News You Can Use

November 17, 2006

Safe Holiday Dining

Turkey trials and tribulations need not plague your holiday dinner table this year.  Along with the legendary Butterball Hotline that’s saved many holiday dinners from turning into a real “turkey,” a number of trusted sources are now available online to answer those questions ahead of time or on the spot.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) advice goes beyond cooking that bird to remind us to exercise care with others foods.  Traditional eggnog prepared with raw eggs that may be exposed to room temperature too long before consumption can cause an intestinal infection called salmonellosis.  Raw cookie dough may also contain the bacteria.  Mail order foods including meat, poultry, fish and other perishables like cheesecake require special precautions to ensure the safety of the food when it arrives.

FDA recommendations for safely handling foods include: 

• Clean: Wash hands and food-contact surfaces often.  Bacteria can spread throughout the kitchen and get onto cutting boards, knives, sponges, and counter tops. 
• Separate: Don't cross-contaminate--don't let bacteria spread from one food product to another.  This is especially true for raw meat, poultry and seafood.  Experts caution to keep these foods and their juices away from ready-to-eat foods. 
• Cook: Cook to proper temperatures.  Foods are properly cooked when they are heated for the necessary time and at the necessary temperature to kill the harmful bacteria that cause food borne illness. 
• Chill: Refrigerate promptly.  Public health officials advise consumers to refrigerate foods quickly because cold temperatures keep most harmful bacteria from growing and multiplying.  Refrigerators should be set at 40 F and the freezer at 0 F, and the accuracy of the settings should be checked occasionally with a thermometer.

The FDA's toll-free Food Information Line is 1-888-SAFEFOOD (1-888-723-3366).  Access related information:  http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fdholida.html

Will it be free range or free roaming, a hen or a tom, fresh or frozen?  The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) examines the food safety of turkey from farm to table and looks at these questions at:  http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/turkey_from_farm_to_table/index.asp.   The USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline is 1-800-535-4555.

Visit the website for the most Frequently Asked Questions regarding the thawing, stuffing, roasting, carving, and grilling of your holiday turkey or call 1-800-BUTTERBALL.

Holiday Travel Tips

Whether you plan to travel by plane, train or automobile for the holidays, check in with the leading transportation websites for smooth sailing.

Plane

Individual Airports

The PA Department of Transportation can link you to the individual websites for each of PA’s airports.  Obtain flight arrival and departure information along with a myriad of resources relating to ground transportation options, food and beverage service, frequent flyer facilities, email services, internet access, baggage carts and the availability of automated teller machines.  Access the Pennsylvania Public Airports list and links:  http://www.dot.state.pa.us/Internet/Bureaus/pdBOA.nsf/AviationHomepage?openframeset 

Flying With Liquids and Gels

The Transportation Security Administration has adjusted its ban on liquids and gels in carry-on bags.  Specific details related to the new carry-on policy are referred to as the “3-1-1 on Air Travel.”  The policy allows for a 3 ounce bottle or less; 1 quart-sized, clear, plastic, zip-top bag; and, 1 bag per passenger placed in the screening bin.  The one-quart bag per person rule limits the total liquid volume each traveler can carry.  Visit the TSA Web site for specifics:  http://www.tsa.gov/index.shtm

Train

Schedules and Timetables

Amtrak’s website provides schedules and timetables for travel while guiding you through purchasing a ticket, packing for your excursion, and addressing any special needs.  Such varied questions as those related to food, cell phones, smoking and more can be answered at:  http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/Page/Traveling_With_Amtrak_Index_Page&c=Page&cid=1080072922215&ssid=6

Automobile

For Travel on or Near the PA Turnpike

The latest in technology is being deployed just in time for holiday travel.  The PA Turnpike Commission is introducing a new website to meet the needs of the motoring public.  Real time traffic alerts and advisories, weather conditions, and a toll and mileage calculator are easily accessible.  Even if your travels just take you near the PA Turnpike, a significant level of the details can help you get to that holiday dinner in time to see the kickoff of your favorite game and eat those mashed potatoes before they get cold.  The tools to facilitate travel over the PA Turnpike’s 530.5 miles of highway are available at:  http://www.paturnpike.com/tools/tools.aspx 

E-ZPass

Make all your PA Turnpike travel a breeze with E-ZPass.  Complete the application, establish an account and attach the E-ZPass transponder to your vehicle’s windshield just behind the rearview mirror.  Future travel through an E-ZPass lane will allow for electronic payment of tolls from your pre-funded E-ZPass account.  Get the facts and apply for your E-ZPass:  http://www.paturnpike.com/ezpass/about.htm

PA Department of Transportation Highway Construction Advisory Maps

Information on lane closures, detours, and delays associated with highway construction on PA’s state-owned highways is readily available for pre-planning your holiday travel:  http://www.dot.state.pa.us/Workzone_map/map.html

Deer & Collisions

The Pennsylvania Game Commission advises motorists to slow down after sundown and before sunrise to reduce their risk of colliding with a white-tailed deer.  Deer collisions are an annual occurrence that continues through Thanksgiving week and begins to slow down in mid-December.  The PGC announcement includes important information related to a motorist’s responsibilities if there is a car-deer collision. For these and other tips go to: http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?A=11&Q=169991  Explore deer movement and behaviors at PGC Wildlife Notes on the Pennsylvania White-tailed Deer: http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?a=465&q=150279

Hunters Sharing the Harvest

Were you aware the meat from just one deer can provide 200 meals for hungry Pennsylvanians?  According to food banks participating in the Hunter’s Sharing the Harvest (HSH) program, venison contributed to food banks and soup kitchens helps provide needy Pennsylvanians with 200,000 quality, high-protein meals annually.

Donations are accepted through participating deer processors and food banks.  While hunters are responsible for processing fees, some HSH processors have agreed to process donated venison at a discount.  Also, in certain limited situations, HSH may reimburse processors for venison processing from donations in order to utilize the meat.

Non-hunters can support the program.  A monetary, tax-deductible donation of $25 will cover the processing fee for one-half of a deer and provide enough venison for 100 meals.  A $50 tax-deductible donation will cover the processing costs for an entire deer, providing 200 meals.  Checks should be made payable to:  Hunters Sharing the Harvest.  You can mail your check to HSH at:  6780 Hickory Lane, Harrisburg, PA 17112.  Email questions to:  ShareDeer@aol.com.  HSH established a statewide toll-free telephone number - 866-474-2141 - which also can answer hunters' questions about where participating meat processors can be found or other general inquiries about the program.

HSH is administered in the Commonwealth through the Game Commission and the PA Department of Agriculture.  PA's HSH program is recognized as one of the most successful among similar programs in about 40 states.  Additional details are available at:  http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?a=460&q=158644 

HSH-Participating Deer Processors List:  http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?a=460&q=160457

HSH-Volunteer Coordinators List:  http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?a=460&q=160450

Fireplaces and Home Heating Safety

The sight of a family gathered around the fireplace elicits warm thoughts and happy memories.  Yet there are almost 11,000 chimney fires in the United States every year, causing over $7 million in damage, according to the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA).  Lumped together, portable and fixed space heaters and related equipment, such as fireplaces, chimneys, and chimney connectors, accounted for two of every three home heating fires in 2001, or 66 percent, and two of every three associated deaths, or 67 percent.

The NFPA recommends an annual professional inspection and cleaning of wood and coal stoves, chimneys, chimney connectors, and all other solid-fueled heating equipment.  Their website contains fire safety tips and recommendations for everything from heating your home to avoiding the seasonal and holiday pitfalls contributing to home fires, injuries and deaths.  Access the Association’s main page at:  http://www.nfpa.org/index.asp?cookie%5Ftest=1  Consult the Seasonal Safety information to take a look at winter and holiday safety including how to avoid Christmas tree fires:  http://www.nfpa.org/categoryList.asp?categoryID=247&URL=Research%20&%20Reports/Fact%20sheets/Seasonal%20safety

The U.S. Fire Administration offers a fact sheet for those who utilize a wood stove, a portable space heater, or a kerosene heater to warm their home.  Take a look at “Check Your Hot Spots” and alternate heating fire safety measures:  http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/fswy3.pdf and “Fireplace and Home Fire Safety”:  http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/fswy13.pdf

“Come for Dinner, Stay for the Show”

“Come for Dinner, Stay for the Show!”  The 91^st Annual Pennsylvania Farm Show will kickoff on Friday, January 5, 2007 at the PA Farm Show Complex & Expo Center with a reception at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m. 

The annual Farm Show Dinner will feature the Commonwealth’s finest foods, outstanding entertainment and a special video presentation highlighting our achievements as a national agricultural leader.  The following day America’s largest indoor agricultural exposition will launch.  Some 10,000 animals, 8,000 competitive exhibits and 270 commercial exhibitors will be on hand through January 13, 2007.  More than $440,000 in prize money will be offered to exhibitors. 

With the December 20, 2006 deadline looming, the public is urged to access information and purchase dinner tickets from the PA Department of Agriculture at:  http://www.agriculture.state.pa.us/agriculture/cwp/view.asp?Q=142425&A=390  Tickets are $40 per person and the quantity is limited. 

If you can’t make it for dinner, the Pa Department of Agriculture encourages everyone to plan on a visit to the 91^st Farm Show, open and free to the public.  Even if you have visited the Farm Show in the past, you will find a variety of new attractions.  Longwood Gardens’ past, present and future, as well as its innovative contributions to the art and science of horticulture, will be featured for the first time in the show’s history, along with a number of new attractions. 

Information and a schedule of events for the 2007 Show are now available at:  http://www.agriculture.state.pa.us/farmshow/site/default.asp 

Hospital-acquired Infections in Pennsylvania 2005 

The Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4) is releasing its first hospital-specific report on hospital-acquired infections.  As the first report of its kind in the U.S., it identifies the actual number of infections reported by hospitals in 2005.  The report includes other related quality of care measures as well. 

An interactive database can be searched by hospital, by infection, and by peer group; the 3 options provide the following: 

1. Hospital -- will reveal hospital-acquired infection data for the specified facility or for all facilities.
2. Infection -- will show data for a single infection type, all infections (listed individually), or overall infection numbers (in aggregate).  If a single infection is chosen, the user can sort the data by clicking on the measure of interest (e.g., clicking on the heading “Number of Cases” will sort the data by that measure).
3. Peer Group -- will show the summary data for the peer group and display the data for each hospital in that peer group.

The report indicates the number of cases of infection, the infection rate per 1,000 cases, both raw numbers and percentages reflecting mortality, the average length of stay in days, and a comparison of the average cost of a hospital stay with and without infection.  Types of infection include urinary tract, surgical site, pneumonia, bloodstream, and multiple infections.  Access the interactive database at:  http://www.phc4.org/hai/.  To review key findings on subjects such as rates of infection and increased costs in instances where an infection is acquired access:  http://www.phc4.org/reports/hai/05/keyfindings.htm