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CPR and AED Awareness
June 1st-7this National CPR and AED Awareness Week, a time to highlight the lifesaving importance of CPR and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) training. CPR is a way to help keep blood and oxygen moving through the body when a person’s heart stops beating. An AED is a machine that can help restart the heart during an emergency, such as a cardiac arrest. Each year in the United States, more than 350,000 people experience an EMS-assessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, including over 23,000 children, nearly 20% of whom are infants.
When cardiac arrest occurs, immediate action from nearby individuals can make the difference between life and death. Approximately 70% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen in the home, meaning the person needing help is often a family member, friend, or loved one. Knowing how to perform CPR and use an AED, if available, can significantly improve a person’s chance of survival while waiting for emergency responders to arrive.
Hands-only CPR is the starting point for many when it comes to CPR training. The steps for hands-only CPR are as follows:
- Call 911
- Push hard and fast in the center of the chest
- The aim is to do 100-120 compressions per minute. You can use the beat of a song to stay on time. Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees, Crazy in Love by Beyoncé, Hips Don’t Lie by Shakira or Walk the Line by Johnny Cash are all songs that you can use.
For adults, hands-only CPR can work just as well as CPR with rescue breaths during the first few minutes of an emergency. Hands-only CPR uses chest compressions to help keep blood moving through the body. CPR with breaths follows the same first steps, but after every 30 chest compressions, 2 rescue breaths are given, with each breath lasting about one second.
Giving any type of CPR during an emergency can double or even triple a person’s chance of surviving cardiac arrest. Learning CPR can help you be prepared to act in an emergency. A quick response from someone nearby can save a life.
TOPIC RESOURCES
HVHD Service Spotlights
Summer Readiness Starts Here
Our Environmental Team has begun conducting weekly beach sampling of the public beaches throughout our district and will continue through Labor Day. Samples are tested for the presence of bacteria that may cause illness. We recommend closing public beaches when any of the following occur:
- Bacterial sample results from each sampling station are found to be elevated above acceptable levels for swimming/bathing for two consecutive sampling day
- A pollution event has occurred, including but not limited to releases of sewage, oil, or other chemicals
- A toxic algae bloom that may pose an unacceptable risk to public health.
Learn more about Blue-Green Algae Blooms here
The reopening of any beach after closure will be based on obtaining satisfactory sample results.
Summer not only brings more time for swimming but also more time for fishing!
Please review CT DPH’s guidance here on fish consumption.
Stay Updated During an Emergency
Spring weather can often be unpredictable and may bring some of the strongest storms of the year. These storms happen when warm air moving north clashes with lingering cold winter air moving south. Severe weather can sometimes lead to power outages and disruptions to important services. Stay informed about weather and emergency updates in your community by using the guide above to sign up for local alerts.
Public Health Updates:
Mpox: Stay Informed, Not Alarmed
CT has confimed it’s first case of Clade I Mpox. There is NO current Risk to the public.
HARTFORD, Conn.—The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) has identified the first case of clade I mpox in Connecticut through testing performed at the State Public Health Laboratory. The person with this case recently traveled to Western Europe, where clade I mpox is currently spreading. This case does not pose a risk to the general public.
Mpox is still spreading around the world and in the United States. It continues to affect gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men more than other groups. DPH urges people who may be at risk to get fully vaccinated with the JYNNEOS vaccine.
“Mpox hasn’t gone away, and we want people to be protected, especially as many in our community prepare for travel, festivals, and gatherings this summer,” said DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani, M.D.”The vaccine is safe, effective, and widely available. Completing the two-dose series is the best way to protect yourself and your partners.”
There are two types of the mpox virus: clade I and clade II. Clade II has been spreading in the U.S. and around the world since a large outbreak in 2022. Clade I has mainly caused outbreaks in Central and Eastern Africa and has recently been found in Western Europe. Since November 2024, more than 20 clade I mpox cases have been reported in the U.S. in people who traveled to affected areas or had close contact with someone who did.
Both types spread and cause illness in the same ways and can be prevented the same ways. Mpox spreads mainly through direct skin-to-skin contact with the rash. The rash can look like pimples or blisters. It forms a scab before healing over several weeks. Some people also get fever, chills, headache, sore throat, or swollen lymph nodes. A person with mpox can spread the virus starting up to four days before symptoms appear, and until the rash has fully healed and new skin has formed.
If you develop symptoms that might be mpox, contact your healthcare provider right away. Testing is available through the Connecticut State Public Health Laboratory and other labs. Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself. DPH strongly recommends that people at risk get both doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine. Vaccines are available at pharmacies and clinics across the state. Talk to your healthcare provider to find out if you should get vaccinated.
For more information about mpox or to find out where to get vaccinated, visit the DPH website.
Environmental Health Spotlight:
National Lightning Safety Awareness Week: June 21st – 27th
National Lightning Safety Awareness week was started in 2001 to call attention to this underrated killer. Since then, U.S. lightning fatalities have dropped from about 55 per year to about 20. This reduction in fatalities is believed to be largely due to greater awareness of the lightning danger, and people seeking safety when thunderstorms threaten. During National Lightning Safety Awareness Week, we encourage you to learn more about lightning and lightning safety.
Here are some topics and links to help you become more informed during the week.
Saturday: Protecting Your Home from Lightning
Sunday: An Introduction to Lightning Safety
Monday: The Science of Lightning and Thunder
Tuesday: Lightning Safety Outdoors
Wednesday: Lightning Safety Indoors
HVHD Events: June 2026
Healthy Chat: Senior Safety
| Healthy Chats in the Hotchkiss Library Sharon Monday, June 1st from 10am – 11am Healthy Chats in the New Milford Senior Center Wednesday, June 10th from 9:30am – 10:30am Healthy Chats in the Southbury Senior Center Thursday, June 11th from 10:30am –11:30am Healthy Chats in the Woodbury Senior Center Friday, June 19th from 10am – 11am Healthy Chats in the Oxford Senior Center Thursday, June 18th from 11am – 12pm |
| Learn more |
CPR and AED Training
| HVHD with Oxford and Southbury Libraries are partnering to bring you CPR and AED Training this June. Join Housatonic Valley Health District’s nurse, Heidi, to learn what to do in a medical emergency. You will be trained and receive a certificate for Child and Adult CPR plus you will learn how to use an AED.Learn CPR today. Be ready for an emergency. No one should face a life-changing moment alone. |
| Register here |
HVHD Events: MONTH YEAR
Recipe Highlight: Vietnamese Marinated Grilled Chicken with Corn-and-Avocado Salad
Vietnamese marinades feature a host of flavors, including sweet, sour, salty, and hot. In this recipe, honey, lime juice, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes are the key players. You can use the full 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes or scale it back to suit your taste. The tangy chicken is partnered with a colorful salad that’s chock-full of vegetables.
Ingredients
Servings 6 Serving Size 3oz Chicken and 1 Cup Salad
Marinade Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (all visible fat discarded)
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce (lowest sodium available)
- 2 tablespoons canola or corn oil
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Salad Ingredients
- 6 large ears of corn, husks and silk discarded
- 2 medium avocados (halved, pitted, diced)
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped (about 2 cups)
- 3/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
- 1 tablespoon canola or corn oil
- 1 tablespoon plain rice vinegar or white vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Directions
- In a shallow glass dish, whisk together the marinade ingredients. Add the chicken, turning to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours, turning occasionally.
- When the chicken has marinated, preheat the grill on medium high. Drain the chicken, discarding the marinade. Let the chicken stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, wrap each ear of corn in heavy-duty aluminum foil.
- Grill the corn for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender, turning occasionally. Remove from the grill. Let cool. Using potholders, carefully remove the corn from the foil.
- Meanwhile, grill the chicken for 5 minutes on each side, or until it registers 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- When the corn is cool enough to handle, using a knife, cut off the kernels from each cob. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Stir in the remaining salad ingredients, tossing gently to combine.
- Serve the salad with the chicken.
Cooking Tip: Don’t feel like grilling? No problem. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Put the oven rack at the top level. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet. Roast the chicken on the wire rack for 20 minutes on each side, or until it registers 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. Place the foil-wrapped corn on a separate baking sheet. Roast the corn for 20 to 25 minutes, or until tender.
Keep it Healthy: Grilling or roasting vegetables is a delicious way to add a charred flavor without unwanted fat.
Tip: Be sure to use ground ginger as called for in this marinade rather than fresh ginger root. Fresh ginger root contains a compound that breaks down the chicken. While it’s fine to use fresh ginger root for a quick marinade, it will make the chicken mushy if it marinates for more than 1 or 2 hours, as is the case in this recipe.
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