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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Brian Sansoni, 202-662-2517 or bsansoni@cleaning101.com

 

CDC Podcast Highlights Importance of Improving In-School Hygiene

  • SDA/CDC Hand Hygiene Education Program Featured on CDC Podcast Website
  • “Healthy Schools, Health People: It’s a SNAP Program” Targets Middle School
    Students; Promotes Clean Hands, Better Health, Reduced Absenteeism

 

WASHINGTON, DC – July 18, 2007 – Learning how to make your school healthier – while reducing student absenteeism – is the subject of a new podcast on the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - www.cdc.gov/podcasts.

The podcast profiles the “Healthy Schools, Healthy People: It’s a SNAP” program (www.itsasnap.org).  SNAP – the School Network for Absenteeism Prevention – is a collaboration between The Soap and Detergent Association (SDA) and the CDC.

The five-year old program encourages middle schools to help develop programs that make hand hygiene a priority for students, teachers, school health personnel, administrators and parents.  

The CDC podcast (http://www2a.cdc.gov/podcasts/player.asp?f=6037) features a short video on how schools across the nation are educating their students on the importance of hand hygiene.  The piece includes testimonials from award-winning program participants and comments from CDC Director Julie Gerberding.

“The SNAP program focuses on behavior change for better health and rewards students for doing their part in reducing absenteeism.  Students across the nation have taken ownership of their health by getting involved in our program,” said Nancy Bock, SDA Vice President of Education.

In 2005, SNAP received an Award of Excellence from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). 

SNAP launches at the beginning of the school year, just as cold and flu season approaches.  According to CDC, cleaning one’s hands is the single most important thing people can do to keep from getting sick and spreading illness. 

Interested educators can learn more and download specific information by visiting the SNAP website, www.itsasnap.org, or sending an email to SNAP@cleaning101.com.

 

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The Soap and Detergent Association (www.cleaning101.com), the Home of the U.S. Cleaning Product and Oleochemical IndustriesSM, is the non-profit trade association representing manufacturers of household, industrial, and institutional cleaning products, their ingredients and finished packaging; oleochemical producers; and chemical distributors to the cleaning product industry. SDA members produce more than 90 percent of the cleaning products marketed in the U.S. The SDA is located at 1500 K Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005.

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