Did you know… it is important to receive your flu shot not only because it protects you from the flu, but because it protects the people around you who may be more vulnerable to serious flu illness!
Flu Facts:
• Flu shots are the most effective way to prevent influenza and its complications.
• Everyone over 6 months old needs a flu shot to prevent flu illnesses, missed work and school days, medical visits and hospitalizations.
• Children between 6 months and 8 years may need two doses of the flu vaccine, given at least four weeks apart, to be fully protected. Check with your child’s health care provider.
• Special flu vaccines are available for people over age 65 to offer better flu protection.
• Infants younger than six months old are too young to get vaccinated. Your shot will help protect them.
• Flu activity usually peaks between January and March and can last until May.
• By getting vaccinated in the fall you will be protected whenever flu activity begins.
• There are many types of the flu virus that occur each flu season. You can get flu more than once due to the various viruses.
• The flu vaccine protects against several different flu viruses, providing protection all season long.
Flu viruses can change from season to season and immunity declines over time so it is important to get vaccinated each year!
Group Health Cooperative is happy to be partnering with the Madison Mallards in 2018! With our sponsorship comes many exciting things not only for Group Health Cooperative, but for the entire Madison Community!
Salute to Madison Night at the Madison Mallards – July 11th, 2018
On July 11th, the Madison Mallards players will be wearing one-of-a-kind jerseys that focus on the great city we live in, Madison. After the game, these jerseys will be auctioned off and all the money raised will be donated to Project Home.
Project Home is a Madison based non-profit that’s mission is to improve the quality and affordability of housing for low-to-moderate income residents in Dane and Green County, WI. They perform home repairs, accessibility modifications and energy improvements to make homes healthier, safer and to ease the financial burden of high energy bills for people who are struggling financially.
There will also be an opportunity for children and adults to pay $1 for a coloring page to draw what “Home Means to Them”. The money raised from this will also be donated to Project Home, and the individual will be entered into a drawing to win a special prize!
So come out and join us on July 11th to salute the great city of Madison and all the hard work Project Home does to make it a better place to live.
Goat Yoga at the Madison Mallards – July 17th, 2018 starting at 5:30
Have you ever heard of Goat Yoga?! Well now is your chance to find out what it is all about:
GHC-SCW will be sponsoring Goat Yoga in the outfield of the Mallard’s stadium on July 17th before the game! Participants will have the chance to do yoga alongside live goats, and the goats may even jump up on your back! How cool is that?!
Stay tuned if you would like to sign-up for this unique experience. There is only room for 100 participants!
GHC-SCW Project Home-Run
All season long, every time a Madison Mallards player hits a homerun, GHC-SCW will donate $100 to Project Home! Just another reason to cheer for your hometown team this summer!
Written By: Dr. Stephen Lo
Spring is finally here, and everyone is eager to get outside to enjoy the nicer weather. Unfortunately, this is also the time of year when many of us start to have seasonal allergies. Seasonal allergies often occur in the spring months when many plants and trees are blooming and releasing pollen. However, seasonal allergies can also occur during the summer or fall months, depending on which specific plants you are allergic to.
Typical seasonal allergy symptoms include:
- Sneezing
- Stuffy nose or runny nose
- Itchy and watery eyes
- Scratchy throat
- Cough from nasal drainage
Treatment:
- Try to avoid the specific plants that you are allergic to – for example, keep windows and doors closed in your house.
- Over-the-counter antihistamines (such as loratadine or cetirizine or fexofenadine) can help to control and prevent allergy symptoms – it is best to take these medications every day during your allergy season.
- Nasal steroid sprays can help reduce runny nose and sneezing.
- Anti-histamine eye drops can to help control itchy and watery eyes.
If you have asthma, it is important to remember that seasonal allergies can trigger an asthma attack. It is best to keep both your seasonal allergies and your asthma under good control during allergy season.
Talk with your medical provider if you have any questions, or if your symptoms are not improving with the above.
Written By: Dr. Mark Huth, Chief Executive Officer at GHC
Welcome to GHC-SCW’s new blog! Our blog will give us a unique opportunity to share news, updates and healthy living content, while also offering a place for us to interact with our members and the community. If you’re wondering what you can expect from the content you find on our blog, and how the information here differs from the information you may find on our website, read on.
Our blog will allow us to leverage social technologies to engage in two-way communication with our community and to take your feedback into consideration as we move through the ever-changing health care and insurance landscape. Here you’ll find patient stories, resources for members, local event updates as well as details on opportunities to engage with GHC-SCW. In addition, we’ll use the blog to share multimedia, such as videos, photo albums and more.
You’ll also find news articles penned by our very own providers and staff. The posts will cover a range of topics from “Screen Time and Your Child” to “5 Ways to Protect Your Skin from the Sun” – all designed to give you and your family the tools and tips you need to lead healthy lives.
As we continue to build our blog, we’ll also create health care and insurance-specific content so you can learn more about the latest news and research.
We look forward to growing with you as we embark on this new journey. Thanks for stopping by!