The Health Education Decathlon is for school children at Orville Wright Elementary School on Wednesday, April 5 between 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. The school is located at 1602 Monterey Street in Modesto. Balloons, prizes, costumed theme characters, and the faces of inquisitive and laughing children will highlight this special event.

During the decathlon, children from kindergarten through sixth grade will participate in special health education events and programs designed to promote good health. Educational programs focus on nutrition and its relationship to a healthy heart, dental health, hand washing, lead poisoning prevention, safety and injury prevention and baby sitting safety.

Tobacco education will also be featured at the event, to help encourage children not to smoke or use tobacco products. A 1999 Stanislaus County Health Services Agency study indicates that the sales rate of tobacco to minors in Stanislaus County decreased from 54% in 1995 to 12% in 1999. While this rate shows a major improvement, a surgeon general's report indicates that almost 90% of all smokers start before the age of 18 and that each day over 6000 children throughout the U.S. try their first cigarette. Nicotine also can cause narrowing of the arteries and possible heart attack. About 2800 deaths of children under 18 per year are due to low birth weight caused by mothers who smoked while pregnant. Secondhand smoking causes up to 3,000 new childhood asthma cases in California each year and as many as 188,000 doctor's visits for middle ear infections.

Organized by the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency, the event is a collaboration involving the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department, American Medical Response ambulance company, Memorial Hospital, the American Heart Association and Orville Wright Elementary School.

Photo opportunities include: children interacting with instructors; costumed theme characters including Happy the Heart and Mr. Butts (a cigarette butt character); the ultraviolet hand washing machine; the "big teeth and toothbrush" for dental education; interviews with program participants; and the kindergarten children all leaving the school with their red public health balloons at 11:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m

Children will rotate between small "education centers" that will be set up on site at the school. Groups of 20 children will rotate through 10-minute presentations every hour.

• Kindergarten & 6th grade 9:30 – 10:30 a.m.
• 1 st grade 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
• Kindergarten 11:30 – 12:30 p.m.
• 2nd grade 12:45 – 1:30 p.m.
• 5th & 6th grade 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
  

National Public Health Week takes place during the week of April 3 – 7. In Stanislaus County, the public health department is a division of the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency.

Other events during National Public Health Week include the publishing of the second Stanislaus County community health report card. The report card will be presented at the April 4, 9:00 a.m. Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors meeting in the Board chambers at Tenth Street Place in Modesto. The report gives analysis of the health status of Stanislaus County examining key factors such as deaths from various diseases, infant mortality, overall disease rates, teen pregnancy rates and general demographic information. The report will also be available on the Health Services Agency's web site at www.schsa.org

Also, the Stanislaus Family Practice Residency Program is holding its 13th annual "Run for Health" fun run on Saturday, April 8 in Kerwin Park in Modesto. The run celebrates National Public Health Week and is sponsored by the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency. The race is open to runners and walkers and features five and ten kilometer distances and a one-mile fun run. Registration starts at 8 a.m. with the run beginning at

9:00 a.m. Registration is $12 in advance and $14 the day of the event. Children under age twelve are $7 dollars. All proceeds from this fundraiser go to support the Modesto chapter of "Doctors Ought to Care," a non-profit organization supporting health programs in Stanislaus County. People can register for the event by contacting the residency program at (209) 576-3523.

The Stanislaus County Health Services Agency (HSA) is an outpatient medical system with 9 medical offices located throughout Stanislaus County. The HSA also operates the Public Health Department, an Urgent Care Center and multiple programs serving over 400,000 patients and clients each year in Stanislaus County. The HSA also is in local partnerships for the MOMobile project and the Stanislaus Family Practice Residency Program. You can find more information on the Health Services Agency at www.schsa.org