SALT LAKE CITY - The Utah Department of Transportation announces the following road construction:

1. JOINT REPAIR UPDATE, May 7-10: NB I-15 will be closed from 2100 S. to 600 N. from 8 p.m. Friday until 6 a.m. Monday. The following ramps will also be closed as part of this work:

• EB and WB I-80 to NB I-15.
• NB and SB I-15 to WB I-80
• EB S.R. 201 to NB I-15
• 1300 South on-ramp to NB I-15
• 500 South on-ramp to WB I-80
• 400 South on-ramp to NB I-15

2. May 8: NB I-215 from Redwood Road to 4700 South will be restricted to two lanes during daylight hours.

3. May 9: I-215 from Redwood Road to 300 East will be restricted to one lane each direction during daylight hours. The 280 East on-ramp to I-215 will be closed from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Motorists are advised to visit commuterlink.utah.gov and to call 511, Utah's free Travel Information Line, to find the latest construction and road condition updates.

UDOT recommends motorists reduce speeds and use caution when driving through work zones. Work schedules are subject to change due to inclement weather, equipment problems or emergency situations.

8:39:59 AM    

(Salt Lake City, UT) - Mothers Day, 2004 marks the 20th Anniversary since the Pregnancy RiskLine began serving Utah health care providers and the general public. The Pregnancy RiskLine is now one of the oldest and most successful teratology (reproductive hazards) education and research centers in North America providing helpful information to mothers and their health care providers.

The RiskLine began in response to a growing number of questions directed to the University of Utah School of Medicine's Division of Medical Genetics and various Utah Department of Health (UDOH) programs. Pregnant women, their health care providers, and their families and friends were anxious to find the most accurate and up-to-date information about the possible effects of medicines/drugs, chemicals and maternal illnesses and other medical conditions on the unborn baby.

"This information was often very difficult to find and, once found, confusing and conflicting," says Dr. John C. Carey U of U Professor of Pediatrics and founder of the RiskLine. "The RiskLine was established to address these questions in a convenient, accurate, current and easily understood manner, by telephone, at no cost to the caller."

In 1984, RiskLine counselors handled fewer than 500 inquires compared to almost 9,000 caller questions in 2003. In 1988, the RiskLine expanded its service to address side effects in infants whose mothers take medications while breastfeeding. Additionally, the RiskLine has expanded outreach efforts, providing continuing education to more than 12,000 individuals and health care professionals in Utah.

When Dr. Gary McFadden recently diagnosed a patient with an infection he also learned she "might" be pregnant. Before prescribing medicine, Dr. McFadden called the Pregnancy RiskLine to make sure the medicine was safe to take during pregnancy.

Shannon Jimenez called the RiskLine to ask about using antihistamines like Claritin® or Benadryl® because she was breastfeeding and suffering from allergies. Counselors told her that antihistamines may reduce her prolactin levels, resulting in a short-term dip in milk supply, and that could lead to a hungry and angry baby for a day or two. She was told that other choices for allergy relief were available and to talk with her doctor about using prescription nasal sprays like Nasonex® or Flonase®. She was glad she called. "If I would have taken this medicine and not had enough milk, it would have been a disaster because my baby won't take a bottle, and has never had formula. What would I have done to feed her? At the same time, I'm miserable with these allergies," said Jimenez.

"Each caller's question is unique and has to be answered based on each caller's time of exposure, the dose used and the frequency of the exposure," says Lynn Martinez, Pregnancy RiskLine Manager, UDOH. For this reason, the program has not created a "list" of medications, chemicals or maternal diseases that cause problems in pregnancy or while breastfeeding. However, the RiskLine is frequently asked certain questions. Here are the "top ten" question topics:

1. Over-the-Counter (OTC) cough and cold medications
2. OTC allergy medicines
3. Antidepressants
4. OTC pain medicines
5. Antibiotics
6. Hair care and cosmetic products
7. Household cleaning products
8. Infections and chronic health conditions of mothers
9. Herbs
10. Substances of abuse

The confidential service is available Monday - Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. On Saturdays and Sundays, counselors return messages between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. For more information, call the RiskLine at 1-800-822-2229 or in Salt Lake Area 328-2229.

7:07:46 AM