Archive for August, 2013

The All Ohio Balloon Festival will be held at the Union County Airport located at 760 Clymer Road in Marysville on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, August 15-17. This is the 38th year for the Balloon Festival, which started in 1975. A two day pass for Friday and Saturday is $5 for adults. Kids 12 and under are FREE.

This year, the musical activities will start on Thursday, August 15 with performances by Kellie Pickler and Morgan Frazier. Morgan will perform at 6 pm, followed by Kellie at 8 pm. You must have purchased tickets in advance to attend these concerts.

The Reagonomics will play Friday night at 7 pm. Bon Journey, a Bon Jovi tribute band, will play Saturday night at 7 pm.

There will also be helicopter rides for an additional fee, Kidz City with jumpies/inflatables ($7 fee–all you can jump), sky jumpers, and over 30 balloons (including a Darth Vader balloon from Belgium and other special shaped balloons). The Balloon Glow will take place at 9 pm every night. The Balloon Glow is something to see with all of the balloons lit up beautifully against the shadows of the approaching night.

Enjoy a fabulous festival filled with food, fun, and lots of balloons.

Like the Balloon Fest on Facebook HERE.

Click on the flyer to the left to enlarge it and see the complete schedule of events.

For the fifth year, we will be providing backpacks filled with selected school supplies to Jonathan Alder first and second graders at Plain City Elementary and Monroe Elementary. Using the school supply lists located on the Jonathan Alder School web sites, we chose items that we thought would be most needed by the students.

The backpacks are FREE. They are our way of thanking the community for continually supporting us. All that is required to obtain a backpack is to have a parent or guardian stop in the pharmacy and sign for the child. There is a limit of one backpack per child. Supplies are limited, so don’t wait!

Please drop by the pharmacy beginning on Thursday, August 15, to pick up a backpack filled with supplies for your proud student. The pharmacy is open Monday through Friday from 9 am to 6 pm and Saturday from 9 am to noon. We are closed on Sundays.

Hopefully, when you and your children open the backpacks, the smell of crayons will instantly put you and them in the “back-to-school” mood. It did us!

Please thank our College of Pharmacy students, Grace and Ann, for assembling a ton of backpacks! And thank you, as well, to Carmen and Courtney for so graciously acting as our backpack models!

Remember, school starts on Wednesday, August 21, for those in the Jonathan Alder School District! Can the summer really be over? Sigh.

This is my first blog EVER, so naturally I chose to write about lice!!

Each August, kids squeeze every last minute out of summer, parents go back-to-school shopping, and pharmacies stock up on nit combs. Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty and dish the dirt on lice.

The human head louse is a parasite that lives on the scalp, feeding on human blood. Lice have specialized legs that grip human head hair. Head lice do not spread disease, but can cause intense itching. The eggs of the louse are called “nits,” and the adult glues them to the hair shaft.

Lice outbreaks are associated with close personal contact, not with poor hygiene. Lice commonly spread in elementary schools and day care centers where children interact closely.

Avoid sharing hats, brushes, stuffed animals, towels, or pillows to help stop the spread of lice. Wash clothing and bed linens in hot water (>130 ⁰ F), vacuum often, and examine children regularly if an outbreak is suspected.

There are many treatments available to treat lice including non-drug, over-the-counter, and prescription treatments. You’ll notice the details depend on which method you use, so double check directions with the pharmacy. Not to be “nit-picky,” but incorrectly using the medication or method will leave you scratching your head.

Over-the-Counter Options 

• Rid: Apply to DRY hair and massage until wet. Leave on for 10 minutes. Add water, work into a lather, and rinse thoroughly. Comb hair through with nit comb. MUST repeat in 7 – 10 days.
• Nix: Apply to clean, towel-dried hair. Leave on for 10 minutes and rinse thoroughly with water. Comb hair through with nit comb. May need to repeat in 7 – 10 days.

Prescription Options

• Permethrin 1% (Nix): Apply to clean, towel-dried hair. Leave on for 10 minutes and rinse thoroughly with water. Comb hair through with nit comb. May repeat in 7 – 10 days.
• Permethrin 5% (Elimite): Apply to clean, dry hair and leave on overnight (8-14 hours) under shower cap. Then rinse thoroughly and comb hair through after rinsing.
• Malathion (Ovide): Apply to dry hair and scalp until moistened. Shampoo out after 8-12 hours. Avoid open flame while treating.

Non-Drug Options

• Daily wet combings: Wet hair with water and remove tangles with a comb. Start behind ears, separating hair into sections. Start at scalp and pull nit comb through to the end of hair. Wipe comb with a tissue or wet wipe and discard in plastic bag. Continue for hair all over head. Repeat until every part of head has been checked at least 5 times. When finished, tie up the plastic bag and discard in dumpster. Repeat combings daily for two (2) weeks. Wash comb under running tap water and use old toothbrush to clean. Wash comb in hot water for 10 minutes or store in freezer for 24 hours before re-using. This method requires a lot of time and persistence but is an option for those who would like to avoid the use of chemicals.

References:

Guidelines for Treatment of Pediculosis Capitis (Head Lice). Nova Scotia Department of Health Promotion and Protection. August, 2008. Available from: http://www.gov.ns.ca/hpp/publications/head_lice_guidelines_for_treatment.pdf

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Head Lice. November 2010. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/index.html

The motto is: “Don’t just go to church. BE the Church.” And on Sunday, August 11, that is exactly what the twenty-one churches of the Plain City Church Fellowship are asking their congregations and the Plain City community to do. Be the Church. Many of the churches are canceling their services to instead carry out charitable activities within Plain City and the surrounding areas.

If you would like to get involved, you can gather with other participants in Plain City at 10 am at Jonathan Alder High School in the main gym on Sunday, August 11. There will be a brief period of worship and prayer and then participants will spread throughout Plain City to partake in service projects.

There will be special projects at the North Avenue apartments, Canaan Community trailer park, and the Bickham Center. Additionally, this year, the “back to school clothing store” will be held in the Vineyard Church’s Daily Needs Assistance (DNA) Community Center in the old elementary school. You can also help the Vineyard finish moving into the elementary’s space from their old location behind the post office.

To find out more and read the complete list of projects, visit: Be the Church 2013.

We happily have two pharmacy students from The Ohio State University’s College of Pharmacy with us for August. We already introduced you to Grace Kilbane. Now meet Ann Kuttothara.

Here is Ann’s information about herself:

“My name is Ann and I’m excited to learn about independent pharmacy at Plain City Druggist this month! I’m looking forward to working with everyone at PCD and to hone my compounding skills. I hope to learn more about Plain City  and the patients here at the drugstore.

“I grew up in Columbus and attended high school nearby in Dublin. In my spare time, I like spending time with my family and friends, reading, and exploring new places. I’m learning a lot during my rotations and can’t believe I’ll soon be finishing many years of school at Ohio State.

“I was initially interested in becoming a pharmacist in high school, but decided to explore a variety of careers in college. I became a technician at a community pharmacy in Columbus and enjoyed interacting with patients. This experience ultimately confirmed my interest in pharmacy. I still work at that pharmacy and like sharing what I’ve learned in school to help patients. I hope to practice in an ambulatory care setting as a pharmacist in the future-maybe somewhere warm!

“I am ooking forward to a great month at Plain City Druggist!”