Broadcaster Press 5 May 9, 2017 www.broadcasteronline.com May is Mental Health Month: Pathways to Wellness May is Mental Health Month and calls attention to strategies and approaches that help all Americans achieve wellness and good mental and overall health. “Wellness is essential to living a full and productive life,” said Tim Neyhart, Executive Director of South Dakota Advocacy Services (SDAS). “We may have different ideas about what wellness means, but it involves a set of skills and strategies to help prevent the onset or shorten the duration of illness and promote recovery and well-being. It’s about keeping healthy as well as getting healthy.” Dianna Marshall, program director for the SDAS Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI) Program said “Wellness is more than absence of disease. It involves complete general, mental, and social well-being. And mental health is an essential component of overall health and well-being. The fact is our overall well-being is tied to the balance that exists between our emotional, physical, spiritual and mental health.” Marshall added everyone is at risk of stress given the demands it brings and the challenges at work and at home. But there are steps that maintain well-being and help everyone achieve wellness. These involve a balanced diet, regular exercise, enough sleep, a sense of self-worth, development of coping skills that promote resiliency, emotional awareness, and connections to family, friends and the community. She said these steps should be complemented by taking stock of one’s well-being through regular mental health checkups. “Just as we check our blood pressure and get cancer screenings, it’s a good idea to take periodic stock of our emotional well-being. One recent study said everyone should get their mental health checked as often as they get a physical, and many doctors routinely screen for mental health, which typically include a series of questions about lifestyle, eating and drinking habits and mental wellness. But a checkup doesn’t necessarily require a special trip to the doctor. There are also online screening tools you can use. While conditions like depression are common— roughly 1 in 5 Americans have a mental health condition—they are extremely treatable,” stated Marshall. “Fully embracing the concept of wellness not only improves health in the mind, body and spirit, but also maximizes one’s potential to lead a full and productive life,” Marshall added. Using strategies that promote resiliency and strengthen mental health and prevent mental health and substance use conditions lead to improved general health and a healthier society: greater academic achievement by our children, a more productive economy, and families that stay together. “It’s why pathways to wellness are so important and why we need to spread the word,” noted Neyhart. women smoked during pregnancy, down from 14 percent in 2015. The data also showed 72.7 percent of pregnant women in South Dakota got prenatal care in the first trimester. The First Lady noted the state’s Cribs for Kids program has distributed 7,915 safe sleep kits since its launch in 2012 to provide families in need with safe sleep options for their babies. The kits include a Pack ‘N Play crib, sheet, infant sleep sack, pacifier and educational materials. “The decrease in the number of infant deaths is encouraging and certainly reflects the hard work of many health care providers across the state,” said Colleen Winter, director of family and community health for the department. “We need to continue those efforts, particularly among our American Indian population where the infant mortality rate is still disproportionately high.” Learn more about healthy pregnancies and safe sleep guidelines at the department’s www. ForBabySakeSD.com website. PIERRE, S.D. – At the encouragement of the South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs and the South Dakota Department of the Military, Gov. Dennis Daugaard has proclaimed May as “National Military Appreciation Month,” a time for all to honor, remember, recognize and appreciate those who have served in the past and those now serving, as well as their families. “The vigilance of the members of the Armed Forces has been instrumental to the preservation of freedom, security and prosperity enjoyed by the people of this great nation,” the Governor’s proclamation states. “The success of the Armed Forces depends on the dedicated service of its members and their families.” National Military Appreciation Month includes: Loyalty Day on May 1, Victory in Europe Day on May 8, Military Spouse Appreciation Day on May 12, Armed Forces Day on May 20 and Memorial Day on May 29. "It is certainly fitting to dedicate a month to consider all of the ways that members of our armed forces both past and present have earned and preserved our American way of life,” said Adjutant General Timothy Reisch, Secretary of the South Dakota Department of the Military. “We also honor in a special way, the many contributions and tremendous support of our military family members without whom our service would be impossible." The days provide an opportunity to honor, remember, recognize, and appreciate those who serve and have served. These men and women continue to play a major role in the development of our country documented through a history of uncompromising honor, dedication to duty and genuine love of country, according to South Dakota Veterans Affairs Secretary Larry Zimmerman. “The month of May provides a great opportunity to remember, honor and pay tribute to our nation’s heroes – heroes who set aside their personal safety to defend and protect their family, their community and their nation from those who would threaten our way of life,” said Larry Zimmerman, Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs. “These men and women step forward every day to train, fight and defend our freedoms.” Data Shows State’s 2016 Infant May Proclaimed National Mortality Rate Lowest Ever Military Appreciation Month PIERRE, S.D. – In 2016 South Dakota reported its lowest rate ever of infant deaths, according to new data released today by the Department of Health. The data shows there were 12,270 births in 2016 and 59 infant deaths for a rate of 4.8 deaths per 1,000 live births. That’s down from 7.3 in 2015 and below the previous low of 5.5 in 2000. “It’s wonderful news that more babies are celebrating their first birthdays,” said First Lady Linda Daugaard, who chaired the 2011 Governor’s Task Force on Infant Mortality. “If we continue to promote safe sleep guidelines for infants, help pregnant women stop smoking and get early prenatal care, we can support that encouraging trend.” Promoting safe sleep guidelines, increasing early prenatal care and decreasing smoking by pregnant women were key recommendations of the task force. South Dakota data shows babies are twice as likely to die before their first birthday if their mothers smoke during pregnancy. The new data shows 13.6 percent of pregnant Missouri National Recreational River Tourism Creates $7.6 Million In Local Economic Benefit A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 148,200 visitors to the Missouri National Recreational River in 2016 spent $6.4 Million in communities near the park. That spending supported 102 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $7.6 Million. "Missouri National Recreational River welcomes visitors from across the country and around the world," said Superintendent Rick Clark. "We are delighted to share the story of this place and the experiences it provides. We also feature the park as a way to introduce our visitors to this part of the country and all that it offers. National park tourism is a significant driver in the national economy, returning $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service, and it's a big factor in our local economy as well. We appreciate the partnership and support of our neighbors and are glad to be able to give back by helping to sustain local communities within the 98-mile river corridor from Pickstown, South Dakota to Ponca, Nebraska that encompasses the park's boundaries." The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas of the U.S. Geological Survey and Lynne Koontz of the National Park Service. The report shows $18.4 billion of direct spending by 331 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a unit area ad- ministered by the National Park Service. This spending supported 318,000 jobs nationally; 271,544 of those jobs are found in these gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $34.9 billion. According to the 2016 report, most park visitor spending was for lodging (31.2 percent) followed by food and beverages (27.2 percent), gas and oil (11.7 percent), admissions and fees (10.2 percent), souvenirs and other expenses (9.7 percent), local transportation (7.4 percent), and camping fees (2.5 percent). Report authors this year produced an interactive tool. Users can explore current year visitor spending, jobs, labor income, value added, and output effects by sector for national, state, and local economies. Users can also view year-by-year trend data. The interactive tool and report are available at the NPS Social Science Program webpage: go.nps. gov/vse. The report includes information for visitor spending at individual parks and by state. To learn more about national parks in South Dakota and Nebraska and how the National Park Service works with the states communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to www.nps.gov/southdakota or www.nps.gov/ nebraska. Give Mom a Massage Gift Certificate from Massage for Health Lois Hazen • 216 W. Main Street Vermillion • 624-6732 www.loismassages.com Call or stop in May 14, 2017 Mother (muh-th-er) –noun 1. One person who does the work of twenty. For free. (See also ‘saint’.) Give Her the Best! Rosewood Greenhouse Now Open Treat Mom to something nice. She deserves it! Sheila’s Country Gardens & Gift Shop 3 miles south of Hartington, NE on Hwy. 57 • 402-254-6379 • M-Sat 10 - 6 • Sun 1 - 5 • Wed ‘til 8pm Packaged Seeds & Onion Plants Available Honoring Women for Their Strength Grace & Love Beautiful Annuals, Perennials, Shrubs, Hanging Baskets, Planters, Garden Vegetable Plants in Vermillion Serving Clay, Union, Turner Counties in South Dakota 1400 W. Cherry St., Vermillion (1 block west of Pump N Pak) Open Mon-Fri. 9:30am-6:30pm, Sat. 10am-5pm, Sun. 11am-3pm (605) 624-5311 her’s Day Mot Lilacs, Lavender & Lots More at Hanging Baskets Patio Planters Annual Flowers Bring your pots ~ we’ll plant for you Every gift complimentary wrapped while you select the perfect greeting card. Let us make the Day Special for you and your Special Someones. 19 W. Main, Vermillion M-F 9am - 5:30pm Sat 9am - 5pm Vegetable Plants and Seeds Local y Onion Sets ~ Seed Potatoes Hone Sweet Potato Plants Local Honey Bulk Grass Seed ~ Sweet Corn Seed Morse’s Market Located 1 block south of Cotton Park and Soccer Park Open 7 days a week M–F 12:30pm – 6:30pm • Sat–Sun 10:00am – 6:30pm Mitchel Morse Happy Mother’s Day ore! That’sAm 605-624-8000 Free Deliveries Sun.–Thurs. 11–10 Fri. & Sat. 11–11 Eastgate Plaza Appetizers - Pasta - Salads - Pizza - Calzones Chicken - Sandwiches - Desserts