I attended a “Holiday Safety Tips” lunch that was sponsored by Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care yesterday. Dr. Neal Shipley, an Urgent Care Specialist, shared a lot of helpful information during his Holiday Safety presentation. I found myself continuously thinking, “Oh, I didn’t know that,” as he covered various topics – from decoration safety to holiday safety tips for pets. Dr. Shipley was kind enough to share his holiday safety tips presentation and you can download it below:
Holiday Safety Tips Presentation
Click here for the Holiday Safety presentation to download
Food Safety Tips
All of the holiday safety tips are good to know in order to protect our families. As a “foodie”, the food tips resonated the most with me though. They were the following:
Four Core Practices
- Clean: Why? Bacteria can spread throughout the kitchen and get on hands, utensils, and countertops
- Separate: Why? Cross-contamination is how bacteria spreads. Keep raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs away from ready-to-eat foods
- Cook: Why? Improper heating & preparation of food means bacteria can survive
- Chill: Why? Bacteria grows fastest between 40 °F and 140 °F. Proper chilling is important to reducing risk of illness
Bonus: Urgent Care During The Winter Months
During the Q&A session, I asked Dr. Shipley what types of health problems were most prevalent during the winter season. He responded that many people visit the Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care centers (which offer walk-in care for non-life-threatening issues) during the winter for colds, bronchitis, and the flu.
The flu answer touched off a wider conversation about flu shots. We moms are so opinionated. 🙂 Personally, I don’t have a strong opinion about flu shots. My kids get them because their hands are constantly in their faces due to allergies and asthma. FYI: It was helpful to note that Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care does offer $20 flu shots at any of their 30+ locations for those who are interested. Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care also accepts various insurance plans or self-pay rates that you can check on the Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care website.
In any event, Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care centers are helpful options for urgent care needs. As my friend and blogging colleague Nancy and I were looking for the event’s address together, a local man (who helped us find the address) kept raving about the center that we were visiting. In his opinion, Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care “is a really great place”. I believe him!
