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Foot care clinic in Acton A foot care clinic, sponsored by Shoppers Drug Mart in Acton, is held every third Tuesday of the month. Foot care is provided by Sylvia Long R.N., B.Sc.N. M.Ed., who will look at foot health, toe-nail cutting and filing, callus reduction, corn treatment and non-invasive toenail treatment. The fee is $25 for a 40-minute session ($5 subsidized for each senior by Shoppers Drug Mart who will also give each senior who uses the clinic an extra 20 per cent off for non-prescriptions and non-sale items on top of their regular Seniors Day held on the last Thursday of each month. To make an appointment please call the pharmacist Mark WardDragich at 519-853-3346. Is the meal you're buying safe to eat? Halton Region now posts restaurant inspection records How do you know if the food you buy is safe to eat? The owners and operators of restaurants, food take-outs, grocery stores, nursing homes, and day cares are responsible to ensure the safety of the food they prepare or sell. Public health inspectors help them to ensure the safety of this food through inspections and education. The main purpose of these activities is to reduce the occurrence of foodborne illness amongst people eating food from these places. Foodborne illness, also called food poisoning, occurs when someone eats food that is contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites, chemicals, or foreign objects. While much foodborne illness occurs at home, restaurants and food take-outs have the responsibility to serve safely prepared food to the public. Using provincial criteria, all food premises in Halton are ranked high, medium or low riskdepending on the type of food provided and to whom the food is served. The number of times each year that a food premise is inspected depends on its ranking. All food premises in Halton are inspected at least once per year, but some are inspected more frequently. Public health inspectors' visits to food premises are unannounced. During inspections, public health inspectors monitor and evaluate how staff handle, prepare, and servefood to ensure they use safe food handling practices and follow basic sanitation rules. There are seven groups of food safety standards that a food premises must follow inorder to pass inspection including things such as proper handling, cooking, and storing of food, proper cleaning of food surfaces and utensils, proper handling of garbage, and general cleanliness. Of course, it is up to the food premise's operator and staff to ensure that safe food handling practices continue after the inspector's visit and throughout the year. In addition to inspections, the Halton Region Health Department offers food safety training for staff working in the food services industry. Public health inspectors also consult with operators and help them to develop food safety plans for their establishments. Babysitting course A Canadian Red Cross Babysitting Course will be offered in Georgetown for anyone 11 years of age and up. This course has valuable information for children that stay at home alone too. It will be held on Wednesday, August 16, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Georgetown police station. Cost is $35 (includes Red Cross Babysitting manual & wallet card). Call Catherine to register: 905-877-4490. Red Cross needs drivers The North Halton branch of the Canadian Red Cross Society is looking to recruit volunteer drivers for the Georgetown and Acton area. Volunteer drivers are needed to take local elderly and frail members of the community to their medical appointments. The clients that we cater to are on their own without friends or family to take them, and desperately need your help. A clean driver's licence, reliable vehicle (gas reimbursement is provided) and police check (reimbursed) are required and First Aid training is provided. If you have just a couple of hours per week to spare, call Judith Dobbs, 905-875-1459. HealthNotes To make sure that Halton residents are able to make informed choices about where they eat outside of their homes, the Health Department implemented the Dinewise program for restaurants and food take-outs in Halton Region. The main focus of the Dinewise program is to allow restaurants and food takeouts to make information about their safe food handling practices available to the public. Since it began in 2003, the Dinewise program has been voluntary, but in 2005 a b-law was passed by Halton Regional Council to make the program mandatory for all restaurants and food take-outs in Halton Region. All restaurants and food take-outs must post a Certificate of Inspection and provide their Summary Inspection Reports when requested by patrons. Summary Inspection Reports out-line whether a restaurant or food take-out is using safe food handling practices at the time of the inspection, and has met the food safety standards required by law. As of July 1, Summary Inspections Reports from Halton's restaurants and food take-outs are available on the Health Department's website at www.halton.ca/dinewise. "The disclosure of food safety inspection reports is another step to help ensure that information is accessible to patrons of Halton restaurants," said Halton Regional Chairman Joyce Savoline. Halton Medical Officer of Health Dr. Bob Nosal noted that over 1,000 restaurants and take-out establishments are now taking part in the mandatory program. For more information about food safety, visit our website or call the Halton Region Health Department at 905-825-6000, toll free 1-866-4HALTON (1-866-442-5866), TTY 905-827-9833. Health Notes is prepared by staff of the Halton Region Health Department.