Hand Washing

The Westchester County Health Department’s hand washing presentations have always been popular with local elementary and middle schools, and now, since the advent of H1N1, are even more so. By request, county health educators visited hundreds of classrooms this year throughout Westchester to both show and tell that washing hands is one of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs and disease. Children are always surprised to see how much dirt they leave behind when their freshly washed hands are put under a black light to expose all the fake “germs’’ they’ve missed. They then pay close attention when health educators teach them the right way to wash hands – by soaping up thoroughly for 20 seconds -- long enough to sing the Happy Birthday song twice - and then washing with warm water.

If you would like a presentation at your school, call the Health Department at 914-813-5000.

Westchester County Health Department staff visited Brookside School in Ossining to show the students how to stay healthy and avoid getting the flu. The Health Department gave a hands-on presentation on the right way to wash your hands.

Why?
Hand washing is considered the single most important means of preventing the spread of infection. Ensuring that both educators and children know the correct way to wash their hands will help control the spread of upper respiratory infections like colds, coughs, or flu, and intestinal infections, including those that cause diarrhea.

Proper hand washing is something we should have learned by the time we get through kindergarten. It is a simple, but important technique for everyone to learn and use. It is the most cost-effective way to decrease the spread of illness. Although schools and childcare facilities are excellent places for learning and practicing hand washing, it is becoming a lost behavior.

The quantity and variety of germs that we carry on our hands everyday is astounding. When we forget to wash our hands, or don't wash our hands correctly, we can spread these germs to other people. Hand washing, when done correctly, can help us avoid spreading and receiving germs. Remembering to wash your hands correctly and frequently is the first step toward staying healthy.

How?
Use the links to the left to join in the effort to stop the spread of germs.

When?
before you touch anything used to prepare food, and
before you touch food that will not be cooked;
after you work with raw meat, fish and poultry;
after you handle trash and take out garbage;
after using the bathroom or changing a diaper.

Use regular soap. Antibacterial soap isn't necessary. These soaps do kill bacteria, but antibacterial soaps may contribute to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance. Follow the steps below and learn how to properly wash your hands...
	Wet hands
	Apply soap & rub for 20 seconds. It's the scrubbing that really counts; it helps to dislodge the germs and send them down the drain.
	Rinse
	Dry with paper towel
	Use towel to turn off faucet

	- School Handwashing Kit - Read School Letter - Business Handwashing Kit - Read Business Letter
Join the Hand Washing Campaign! Whether you represent a childcare facility, restaurant, business or camp, you will find what you need to set up your own hand washing campaign in the W.A.S.H Up Westchester Kit. Download it now!