Try four weeks of moving and shaking, eating healthy, and most importantly, making family memories. (You can also check out our ideas for staying active over winter break.)
Each day over the holiday break, encourage your kids to write down or draw a picture of something for which they are thankful.
Use New Year's Day as an opportunity to get your kids thinking about their health and happiness goals for the coming year.
Youth Crisis Text Line - 741-741
Synergy Services: 816-741-8700, 888-233-1639, website
How Stress Affects Your Health
Mourning Star(loss of a child support group)
Green Valley Baptist Church
3110 Cook Rd. St. Joseph, MO 64506
First Wednesday of the month from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Contact: Melody Townsend at 816-387-1147 or Janis Consolver at 816-596-0123
Grief & Loss Support (open to anyone grieving a loss)
Call Sister Barb Conroy with Hands of Hope Hospice at 816-271-7190 before attending.
Widowed Too Young (for those 60 and younger that have lost a spouse)
Call Sister Susan Holmes with Hands of Hope Hospice at 816-271-7190
Out of the Darkness (a group for those who have lost loved ones to suicide)
6:30 pm, Wyatt Park Christian Church, 27th and Mitchell, 816-232-3374. Meet the 2nd Thursday of each month.
American Association of Suicidology (resources for survivors of suicide)
Suicide Survivor Support - Kansas City, MO (resources for survivors of suicide)
913-681-3050, website
Learn more about warning signs here
The Shyness Institute
5 Ways to Shake Shyness
It's being so afraid of, or worried about a test, that the performance suffers.
The by-stander effect is when a situation occurs where there is potential harm to an individual; people in groups are less likely to assist, as opposed to a single individual exposed to the situation.
Missouri School Violence Hotline
TIPS CAN BE ANONYMOUS
More then Sad: Teen Depression
Mental Health America (MHA)
Mental Health America (MHA) is the leading advocacy organization addressing the full spectrum of mental and substance use conditions and their effects nationwide. Website provides information on how to recognize symptoms of depression, how you can help yourself or a friend, types of treatment and warning signs of suicide.
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
NAMI is the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest grassroots organization for people with mental illness and their families. Website hosts a discussion group for teens who have been diagnosed with a mental illness, like depression, and want to connect with other teens who can relate to what they’re going through.
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)
The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) is the leading patient-directed national organization focusing on the most prevalent mental illnesses. Link to a brochure available in HTML or PDF format that helps you figure out the differences between a sad mood and depression. Also provides a workbook that you can fill in to help you better understand how to manage your depression and track your progress throughout treatment.
Kids and Mood Disorders, The Storm in My Brain
Working Toward Wellness Workbook
HelpGuide.org
HelpGuide is a free, non-commercial resource for people in need. Website contains information on symptoms, how to help a depressed friend, and how to talk to your parents about depression. Also includes links to other helpful resources.
Teenager's Guide to Depression, Tips and Tools for Helping Yourself or a Friend
Depression Symptoms and Warning Signs, Recognizing Depression and Getting the Help You Need
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Recognizing and Treating the Winter Blues
KidsHealth.org
KidsHealth is an award-winning website produced by the Nemours Foundation, one of the largest nonprofit organizations devoted to children's health. Website is a good source of understandable, accurate explanations of the factors that contribute to depression.
Regular Sadness vs. Depression
Note: Many of these sites also contain information on teen depression for your parents
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a 24-hour, toll-free suicide prevention service available to anyone in suicidal crisis. You will be routed to the closest possible crisis center in your area. Your call is free and confidential. Even if you are not in a suicidal crisis, you can call the Lifeline if you just need to talk to someone who cares, are concerned about a friend, or need a referral to a mental health professional in your area.
English Lifeline number 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Spanish Language Lifeline Number / Para obtener asistencia en español durante las 24 horas, llame al: 1-888-628-9454
website (English) website (Spanish)
First Baptist Church - New Hope Group
500 East Pawnee, Savannah, MO 64485
Sunday at 8 pm - New Hope Group Basic Text Open
Thursday at 8 pm - New Hope Group Topic Open
Tuesday at 8 pm - New Hope Group Topic, Discussion/Participation Open
- a Dual Diagnosis Substance Abuse Rehab in Saint Joseph, MO
3442 Ashland Avenue, Saint Joseph, MO 64506
816-749-4060
- a substance abuse rehab service
901 Felix Street, Saint Joesph, MO 64501
816-236-2431
- a substance abuse rehab service
118 South Fifth Street, Saint Joseph, MO 64501
816-233-3330
- a substance abuse rehab service
3510 Frederick Ave. Saint Joseph, MO 64506
816-364-6007
General health service
3302 South Belt Highway Suit P, Saint Joseph, MO 64503
800-952-8387 x 51680 - intake line: 800-952-8387
Free 24/7 drug and alcohol help to those struggling with addiction. Call the national hotline for drug abuse today to receive information regarding treatment and recovery.
1-888-633-3239
24 hour drug abuse helpline
866-948-9865
3935 Sherman Ave. St. Joseph, MO 64506
New patients - 877-284-7074
Existing patients - 816-233-7200
Fax 816-233-7303
Outpatient Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Program
3935 Sherman Avenue St. Joseph, MO 64506
816-233-7300
National Helpline - 800-662-HELP (4357)
3302 South Belt Highway
Saint Joseph, MO 64503
800-952-8387
a Dual Diagnosis Drug & Alcohol Addiction Treatment
201 Main Street
Atchison, KS 66002
913-367-1593
1816 North 2nd Street
Atchison, KS 66002
913-367-1618
600 Thomas Avenue
Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027
913-684-6586
500 Limit Street
Leavenworth, KS 66048
913-682-5118
601 Utah Street
Hiawatha, KS 66434
785-742-7551
4101 South 4th Street
Leavenworth, KS 66048
913-682-2000
109 East Summit Drive
Maryville, MO 64468
660-582-3139
318 North Main Street
Maryville, MO 64468
660-562-3000
7 Westowne Street
Liberty, MO 64068
816-407-1754
6060 North Oak Trafficway
Kansas City, MO 64118
816-468-0400
40A Westwood Drive
Liberty, MO 64068
816-781-2349
3100 NE 83rd Street
Kansas City, MO 64119
816-468-0400
1505 NE Parvin Road
Kansas City, MO 64116
816-452-6550
26 South Gallatin Street
Liberty, MO 64048
816-781-8999
116 West 19th Street
Falls City, NE 68355
402-245-4458
Fruits and vegetables add color, texture and taste to just about any dish. They are great by themselves or make a smart addition to any meal. Eating more fruits and vegetables is a worthwhile goal. Eating a variety of different colors every day is a new way of thinking about meeting the goal.
Red fruits and vegetables contain essential compounds that promote heart health, healthy aging and memory, and urinary tract health. They also reduce the risk of some cancers. Make a pot of vegetarian spaghetti sauce to fill your week with the benefits of red fruits and vegetables.
Try adding some red fruits and vegetables to your favorite dishes today!
Green fruits and vegetables contain varying amounts of potent phytochemicals, such as lutein and indoles, as well as varying amounts of vitamins A, C, E and K, beta-carotene and B vitamins. These substances can help lower cancer risk, improve eye health, and keep bones and teeth strong.
Vitamin K, perhaps the star of all vitamins found in green vegetables, is important for blood clotting, keeping bones strong, and may help prevent hardening of the arteries, which can cause a heart attack.
When selecting green vegetables, keep in mind that the darker the green, the more nutrients they contain.
These nutrient all-stars offer a lot of antioxidants, vitamins, fiber and phytonutrients, which are good for your skin, eyes and heart, and may decrease your risk of cancer. Beta-carotene is a powerful antioxidant. It gives these sunny fruits and vegetables their bright color. Experts say beta-carotene is not only good for eye health, but it can also delay loss of mental sharpness and protect skin from sun damage.
Choose at least one orange fruit or vegetable every day to get the folate and vitamin A your body needs to maintain good health.
These vibrant foods get their color from natural plant pigments called “anthocyanins” which have been shown to reduce the risk of cancer, stroke and heart disease. Anthocyanins in blueberries, grapes and raisins act as powerful antioxidants that protect cells from damage. Other studies have shown that eating more blueberries is linked with improved memory function and healthy aging.
MyPlate is a reminder to find your healthy eating style and build it throughout your lifetime. Everything you eat and drink matters. The right mix can help you be healthier now and in the future. This means:
Eating healthy is a journey shaped by many factors, including our stage of life, situations, preferences, access to food, culture, traditions, and the personal decisions we make over time. All your food and beverage choices count. MyPlate offers ideas and tips to help you create a healthier eating style that meets your individual needs and improves your health. For a colorful visual of MyPlate and the 5 food groups, download What's MyPlate All About?
Adults aren’t the only ones who should pay attention to nutrition facts labels. When it comes to picking prepackaged snacks, teaching kids how to read the nutrition label, can help them choose healthier snacks. This video explains a few important tips about reading calories, serving size, and nutrient contents on a the label, so kids will have the information they need to make smart nutrition decisions.
You can choose moderate or vigorous intensity activities, or a mix of both each week. Activities can be considered vigorous, moderate, or light in intensity. This depends on the extent to which they make you breathe harder and your heart beat faster.
Only moderate and vigorous intensity activities count toward meeting your physical activity needs. With vigorous activities, you get similar health benefits in half the time it takes you with moderate ones. You can replace some or all of your moderate activity with vigorous activity. Although you are moving, light intensity activities do not increase your heart rate, so you should not count these towards meeting the physical activity recommendations. These activities include walking at a casual pace, such as while grocery shopping, and doing light household chores.
Most of us only know diphtheria as an obscure disease from long ago, thanks to the diphtheria vaccine babies get. This vaccine, called DTaP, provides protection against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (whooping cough). While preventable, diphtheria does still exist. It can cause a thick covering in the back of the nose or throat that makes it hard to breathe or swallow. Diphtheria can also lead to heart failure, paralysis, and even death. Make sure to vaccinate to help keep this dangerous infection from your kids.
Doctors recommend that your child get five doses of the DTaP vaccine for best protection. Your child will need one dose at each of the following ages: 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 15 through 18 months, and 4 through 6 years.
Chickenpox is a disease that causes an itchy rash of blisters and a fever. A person with chickenpox may have a lot of blisters—as many as 500 all over their body. Chickenpox can be serious and even life-threatening, especially in babies, adults, and people with weakened immune systems. Even healthy children can get really sick. Vaccinating kids at an early age is especially important to keep your children healthy.
Doctors recommend that your child get two doses of the chickenpox shot for best protection. Your child will need one dose at each of the following ages: 12 through 15 months and 4 through 6 years.
Mumps is best known for causing puffy cheeks and a swollen jaw. This is due to swelling of the salivary glands. Other symptoms include fever, head and muscle aches, and tiredness. Mumps is a contagious disease and there is no treatment. Mumps is still a threat today—every year, people in the United States get mumps. In recent years, mumps outbreaks have occurred in settings where there was close, extended contact with infected people, such as being in the same classroom or playing on the same sports team. The MMR vaccine protects you and your family against mumps, measles, and rubella.
Doctors recommend that your child get two doses of the MMR shot for best protection. Your child will need one dose at each of the following ages: 12 through 15 months and 4 through 6 years.
Rotavirus is contagious and can cause severe watery diarrhea, often with vomiting, fever, and abdominal pain, mostly in infants and young children. Children can become severely dehydrated from the disease and need to be hospitalized. If a dehydrated child does not get needed care, they could die. Rotavirus is one of the first vaccines an infant can get; it’s the best way to protect your child from rotavirus disease.
Doctors recommend that your child get two or three doses of the vaccine (depending on the brand) for best protection. For both brands, babies should get their first dose at 2 months of age and a second dose at 4 months. If they are getting the RotaTeq vaccine, they’ll need a third dose at 6 months.
#10. Pneumococcal Disease
This disease is caused by bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae. It causes ear infections, sinus infections, pneumonia, and even meningitis, making it very dangerous for children. The germs can invade parts of the body—like the brain or spinal cord—that are normally free from germs. Make sure you keep kids safe from this dangerous disease by vaccinating.
Doctors recommend that your child get four doses of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (also called PCV13) for best protection. Your child will need one dose at each of the following ages: 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, and at 12 through 15 months.
Learn more about Pneumococcal Disease.
Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a highly contagious disease that can be deadly for babies. Whooping cough can cause uncontrollable, violent coughing, which often makes it hard to breathe. Its “whooping” name comes from the sharp breath intake sound right after a coughing fit. In babies, this disease also can cause life-threatening pauses in breathing with no cough at all. Whooping cough is especially dangerous to babies who are too young to be vaccinated themselves. Mothers should get the whooping cough vaccine during each pregnancy to pass some protection to their babies before birth. It is very important for your baby to get the whooping cough vaccine on time so he can start building his own protection against the disease. Since 2010, between 15,000 and 50,000 cases of whooping cough were reported each year in the United States, with cases reported in every state.
The DTaP vaccine provides protection against whooping cough, diphtheria, and tetanus. Doctors recommend that your child get five doses of the DTaP shot for best protection. Your child will need one dose at each of the following ages: 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 15 through 18 months, and 4 through 6 years.
Did you know your child can get measles by being in a room where a person with measles has been, even up to two hours after that person has left? Measles is very contagious, and it can be serious, especially for young children. Because measles is common in other parts of the world, unvaccinated people can get measles while traveling and bring it into the United States. Anyone who is not protected is at risk, so make sure to stay up to date on your child’s vaccines to minimize the risk of coming into contact with an imported case.
Doctors recommend that your child get two doses of the MMR shot for best protection. Your child will need one dose at each of the following ages: 12 through 15 months and 4 through 6 years.
Infants 6 to 11 months old should have one dose of the MMR shot before traveling abroad. Infants vaccinated before 12 months of age should be revaccinated on or after their first birthday with two doses, each dose separated by at least 28 days.
Learn more about Measles.
Hib (or its official name, Haemophilus influenzae type b) isn’t as well-known as some of the other diseases, thanks to vaccines. Hib can do some serious damage to our kids’ immune systems and cause brain damage, hearing loss, or even death. Hib mostly affects kids under five years old. Before the vaccine, over 20,000 kids were infected each year. That’s about 400 yellow school busses worth of kids! Of these kids, one in five suffered brain damage or became deaf. Even with treatment, as many as one out of 20 kids with Hib meningitis dies. Get your child vaccinated to help them beat the odds!
Doctors recommend that your child get four doses of the Hib vaccine for best protection. Your child will need one dose at each of the following ages: 2 months, 4 months, 6 months (for some brands), and 12 through 15 months.
Learn more about Hib.
Rubella is spread by coughing and sneezing. It is especially dangerous for a pregnant woman and her developing baby. If an unvaccinated pregnant woman gets infected with rubella, she can have a miscarriage or her baby could die just after birth. Also, she can pass the disease to her developing baby who can develop serious birth defects. Make sure you and your child are protected from rubella by getting vaccinated on schedule.
Doctors recommend that your child get two doses of the MMR vaccine for best protection. Your child will need one dose at each of the following ages: 12 through 15 months and 4 through 6 years.
Learn more about Rubella.
The Hepatitis A vaccine was developed in 1995 and since then has cut the number of cases dramatically in the United States. Hepatitis A is a contagious liver disease and is transmitted through person-to-person contact or through contaminated food and water. Vaccinating against hepatitis A is a good way to help your baby stay Hep A-free and healthy!
Doctors recommend that your child get two doses of the hepatitis A shot for best protection. Your child should get the first dose at 12 through 23 months and the second dose 6 to 18 months after the first.
Learn more about Hepatitis A.
Did you know that worldwide more than 780,000 people per year die from complications to Hepatitis B? Hepatitis B is spread through blood or other bodily fluids. It’s especially dangerous for babies, since the hepatitis B virus can spread from an infected mother to child during birth. About nine out of every 10 infants who contract it from their mothers become chronically infected, which is why babies should get the first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth. All pregnant women should be tested and all babies should be vaccinated.
Doctors recommend that your child get three doses of the Hepatitis B shot for best protection. Typically, your child will need one dose at each of the following ages: within 24 hours of birth, 1 through 2 months, and 6 months. Your child may get a fourth dose depending on your baby’s birth weight or the brand of vaccine the doctor uses.
Learn more about Hepatitis B.
Flu is a respiratory illness caused by the influenza virus that infects the nose, throat, and lungs. Flu can affect people differently based on their immune system, age, and health. Did you know that flu can be dangerous for children of any age? Flu symptoms in children can include coughing, fever, aches, fatigue, vomiting, and diarrhea. Not to mention, every year in the United States, otherwise healthy children are hospitalized or die from flu complications. In fact, CDC estimates that since 2010, flu-related hospitalizations among children younger than 5 years have ranged from 6,000 to 26,000 in the United States. It’s important to know that children younger than 6 months are more likely to end up in the hospital from flu, but are too young to get a flu vaccine. The best way to protect babies against flu is for the mother to get a flu vaccine during pregnancy and for all caregivers and close contacts of the infant to be vaccinated. Everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine every year—protect yourself and your loved ones.
Doctors recommend that your child get the flu vaccine every year starting when they are 6 months old. Children younger than 9 years old who are getting vaccinated for the first time need two doses of flu vaccine, spaced at least 28 days apart.
Learn more about Influenza.
Tetanus causes painful muscle stiffness and lockjaw and can be fatal. Parents used to warn kids about tetanus every time we scratched, scraped, poked, or sliced ourselves on something metal. Nowadays, the tetanus vaccine is part of a disease-fighting vaccine called DTaP, which provides protection against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough).
Doctors recommend that your child get five doses of the DTaP shot for best protection. Your child will need one dose at each of the following ages: 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 15 through 18 months, and 4 through 6 years.
Learn more about Tetanus.
Polio is a crippling and potentially deadly infectious disease that is caused by poliovirus. The virus spreads from person to person and can invade an infected person’s brain and spinal cord, causing paralysis. Polio was eliminated in the United States with vaccination, and continued use of polio vaccine has kept this country polio-free. But, polio is still a threat in some other countries. Making sure that infants and children are vaccinated is the best way to prevent polio from returning. Make sure your baby is protected with the polio vaccine.
Doctors recommend that your child get four doses of the polio vaccine (also called IPV) for best protection. Your child will need one dose at each of the following ages: 2 months, 4 months, 6 through 18 months, and 4 through 6 years.
Learn more about Polio.