Packet may help parents talk to kids about sex

Parents of children from birth through teens can get information about talking to their kids about sex and related health issues, thanks to a new packet compiled by Planned Parenthood of the Inland Northwest.

The free information will be mailed to anyone who requests it, said Margaret Mount, education director for the agency. The packet includes advice about when, why and how to address issues of sexuality with children at every age.

“We recognize that talking to children about sexuality is not always easy for parents,” Mount said. “The most important message is early and often to make sure that children are sexually safe through their lifetime.”

Topics range from discussing basic anatomical information with preschoolers to tackling emotional and social questions that pre-teens and teenagers might have.

Providing accurate, honest information about sex is essential, Mount said. Every year in the United States, young people ages 15 to 24 account for nearly half of all cases of sexually transmitted disease and nearly 750,000 young women ages 15 to 19 become pregnant. Rates of teen birth, STDs and abortion are much higher in the U.S. than in other industrialized nations.

To receive a packet, call (509) 241-4203.

Don’t let winter weather lead to depression, weight gain

Avoiding the emotional and physical pitfalls associated with dark, cold winter weather will be the subject of a Wednesday talk by Dr. Amy Anderson at the Rockwood Clinic.

Seasonal changes can affect diet and activity levels, leading to depression, insomnia and weight gain, Anderson said. Existing levels of stress are exacerbated by increased darkness and dreary weather.

Anderson’s presentation is part of the clinic’s HealthTalks series. It will be held at 7 p.m. at the downtown office of the Rockwood Clinic, 400 E. Fifth Ave. The session will be in the second-floor conference room. Space is limited; reservations are encouraged. Call (509) 755-6570.

Proclamation urges awareness of organ donation

Spokane Mayor Dennis Hession has designated November as “Give Thanks, Give Life” month in an effort to raise awareness of the importance of organ and tissue donation.

More than 1,200 regional patients are on waiting lists for transplanted organs. One way to register as an organ donor is through the Living Legacy Foundation, a nonprofit agency aimed at increasing the number of registered organ and tissue donors.

For more information, visit www.livinglegacyfoundation.org or www.livinglegacyregistry.org.

Group Health honors Allen with achievement award

Carol Allen of Spokane has received Group Health’s 2006 Cooperative Achievement Award in recognition of her work to improve consumer participation in health care locally and across the state.

Allen is a clinical associate professor of nursing at Washington State University, Intercollegiate College of Nursing. She helped sponsor and support Group Health’s community health forum series in Spokane, and has participated in several other civic endeavors.

Group Health is a nonprofit health-care system based in Seattle.

WSU health policy student receives scholarship

Karla Nelson, a first-year graduate student in the health policy and administration program at Washington State University in Spokane, is one of 76 scholars recently awarded a Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship.

Nelson was among nearly 1,100 national and international applicants for the scholarship, which provides up to $50,000 annually for up to six years for study and support.

Nelson graduated in January from Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Ore., with bachelor’s degrees in sociology and human services. She hopes eventually to earn a doctorate and to help improve the way social services and service delivery systems are designed, managed and evaluated.