Brandon Regional Health Centre announces the arrival of its New Year’s Baby

Pictured is mom Ashley, new baby girl Eden and Ashley’s mom, Divona Pinder

The Brandon Regional Health Centre is pleased to announce the arrival of the 2024 New Year’s baby!
Baby girl Eden was born at 11:53 am January 1, 2024. She weighed 7 pounds 4.6 oz and was 21 inches long.
Proud parents are Ashley Blaylock and Simon Brock of Brandon.
Eden was given a lovely gift basket with books, picture frames, stuffed animals and much more donated by the Brandon Regional Health Centre Gift Shop. Mom Ashley also received a beautiful bouquet from Carolyn’s Florist in Brandon.
Prairie Mountain Health and the Brandon Regional Health Centre congratulate the family and their new daughter!

December 2023 Donations for PMH

Parkland Rangers Hockey Fights Cancer Night another success

Members of the U18 AAA Parkland Rangers were on hand in three local communities December 14 to present proceeds from their ‘Hockey Fights Cancer Night’, which was held back on October 20 when the team played host to the U18 Brandon Wheat Kings. The annual recognition night raised a total of $4000 dollars, with a split of $1,338 presented to three Community Cancer Programs within the Prairie Mountain Health region. Cancer Care Units in Dauphin, Russell and Swan River were grateful to receive the contributions, which were primarily raised through game night donations, door prizes and a raffle draw.

Fuel Good Day – Birtle Gas Bar

Twin Valley Coop selected the Birtle Sunnyside Personal Care Home Activities Department as the recipient of their 2023 Fuel Good Day donations in September.

Accepting a donation of $700.00 is Kari Fouillard, Marketing & Community Relations Manager; Jenna Hohmann, Recreation Facilitator; Tracey Howe, Recreation Worker.

Grit Force Fitness Donates to Neepawa Chemo Unit

Grit Force Fitness donated $1000 to the Neepawa Chemo Unit from their Second Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Fundraiser Workout. Kristi Friesen Cancer Care Nurse from Neepawa accepted the donation from Sheri Hockins, owner Of Grit Force.

Stuffy Donation for Pediatric Unit

Devan Bradley is a dedicated volunteer at the Brandon Regional Health Centre, he volunteers his time in the surgical suite and visiting long-term patients. Devon brings a smile to patients’ faces regularly and has now extended these smiles to the pediatric unit. Devan raised 800 dollars in donations through his YouTube channel @Headupthrottledown, he used these donations to purchase stuffed animals for the pediatric unit. Volunteer Services and Prairie Mountain Health would like to thank Devan for his efforts and generous donation.

What You Can Do Heading into Respiratory Virus Season

Respiratory viruses are common, and they tend to spread more easily during cooler weather when Manitobans spend more time indoors with others. Viruses including Influenza (Flu) and Covid are contagious, and can have similar and overlapping symptoms.

People who have a respiratory virus often feel some or all of these symptoms:

Fever or feeling feverish/chills
Cough
Sore throat
Runny or stuffy nose
Muscle or body aches
Headaches
Fatigue (tiredness)
Some may have vomiting and diarrhea (though more common in children)

Respiratory viruses can infect the nose, throat and lungs and cause mild to severe, and sometimes fatal illness. Most viruses are spread when people cough, sneeze or talk, and droplets land in the mouth or nose of nearby people. A person may also become infected by touching an object that has a virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose or eyes. Young children, seniors, and people with certain health conditions are at a higher risk of respiratory illness complications.

The BEST ways to reduce your risk and potential complications:

Get vaccinated, stay home when sick, wash hands frequently, cover your cough/sneeze, and wear a mask in high-risk situations

This respiratory virus season, updated Covid and Flu vaccine doses are recommended for all Manitobans 6 months of age and older. It is especially important for individuals who are considered high risk, those over the age of 65, and children under 5 years of age.

Manitoba Health continues to offer Pneumococcal 23 and High-Dose (HD) Flu vaccines to people 65 years of age and older. Most adults over 65, without underlying health conditions, only require one lifetime dose of pneumococcal vaccine. The High Dose Flu vaccine contains more antigen that older adults need to build a strong immune response resulting in better protection against the Flu virus.

You can get your Flu, Covid and Pneumococcal vaccines at a local community clinic, pharmacy, or your Primary Care Provider. All vaccines can be given safely at the same visit. It is recommended to receive your Covid vaccine 6 months since your last dose. Talk to your health care provider to determine the best time for you to be vaccinated.

Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) Flu and Covid Vaccine Clinics will be starting October 23rd. For clinic dates and locations continue to check the PMH website and our Social Media pages (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter).

Once again, this year you will be able to book your vaccine appointment online or call toll free 1-844-626-8222.

International Overdose Awareness Day

August 31^st is International Overdose Awareness Day. On this day, we take the time to remember those we have lost due to overdose/toxic drug poisoning and commit to ending the stigma around substance use. You can help end overdose. Free naloxone training and kits are available at select PMH sites and from the PMH Community Connections van. Prairie Mountain Health also offers RAAM clinics for those looking to get help with high-risk substance use. For more information about International Overdose Awareness Day, visit www.overdoseday.com. #EndOverdose #OverdoseAware #IOAD2022

Prairie Mountain Health Staff will be at events in the following communities on Wednesday, August 31 in support of International Overdose Awareness Day.

Brandon | Princess Park | 12pm to 3pm – Details
Erickson | Southquill Foodbank | 11am to 3pm – Details
Gambler First Nations | Ball Diamond | 11am to 3pm – Details
Swan River | Manitoba Harm Reduction Network Building | 12 pm to 3 pm – Details

Back to School Lunches – Keep it SIMPLE

Safe – Make sure to wash hands and prep area before making lunches. Keep cold food cold – use an insulated lunch kit with an ice pack. Keep hot foods hot – an insulated food container can keep soups, stews, curries etc. hot and avoid line-ups for a microwave. For more food safety information go to Food Safety (bccdc.ca).

Ingredients – Include a variety of vegetables and fruit, whole grains and protein foods. This will provide the energy and nutrients children and youth need throughout the day to learn. Simple rule of thumb is to try to pack fruit and/or vegetables with each meal and snack. There are lots of options that can reflect taste, culture, and budget. See Canada’s Food Guide for great tips and recipes.

Major source of nutrients for the day – Many children and youth spend a large portion of their day at school; packing enough and a variety of food is key. They need essential vitamins and minerals to grow and develop. Their appetites will differ sometimes daily depending on their rate of growth, activity etc. Some days they will eat a lot and sometimes a little. Trust them to eat as much or as little as they need.

Plan and Prep – Help children love their lunch by including them in the process. Make putting a lunch together simple by having a variety of prepped and ready to pack vegetables, fruit, whole grains and protein foods. Go through the grocery flier with children/youth and let them pick out a few items they would like in their lunch. This makes them feel like part of the process and can increase their food skills, get them to try new foods, and decrease the amount of food that comes home uneaten.

Let children and youth eat their lunch in whatever order they want to – Help them accept that there are different ways of eating and there is no right or wrong way. Asking children to eat one food before another reinforces that there are 2 categories of foods; good/healthy and bad/unhealthy. Labelling food this way can lead to feelings of guilt and confusion. This can interfere with their relationship with food. Foods cannot be neatly categorized. What is healthy and normal for one person might be different for another.

Enjoy! – Lunches should be enjoyable, try to pack a well-liked food such as an energy ball, mini chocolate bar, favourite dip, or a muffin. See Zack enjoy making his lunch here Healthy school lunch – YouTube

References: Healthy eating at school – Canada’s Food Guide

Food and Body Talk: The power of language to shape children’s mental health. Online course.