Georgia PH week [Jan. 21, 2014]

PHWEEK 1-21-2014: DPH to Pursue National Accreditation

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DPH to Pursue National Accreditation



In a move that could change the landscape of public health in Georgia,

leaders at the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) announced

Friday their decision to seek formal, national accreditation. If approved,

DPH would join the states of Washington and Oklahoma in achieving this

status.

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"Our work in our first two and a half years as a new department tells us we're doing the right thing and bringing the right health outcomes," said DPH Commissioner Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D. "And I think we're ready to be recognized by our peers as a true model of public health."

In This Issue
DPH to Pursue National Accreditation

In order for Georgia to receive full accreditation by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB), examiners will assess DPH in ten essential services of public health. Georgia's DPH could seek accreditation as early as 2015.

Commissioner Hosts First

Statewide Call



50 Years of Fighting Tobacco New Year, New Chances to Be

Commissioner Hosts First Statewide Call

Healthy DPH Urges Prevention for HPV Sope Creek Elem. Powers Up

The start of a new year brought a first for public health and Georgia

Shining a Light on Diabetes in Department of Public Health

Georgia

(DPH) Commissioner Brenda

Healthcare Georgia Foundation Launches Infant Mortality Initiative
PHBRIEF

Fitzgerald, M.D. On Jan. 10, Fitzgerald hosted the first statewide video conference call, broadcast to 149 locations in

Help Wanted? Learn about all 18 health districts as well

DPH's Intern Program
Do you need assistance with a project? Are you interested in supporting the future public health workforce? Are you interested in being a mentor? If so, you are

as DPH's locations at 2 Peachtree, Skyland and the public health lab via the

Employees gathered across the state for the first video conference call with Commissioner Brenda
Fitzgerald, M.D.

telehealth network. The call

was the first of what will become monthly calls in which the

invited to attend a lunch-and-learn commissioner will speak to thousands of DPH employees across the state,

session on Fri., Feb. 7 from 12:00- providing updates and answering questions from public health staff.

1:00 p.m., Room 7-430. The

session will highlight some of DPH's Fitzgerald's first order of business was to thank all employees for their

external partnerships for recruiting and selecting interns and discuss

dedication and good work.

the requirements and benefits of

accepting interns. For more



information, please contact L'laina

Rash, in the Office of Science, Research and Academic Affairs, at

50 Years of Fighting Tobacco

ltrash@dhr.state.ga.us.

Fifty years ago this week, the first

PHEVENTS

U.S. Surgeon General's report linking tobacco and lung cancer was

published. Since then, the U.S. and

Looking for DPH events? Visit the Events Schedule on
our website.

Georgia have made tremendous progress in reducing the burden of tobacco on our communities. However, our work is far from

finished. Here in Georgia, tobacco

PHTRAINING

remains the leading preventable cause of death and kills more than



11,000 people in our state each

Manager Fundamentals for year. More than 1.5 million

Success

Georgians smoke. Another 317,000

A new course for supervisors will use other forms of tobacco. And 25

begin in February. This two-day instructor-led course provides a
foundation for understanding supervision within the Department of Public Health. You will gain new
skills and access tools and

percent of Georgia's youth smoke, a rate higher than kids in other states across the country. Tobacco causes lung cancer, cancers of the head and neck and heart disease.

information related to successful

management within DPH. Registration for this course is in Saba. For additional information
contact Donna Dunn at dgdunn@dhr.state.ga.us.

Two for Tuesdays
Join the Office of Human Resources on the second Tuesday

Most smokers think a tobaccorelated illness will never happen to them, but sadly, there are real people behind the statistics.

On Jan. 11, 1964, U.S. Surgeon General Luther L. Terry, M.D., released the first report tying smoking to lung cancer and
other diseases.

Georgia resident Janice Hayes

started experimenting with tobacco

when she was 13, two years after the first Surgeon General's report came

out. Now, she lives every day with the effects of using tobacco.

of each month from 11:30 a.m.-

12:45 p.m. for the learning series Two for Tuesdays. This series



provides an opportunity for programs to explore new ideas,

New Year, New Chances to Be Healthy

share knowledge and highlight

teams and their work. On Feb. 11, the Office of Telehealth will describe the development of

The beginning of a new year has many people hoping to make a fresh, healthy

Georgia's statewide network. To start. The Office of Worksite Wellness at

learn more and to register, click the Georgia Department of Public Health

here .
Instructor-Led Computer Training at 2 Peachtree

(DPH) aims to help public health employees do just that. PHWEEK asked Susanne Koch, DPH's worksite wellness coordinator, to fill us in on all that the

Word Tables and Forms Wed., Jan. 29

program has in store for the next 12 months.

10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

PHWEEK: It's a new year at DPH! What

Word Columns and Graphics Wed., Jan. 29

can employees expect from Worksite Wellness in 2014?

1:30-4:30 p.m.

Koch: Worksite wellness continues to grow

PowerPoint Intermediate Fri., Jan. 31
10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

in 2014, and we are looking forward to many great programs.

Susanne Koch, DPH's worksite wellness coordinator

Look for Access classes in February

and Excel classes in March.



DPH Urges Prevention for HPV,

For employees not at 2 Peachtree,

classes can be attended remotely - Cervical Cancer

- however, remote attendees must

be registered 48 hours prior to

class. Register for all classes

through SABA (2 Peachtree

attendees register for "Instructor-

Led" and remote attendees

register for "Virtual" classes).

Contact Lisa Miller if you have

questions.

Free Online Courses Available

from Lynda.com

DPH has purchased a limited

number of licenses for Lynda.com, an online library of high-quality,

Girls and boys should receive the three doses of the HPV vaccine by age 13.

easy-to-use instructional videos on The fight against cervical cancer has come a long way, but too many

the latest software, creative and business skills. Licenses are
available for check out on a first come, first served basis. To check
out a license, simply email Lisa

women are still impacted by this highly preventable disease. This year, the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) will begin a campaign to urge more women and girls to get vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus that causes almost all cervical cancer.

Miller from your public health

email account.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HPV



is so common that nearly all sexually-active men and women will get at

Submit Calendar Entries to

least one type of HPV at some point in their lives. Some will fight the

communications@dhr.state.ga.us infection naturally with no hospitalization or treatment required. But for

many, the virus causes genital warts and several types of cancer,

PHNEWS

including cervical cancer. The CDC reports that about 12,000 women in the U.S. develop cervical cancer each year.

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes
FDA asks doctors, dentists to stop prescribing high-dose
acetaminophen
Media Focus on Obesity May Backfire for Some Women

"Cervical cancer was once the leading cause of death for American women," said Andrea Yeany, nurse consultant with DPH's Office of Cancer Screening and Treatment.

Sope Creek Elementary Powers Up

As Weight Rises in People with Diabetes, So Does Death Risk:
Study

PHRECIPE

Fruity Thai Pita Pockets
Serves 4 Prep and Cook Time: 15 min.
Click Here for Full Recipe
PHWEEK
Director of Communications Ryan Deal Editor Carrie Gann
Content Coordinator Connie F. Smith
Sr. Graphic Designer Ginny Jacobs
Web Developer Jimmy Clanton, Jr.
Editorial & Design Team Tammy Beasley Eric Jens Nancy Nydam Sandra Roberts

Check out the latest video from Georgia SHAPE, showing how Sope Creek Elementary School in Marietta, Ga., is reaping rewards from Power Up for 30. Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health, and Sope Creek staff discuss the program and how it helps students and teachers.


Shining a Light on Diabetes in Georgia

Nearly one in 10 Georgians

lives with diabetes, and

thousands more are at risk

of developing the disease.

While many need to learn

how to live well with the

disease, for others, it may

be entirely preventable.

Health advocates discussed

the impact of diabetes on

Georgia on Jan. 15,

gathering at the State

Capitol for Georgia

Diabetes Awareness Day.

DPH Commissioner Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., gathered

Georgia Department of Public Health Commissioner

with health advocates at the State Capitol to highlight diabetes.

Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D.,

joined Lt. Governor Casey

Cagle and others to emphasize the importance of addressing diabetes in

the state.

"It is my hope that every Georgian - child, teen, parent, adult, family, senior, grandparent - learns and understands the facts about diabetes and their importance," Fitzgerald said. "Together, I know we can help create a generation free of diabetes and its life-threatening complications.


Healthcare Georgia Foundation Launches Infant Mortality Initiative

Healthcare Georgia Foundation today announced the launch of its new infant mortality program initiative, Taking Care of You. The program reflects the foundation's mission of achieving health equity through targeted community interventions.
Building on a previous investment, this initiative will provide multi-year community-level funding, technical support and evaluation assistance for the purpose of achieving measureable reductions in adverse birth outcomes among high disparity populations, including but not limited to: low-birth weight, prematurity, and sudden unexpected infant death (SUID)/sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
"High infant mortality and persistent racial disparities in birth outcomes have been highlighted for decades," said Gary Nelson, Ph.D., president of the foundation and member of Georgia's Board of Public Health.


Georgia Public Health Observances | January 2014

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