MAKING A DIFFERENCE

In early of March of 2022, the Township of Jamesburg Public Schools Family Advocate, Rosa Zaremba, contacted Healthier Middlesex to help meet one of the emerging needs in the Jamesburg community, personal health and hygiene kits for young boys and girls. Healthier Middlesex mobilized our partners to acquire the necessary materials to create Health and Hygiene Kits for 100 students. The kits were assembled at our Healthier Middlesex offices and included toothbrushes and toothpaste, boys’ and girls’ deodorants, hair brushes, soap and more. Having good hygiene is an important part of a student’s health, wellness, and self-esteem. Kids with poor hygiene face potentially harmful consequences in both their physical and mental health. According to the World Bank, hygiene promotion is the most cost-effective health action to reduce disease (CDC, 2021). Good personal hygiene is one of the best ways to protect yourself from getting gastrointestinal or infectious diseases such as COVID-19, colds and flu. Washing your hands with soap removes germs that can make you ill. Maintaining good personal hygiene will also help prevent you from spreading diseases to other people. Personal hygiene includes: cleaning your body every day, washing your hands with soap after going to the toilet, brushing your teeth twice a day, covering your mouth and nose with a tissue (or your sleeve) when sneezing or coughing, washing your hands after handling pets and other animals. Healthier Middlesex serves our community to help provide the opportunities for all in Middlesex County to live their healthiest lives. Through our partnerships, Healthier Middlesex occupies an ideal position to continue being the anchor for health in our community. If you or your community have a health-related question, concern or need, please contact Healthier Middlesex at 732-745-8600 extension 5831. Body, Facial and Dental Hygiene (2021, February 1). In Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/hygiene/body/index.html