How Sick is Darien?

David Knauf, Director of the Darien Health Department, presented a town health report to the the Board of Selectmen, Tuesday night. Follow the hyperlinks for the in-depth Darien Patch report.

• Heartsafe Designation: The Connecticut Department of Health, in collaboration with the American Heart Association, has designated Darien a HeartSafe Community. The designation recognizes our town as having an optimum emergency response system in place, should someone suffer cardiac arrest. A cermony will take place mid-September to officially recognize the town's new status.

• Posting Health Ratings: The Health Department has began to phase in a new policy which requires local restaurants to publicly display their health inspection ratings.

• Beach Water Quality: There were no beach closings to report over the course of the summer. The Health Department will present a comprehensive water-quality report to the Board of Selectmen, later in the year.

• H1N1: The Health Department and the Public Schools continue to closely monitor the H1N1 virus and have taken all necessary steps to prepare for the anticipated return of the swine flu this fall/winter. Knauf and First Selectwoman Evonne Klein reiterated the importance of staying at home from school and work, if flu-like symptoms occur. Klein added that updates on H1N1 should not be a cause of panic.

• Flu Vaccination Clinics: The H1N1 vaccine has been ordered and is due to arrive sometime in November. Knauf said he is uncertain how many doses of the vaccine the town will receive. There are tentative plans for in-school H1N1 vaccination clinics. Knauf recommended that residents get regular flu shots in addition to the H1N1 vaccine. Regular flu shot clinics will be set up throughout town, during election this November as part of a "Vax & Vote" program. Both flu vaccines will also be administered at local health clinics.

• CodeRED: The Health Department will use CodeRED, a high-speed telephone communication service that delivers pre-recorded emergency messages directly to homes and businesses, to notify residents of upcoming H1N1 vaccination clinics. Anyone with a cell phone or unlisted number must register in order to receive alerts.