Want to share your story?

Jefferson County Public Health wants to hear from you! The health communications is working on a video that will have stories of clients and community members talking about their challenges with housing, income, finding a job, having enough food, getting healthcare, or other challenges that affect living healthy in Jefferson County.

Your story is important and we want to hear it!! It could help us enhance our current programs, change policies and improve more lives! If interested, please leave your name and phone number below and we will contact you. If you are available today, please call Tony Aaron Fuller at 303-239-7059 or Nancy Braden at 303-239-7137. We are hoping to begin videotaping as early as Wednesday September 7, 2016 and will have several days after that available as well. 

Keep Children Healthy through Hydration

It is estimated that more than half of all children and adolescents in the U.S. are not getting enough hydration, most likely because they are not drinking enough water.  View Harvard School of Public Health study.

Water and sufficient hydration are essential for physiological processes such as circulation, metabolism, temperature regulation, and waste removal.  Drinking enough water is especially important in Colorado, where we live at elevation and the climate is arid, dry and hot during the summer months.  

Jeffco Sips Smart is a new coalition working to increase healthy beverage, especially water, availability and consumption in Jefferson County through education, partnerships and supportive policies. Why are healthy beverages so important? Hydration is essential to health and well-being and yet too often the drinks that are available contain a lot of added sugar.  Sugary drinks cause serious health concerns. Consuming just one sugary drink per day can add an extra 39 pounds of sugar in a person’s diet each year! This added sugar from just one sugary drink a day can lead to cavities, weight gain, diabetes and heart disease for both adults and children. 

What is a healthy beverage? The basic definition is one with no added sugar. The best options include tap water, water with fruit, sparkling water with natural flavor, unflavored milk, and unsweetened tea or coffee. 100% juice has a lot more sugar than people may think, thus, it is best if consumed in 4-6 oz. servings just a few times per week, especially for children. Sugary drinks include all beverages sweetened with various types of sugar that add calories, including carbonated sodas, sports and energy drinks, lemonade, sweetened teas and coffees and other sweetened fruit juice drinks. 

Try a Jeffco Sips Smart solution for improving hydration and carry a reusable water bottle with you and have your children do so as well.  Drinking more water will help improve overall health.