TAKING ACTION What Valley communities are doing

Boardman Township

Hand-sanitizer dispensers placed throughout township buildings.

Employees encouraged to frequently wash hands.

Information about how and where to get vaccinated will be distributed to employees.

Boardman schools

Nurses have attended health department workshops on H1N1.

Planning a phone survey to gauge interest in H1N1 vaccinations for children.

Planning an immunization clinic that would provide the vaccine for students.

Mailed a letter home explaining to parents the importance of keeping feverish children at home.

Ordered masks for children who are contagious.

Put posters in school hallways.

Poland Township

Township purchased large containers of hand sanitizer that have been placed throughout township buildings.

Township pays for all flu vaccinations for employees as part of its wellness policy and also will pay for employees’ H1N1 vaccinations when they become available.

Poland schools

Purchased hand sanitizer to be placed in school hallways and near cafeterias.

Asked principals to track attendance and look for patterns.

Advised nurses of symptoms and asked to keep an eye out for flulike symptoms.

In the process of sponsoring flu-shot clinics with the county board of health for children, parents and staff. Clinics would take place in the schools, but no dates or times have been finalized.

Youngstown city schools

Classroom teachers have been given hand sanitizer to dispense to their students.

Parent volunteers outside restrooms in the high schools offer hand sanitizer to those using the restrooms. More parent volunteers are being sought to expand that effort into the lower grades.

Education for students about prevention measures is stressed.

The district is developing a policy to deal with pandemic flu and flu in general, addressing such issues as school closings and electronic education for those too ill to attend class. That could include computers, cable television and the district’s own television station expected to begin broadcasting soon from Choffin Career and Technical Center.

The district is working with Mahoning County and Youngstown health departments regarding possible immunization.

TRUMBULL COUNTY

Trumbull County Health Department in cooperation with the health departments in Girard, Niles and Warren:

When the vaccine becomes available in mid-October, the health department plans to have vaccination clinics in most of the school districts in the county. Other flu clinics are planned for Packard Music Hall and the Niles Wellness Center, though dates are not yet available.

Schools are being asked to participate in an influenza surveillance by filling out a form and turning it into the health department weekly with information about flu cases.

Contact your heath care provider if you experience the following: trouble breathing (in children fast breathing), pain or pressure in chest or abdomen, confusion, sudden dizziness, severe or persistent vomiting, (in children) bluish or gray skin color, (in children) not waking or interacting or being so irritable that the child doesn’t want to be held, flulike symptoms that do not improve or improve but then return with fever and worsening cough.

No special measures are planned at this time for the Trumbull County Jail or other facilities, only the same precautions being given to all residents of the county, according to Selene Layton, director of nursing for the Trumbull County Health Department.

If there is a large-scale flu outbreak, it is possible the health department will advise against people congregating in large groups.

Warren City Schools

The schools sent letters to parents on the importance of hand washing and advising them to teach kids not to share drinks, food or unwashed utensils, to keep sick children at home and to know the signs and symptoms of the flu.

If it becomes necessary to close a school, the parents will be notified by the school district calling system.

Youngstown State University

No cases of H1N1 virus so far this fall.

Students and employees are told that if they have a fever of 100.6 and other flulike symptoms such as cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches and fatigue, they should stay home or in their residence hall.

Students should contact the student health center, and students and employees should not go to work or school.

Students who live in a residence hall should wear a mask and stay in their room if they become ill. Meals will be brought to them. Students and employees are free to return to work/school and class once there is no sign of fever for 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing medication.

The university is preaching prevention — wash hands often, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth, and avoid contact with ill persons.

YSU will alert students when they will be able to receive the vaccine for seasonal flu on campus and it will also offer the vaccine for H1N1 flu when one becomes available.

Westminster College

Twenty-one cases of H1N1 virus reported this fall.

Students exhibiting classic flu symptoms and are too ill to be in class are advised to go home until they are feeling better and their fever is down for 24 hours without taking any medication.

The student health center is working on a clinic for the distribution of the H1N1 vaccine on campus. Seasonal flu shots will be available in the center Nov. 5.