What does a healthy neighborhood look like to you?

In every community there is a neighborhood or two that seems to have a societal stigma attached to it, whether from ill-founded cultural biases to actual disparaging factors that may exist.

If you live in Springfield, one of the areas in the community that appears to have such a stigma is the 01109 zip code, which is five sections of the city largely identified as Mason Square. 

People believe there is so much violence and drugs in these neighborhoods that students who attend the surrounding colleges are sometimes warned to not get too far away from their campus. I believe the Mason Square area is no more violent or drug infested than any other zip code in Springfield. If the police collected data on violence and drugs in this area, they would probably come to the same conclusion.

A healthy neighborhood has neighbors who know each other; they greet each other in the morning and bid each other good night in the evening when they are out. They look out for their neighbor’s property and children. A healthy neighborhood looks like a community the President of the United States would be glad to bring his or her children for vacation or to see the Basketball Hall of Fame. What do you think a healthy neighborhood looks like? Go to masonsquarehealthtaskforce.org and check out the website, and then I encourage you to submit your opinion to zgovan@mlkjrfamilyservices.org.  I know your ideas will resemble Mason Square.

If you want to get involved in helping to continue to keep Mason Square healthy and make it even healthier, join the Mason Square Health Task Force. The quarterly meeting will be on Dec. 16, 2010 at Rebecca Johnson School. For more information, contact me at (413) 739-4901 or email me at zgovan@mlkjrfamilyservices.org. 

Growing up in Springfield, I remember being able to hang out with my friends and my brothers'  friends and just having a good time. The city is still the same!  The media would like to portray Springfield as a crime infested city that no one wants to live in. That is the farthest thing from the truth. Traveling to California, Louisiana, Florida, New York and other major cities, it is clear that Springfield is a great city to live in. Mason Square is one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in the City of Homes. The old Victorian homes are something to treasure and exhibit. Many great things and people have lived here, and great things happened in this area including the birth of basketball, the Indian motorcycle, great leader Primus Mason, great colleges, and many more. Great things continue to happen here, and great people continue to live here.

The next time you drive up and down State Street take notice of the positive things in Mason Square. Look at the new trees that were planted recently, the paved streets and the beautiful friendly people waiting for the bus, or walking down the street. If the media would focus on these, they would see that there is more positive than negative in Mason Square. The children walking to and from school are innocent and need to be protected from negative influences. It is our responsibility to do this. To start, we have to focus on the positive. Give them an  opportunity to grow up healthy and safe from the ills that face us and other places in this country.

Old Man Winter is peeking around the corner: Are you ready for his arrival?

This may be a hard pill to swallow right now, but the fact is we live in New England, and in New England winter means snow.

"Oh but the leaves are just starting to fall; we're still having a bit of an Indian Summer," you may say. That can change in an instant. What that means is be prepared. Protect yourself from the harshness of Old Man Winter in a variety of ways - from the clothes you wear to the tools and technique you use in shoveling snow.

Every year, physicians and staff at Baystate Medical Center advise people on the ill effects of improper shoveling, frost bite and other maladies that occur during the winter months. As the area's only and largest trauma center, BMC in Springfield treats an increasing number of patients who incur heart attacks, back injuries and severe frostbite during New England's harsh winter season.

"If you haven't already, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself on how to protect your heart while removing that often beautiful, but heavy white stuff," said Dr. John Santoro, vice chairman, Emergency Medicine, Baystate Medical Center, on the Baystate Health news website. "Persons who have coronary artery disease and other illness should avoid exposure to cold weather, especially when shoveling."  Anyone experiencing symptoms suggestive of a heart attack should be brought to the Emergency Department immediately.

Signs and symptoms of a heart attack include:

• Pressure or pain in the chest, arms or neck
• Nausea.
• Lightheadedness.
• Sweating or feeling clammy.
• Unusual fatigue. 

Unusual exertion from shoveling snow can also cause severe back pain for those with healthy and bad backs, and result in pain in the hips and knees. A standard shovel full of snow weighs about 16 pounds. Shoveling 10 times every minute for ten minutes  alone is equivalent to lifting about 1,600 pounds after 10 minutes of shoveling.

For the elderly and disabled, shoveling snow and experiencing long periods of time in the cold is an even more harmful combination. We need to be neighborly and help them out. Get a youngster in the neighborhood to shovel their walkways, or call the city to inform them that snow removal services are needed. 

Winter and Snow Removal Safety Tips:

• Dress warmly with a hat, gloves, winter coat, scarf and boots. There are many agencies in Greater Springfield that provide free winter outerwear including the Salvation Army, the Springfield Rescue Mission, the Survival Center in Indian Orchard, area Boys and Girls Clubs, Big Brothers Big Sisters and area churches.
• Stretch before you begin to shovel. Use the proper technique which means using a medium-sized ergonomically-designed shovel. Pick up smaller amounts of shovel on the blade and lift with your legs, not your arms.
• If you have a driveway, clear the snow build up at the base of the driveway near the street first while your strength is greatest; then clear the snow from the middle of the driveway pushing out to the sides from the middle. It's easier and results in less wear and tear on your body.
• Lastly, if you simply don't have the strength, physical wellness or stamina to shovel snow, then don't. Don't be too prideful to ask for help. It's better to seek help from someone then face a possible life-threatening health challenge because you didn't.

Now, let's all zip up our coats and buckle down for Mother Nature's next season of treats.

The Flu Shot is For Everyone

As we get deeper into the colder weather, which is when more people get colds and the flu, it is imperative that people get their flu shot.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, everyone should get the flu shot:

While everyone should get a flu vaccine each flu season, it’s especially important that the following groups get vaccinated either because they are at high risk of having serious flu-related complications or because they live with or care for people at high risk for developing flu-related complications:

1. Pregnant women

2. Children younger than 5, but especially children younger than 2 years old

3. People 50 years of age and older

4. People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions

5. People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities

6. People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including:

1. Health care workers

2. Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu

3. Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)

If you don't have a doctor you can get the flu shot at your local pharmacy, including CVS and Walgreens. It costs under $30 to get the flu shot. To find the nearest location where flu shots are available, fill out the Find a Flu Shot box on the right.