Florida Hospital Flagler Educates Elementary School Students on Hand-washing

PALM COAST, Fla. February 12, 2018 During the week of Feb. 5, Sophia Costa, Amy Piazza, and Chantell Sandy from the education department at Florida Hospital Flagler visited Bunnell, Rymfire and Wadsworth elementary schools to teach students involved in the 21st Century Community Learning Center about the importance of hand-washing.

The 21st Century Community Learning Center is a free academic enrichment program for qualifying students at Flagler County's three elementary schools.

During this event, Costa, Piazza, and Sandy emphasized the significant role the simple act of hand-washing can play in health.

Germs are everywhere! They can get onto hands and items we touch during daily activities and then get into the body through our eyes, nose, and mouth and make us sick, said Amy Piazza, Florida Hospital Flagler education manager. Cleaning hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer is one of the most important steps you can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to those around you.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, studies have shown that hand-washing can prevent 1 in 3 diarrhea-related sicknesses and 1 in 5 respiratory infections, such as a cold or the flu.

Hand-washing is one of the most important things we can do to stop the spread of germs and stay healthy. It's quick, it's simple, and it can keep us all from getting sick, said Sophia Costa, Florida Hospital Flagler clinical educator. Hand-washing is a win for everyone, except the germs!

Despite widespread knowledge of the importance of hand-washing, there is still room for improvement.

A recent study showed that only 31 percent of men and 65 percent of women washed their hands after using a public restroom, said Chantell Sandy, Florida Hospital Flagler clinical educator. To help you wash your hands properly, scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds that's the amount of time it will take you to hum the Happy Birthday song from beginning to end twice.

In 2016, Florida Hospital Flagler was named a premier health sponsor for Flagler County Schools 21st Century Community Learning Centers.

The 21st Century Community Learning Center is part of a five-year, $2.5 million grant which provides Flagler County students enhanced academic and social education experiences, while supporting the language art, math, science, and health benchmarks under the Florida State Standards.

About Florida Hospital Flagler

Florida Hospital Flagler is a member of Adventist Health System, a faith-based health care organization with 45 hospital campuses and 8,200 licensed beds in nine states, serving more than 5 million patients annually. With a mission to extend the healing ministry of Christ, Florida Hospital Flagler has 99-beds and is one of the seven Florida Hospitals in Flagler, Lake and Volusia counties that composes the Florida Hospital Central Florida Division - North Region. As the largest hospital system in the area, the Florida Hospital Central Florida Division - North Region has 1,226 beds and more than 7,800 employees.