baby food Formula Diapers wipes
OTHER SUPPLIES/MISCELLANEOUS - 2007-03-29
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Manual can opener Paper plates Plastic utensils Flashlights Batteries Emergency radio Candles Matches Garbage bags Toilet paper Kleenex Portable heater Scissors Non-electric clock or watch Bleach Mop and bucket Paper Pens Waterproof marker Vehicles full of fuel Photocopies of important documents (birth certificates, driver’s license, etc)
MEDICINE KIT - 2007-03-29
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Thermometer Hand sanitizer Insect repellant Sunscreen Shaving supplies Nail clippers Shampoos Toothpaste, floss, mouthwash Soap Tampons Band-aids Masks Gowns Vitamins Anti-diarrheal Pain relievers (Tylenol, ibuprofen, aspirin) Children’s pain relievers Benadryl—adult and children Antibiotic ointment Cortisone cream Rubbing alcohol Peroxide Birth control (condoms, birth control pills, etc) Prescription medications
WINNESHIEK COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH ENCOURAGES FAMILIES TO BE PREPARED - 2007-03-29
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Winneshiek County Public Health encourages every family to be prepared for any type of public health threat.
What is a public health threat? It can be anything from a tornado or snowstorm to extreme heat or cold to an outbreak of shigella or meningitis or an influenza pandemic.
How can you prepare? Just before a snowstorm do find yourself at the grocery store stocking up on just about anything? Some of that cannot be avoided but, there are things you can do to get prepared and stay prepared. These things include: • Having enough non-perishable foods on hand for everyone in your house for 3-5 days. This means having canned vegetables, fruit and meat. It also means bread, crackers, and cereal. It includes snacks such as granola bars. If you store the foods, be sure to rotate them and then restock. • Have a hand can opener. If there’s no electricity, it will be difficult to open a can. • Have enough water (bottled or stored) on hand for each person to drink 1 gallon of water per day for 3-5 days. Remember that if the electricity goes off, the well doesn’t work, this is especially true for rural residents. • Have first aid kit. Be sure to include pain and fever reducing medication (such as Tylenol or Motrin, for example) for both adults and children, if they live in the house. Keep antibiotic ointment, allergy medication and bandaids available. • Be sure to have enough prescription medication available. This is especially important for diabetics who depend on insulin or those persons with breathing problems and use inhalers or nebulizers. • Keep a flashlight and batteries available. Have either a crank radio or batteries for a radio. • Consider children and pets. What are some of their needs? Do you need diapers, wipes, formula, water for mixing formula, pet food, water for the animals? • Personal hygiene items. This would include sanitary napkins and tampons, contact solution, birth control pills. • Keep a list of important phone numbers available and either a cell phone or phone card. • In the event you would need to evacuate for safety reasons, small amounts of cash, and important personal documents such as health records.
The following lists are good starting places to begin making your preparedness kit.
Where can I find these items? The items on the lists can be found in most grocery or discount stores. Many hardwares stores also stock these supplies.
I live on a fixed income. How can I purchase all this? Most people do live from paycheck to paycheck. Can you afford to take just $10 from each paycheck to set aside for an emergency fund? Many of the items listed may be things you already have in your pantry and as part of your household. Use them and just remember to re-stock.
Why should I make a preparedness kit? In the likely event there is a public health threat, you may not be able to get help and help may not be able to get to you. It is better to be somewhat prepared with some things. In certain events such as a tornado, Winneshiek County may need to work with what we’ve already got before others can come to help us. It could take 48-72 hours or longer for help from others to arrive.
