Health

Enhancing health and well-being locally, nationally, and globally

Did You Know: Burgdorf Community Garden

Burgdorf Community Garden is a signature outreach project for Hartford County Master Gardener volunteers. They helped plant and maintain a garden on the grounds of the Burgdorf/Bank of America Health center, a clinic for the underserved in Hartford’s North End. The garden is used to teach nutrition to clients and also provides healthy produce for […]

Metabolic Family Day

A Family Day was held for patients with metabolic disorders and their families at Rock Cats Stadium in New Britain on May 17, 2015. Sherry Gray from the UConn Extension – Hartford County coordinated the event. The event was hosted by UConn Health Center, UConn Extension and Yale New Haven Hospital and was sponsored by […]

Home Canning, Food Safety, and Botulism

Home canning, food safety, and botulism—don’t freak out, but do process safely By Diane Wright Hirsch   As an Extension educator, I have been teaching folks how to can for more than thirty years. And still, what worries folks the most is botulism poisoning. While it continues to be very rare, when it does occur, it […]

Eat Smart Live Strong

UConn Extension’s SNAP-Ed Food Security partnered with Elmwood Senior Center in Danbury to offer the USDA Eat Smart Live Strong program this summer. Programs are led by Heather Peracchio, Extension Educator and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.  Seniors are provided  $15 vouchers towards fresh produce and round-trip transportation to the Farmers Market twice per month thanks to a […]

Hartford County Urban 4-H

   The Hartford County Urban 4-H after school programs are free for children age 7-19. Youth enrolled in Urban 4-H receive effective hands on STEM related activities which include but not limited to: health and nutrition, science related activities, social skills, and work force readiness courses. On May 26th at the Boys and Girls club in Hartford […]

Connecticut 4-H Citizenship Day 2015

By: Marc Cournoyer UConn Extension 4-H Program Coordinator   Approximately 100 4-H youth and adults converged on the state Capitol in Hartford on Wednesday, April 15th for the annual state 4-H Citizenship Day. Representing all corners of Connecticut, these individuals came together to meet with legislators, explore our state Capitol, learn a bit more about […]

Gardens, gardens, everywhere…

….be sure to grow with food safety in mind By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH, RD UConn Extension Educator – Food Safety It is hard to believe that spring is just around the corner. Though we in Connecticut were all teased with 35-degree temperatures, we are quickly back in the deep freeze, surrounded by ugly, dirty […]

See RED on Valentine’s Day

By Alice Henneman, MS, RDN Nebraska Extension Educator   See “Red” on Valentine’s Day and throughout the year. Red fruits and vegetables contain many health-promoting phytochemicals including lycopene and anthocyanins. This color group may help promote: A lower risk of some cancers A healthy heart Memory health Urinary tract health Red fruits and vegetables include: […]

Garden Programs in Fairfield County

Originally published by Naturally@UConn on December 16, 2014 Written by: Kim Markesich Fairfield County gardening programs teach nutrition, integrated pest management and life skills The Fairfield County Extension Center Demonstration Garden The Fairfield County Extension Center hosts a variety of gardening programs, and the season just past was a successful and bountiful one. With the support of […]

Tick Testing at UConn

By Heather Haycock for UConn Extension Summer in Connecticut is the perfect time to get outside and enjoy the sunshine. There are beautiful trails to hike, parks to visit with your children or dogs, and there is the simple joy of lying in the lush, green grass. Of course, the warm weather also comes with the […]

Controlling Ticks

By Carol Quish for UConn Extension   The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends creating a tick-safe zone. Ticks feed on blood of animals including humans. Tactics to reduce the attractiveness of animals traveling into your yard will keep the number of ticks dropping off of them reduced. Do not feed the birds […]

Learning About a Healthy Home

Learning About a Healthy Home UConn extension educators have developed an illustrated children’s book as part of the Healthy Environments for Children initiative. Joan Bothell and Mary-Margaret Gaudio, from the Healthy Environments for Children Initiative at UConn Extension, have written a children’s book. Using text along with illustrations by Kevin Noonan from the UConn College of Agriculture, […]

Tick Testing for Lyme Disease and Other Pathogens

UConn Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (CVMDL) Ticks can transmit Lyme disease and other diseases to humans and animals. UConn Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (CVMDL) can test ticks for the infectious agents causing Lyme and other diseases using PCR technology Results of tick testing assists health care providers in offering the most appropriate treatment […]

Metabolic Family Day

UConn Extension Educator Sherry Gray coordinated a state-wide Metabolic Family day at Lyman Orchards on October 14, 2012.  This event invited families of patients with metabolic disorders from the Genetics clinics at UConn Health Center and Yale New Haven hospital.  The event included representatives from several metabolic companies including Nutricia NA, Applied Nutrition and Biomarin Pharmaceuticals. […]