Georgia PH week [Mar. 19, 2012]

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Commissioner Welcomes Special Advisor for HIV, STDs, Viral Hepatitis, and TB

I am pleased to

announce that, as of

Submit your story suggestions, ideas, comments or a story of
your own!

this week, Melanie Thompson, M.D., will be consulting with the

Department of Public


In This Issue
Commissioner's Special Advisor

Health as my Special Advisor for HIV, STDs, Viral Hepatitis, and TB. As many of you know, Dr. Thompson

Cobb School Blazes Trail Chatham Goes Smoke-Free
DFCS Workers Walking The Obesity Epidemic
Be the Match Senate: PH Leadership

has worked

collaboratively with several of our divisions

Melanie Thompson, M.D. (center), pictured with Patrick O'Neal, M.D., Dir., Div. of Health
Protection (left), and Commissioner Brenda

J.

since 1989 through the Fitzgerald, M.D.(right), will be consulting with

AIDS Research

the Department of Public Health as the Special

Consortium of Atlanta Advisor for HIV, STDs, Viral Hepatitis, and TB.

(ARCA). She is a

leader in HIV research and clinical care who currently chairs the

PHEVENTS

International AIDS Society-USA Antiretroviral Guidelines Panel and the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care Guidelines


Board of Public Health Meeting
Apr. 10 1 p.m. 5th Floor Board Room 2 Peachtree Street

Panel on Entry Into and Retention in Care and Antiretroviral Adherence. She previously chaired the National Institutes of Health's Office of AIDS Research, Therapeutics Research Working Group, on which she still serves. In the early 1990's she was a founding member of the State of Georgia's Task Force on AIDS. Throughout her other activities, she has always maintained an active role in providing medical care for persons with HIV, STDs,

83rd Annual GPHA Meeting and and hepatitis.

Conference
Apr.12 - 13 Crowne Plaza Atlanta Ravinia 4355 Ashford-Dunwoody Road
Atlanta, GA 30346


Cobb School Blazes Trail in Promoting Students' Health

To register, click here.

Superpuff Saturday: Asthma Day Camp

Natalie Rogers knows health and exercise. She is a retired

Apr. 21
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Northside Baptist Church, Valdosta For children 6-12 years old
and their parents Sponsored by Children's Medical
Services & South Health District Camp offers a fun-filled day of games, food and prizes while increasing your
knowledge about asthma, its treatment, how to cope with the illness and special needs associated
with asthma. For more information contact CMS at
800-848-5728 or 229-245-4310.
Submit Calendar Entries to
askdph@dhr.state.ga.us

professional ballerina, a former pre-med student at UGA and currently a fitness instructor who values healthy living.

A few years ago,

Rogers was distressed

by the lack of physical

activity and the poor Sope Creek students, parents and faculty take

nutritional quality of care of their school's produce. Photo courtesy of

cafeteria food that her

Natalie Rogers

now 10-year-old

daughter experienced at Sope Creek Elementary School in Cobb

County.

PHRECIPE

But Rogers said everything has changed for the better in the last few years.
"We got a new principal, Martha Whalen, and she just totally gets it," said Rogers, who became Sope Creek's PTA Health and Nutrition Committee co-chair in 2007. "She totally gets the connection between the brain and the body."

Quick Broiled Halibut
Servings: 2 Total Time: 15 min
Click Here for Full Recipe
PHBRIEFS
Nursing Excellence Awards:
Call for Nominations
Each year in commemoration of National Nurses Week and in
celebration of Florence Nightingale's birthday, founder of nursing as a
modern profession, the Department of Public Health Office of Nursing
recognizes nurses at the state, district and county levels for their
contributions and commitment to excellence in public health nursing. Award recipients will be announced at the Nurses Week Celebration on May
3, 2012. Contact Meshell McCloud by April 2, 2012 for nomination forms.
Georgia Board of Public Health Chair Named Legendary Philanthropic Leader
The Georgia Center for Nonprofits' Legendary Philanthropic Leader designation is awarded to an individual who has invested significant efforts to the Georgia philanthropic community. This year, the Georgia Center for
Nonprofits honors Dr. Gary Nelson, chair of the Georgia Board of Public Health, for his vigorous commitment to the well-being of all Georgians. Dr.
Nelson is President of Healthcare Georgia Foundation, Inc., a private
independent foundation in Atlantawhere he is responsible for
executive management of the Foundation's program, financial, and management operations. Working with the Foundation's Board of Directors, Dr. Nelson oversees the Foundation's grant-making program dedicated to
advancing the health of Georgia's citizens and expanding access to affordable, quality healthcare for
underserved individuals and communities.

PHTRAINING
MS Access Basics Training
Mar. 21
9:15 A.M. - 12:15 P.M.
To register in SABA, click here Contact Lisa Miller for training manual and location information
Performance Management Process
Mar. 22 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. 2 Peachtree St., 7th floor, room 2 1-day course for new supervisors and managers to learn the four phases of the Performance Management Process (PMP) To register in SABA, click here
Program Evaluation: Using Logic Models to Create an
Evaluation Framework
Mar. 28 1 p.m. -3 p.m. 2 Peachtree St., Atlanta, Room 16-
105 or VICS This 2-hour session will build on the previous logic models training and will focus on using logic models to create
an evaluation framework. To register click here
Health Communications Skills for the Public Health Practitioner
Mar. 29-30 Dolce Atlanta-Peachtree
Peachtree City, GA This hands-on two-day training course
will provide practical tools and strategies on how health
communication can be used in public health practice. RSVP: Mar. 23
For complete training details and to register click here. Click on Upcoming
Events. Email Tara Redd with questions
Larval Mosquito ID class
Apr. 16-17 Chatham County Mosquito Control
facility, Savannah Free mosquito ID classes open to environmental health specialists, mosquito control techs, PCOs, and anyone else with an interest in
learning to ID mosquitoes To sign up, email Rosmarie Kelly

Sope Creek now combines an exercise program and good nutrition with solid academic performance that has been recognized on a state level.

Chatham County Goes Smoke-Free

Chatham County, Georgia, will be a healthier place to live, work, and play thanks to a Smoke-free Ordinance passed by the Chatham County Commission on February 24.

By a vote of 7-1, the Commission adopted the most comprehensive smokefree ordinance in the state of Georgia.

Young members of the Coastal Health District Flash Mob Dance Crew get ready to perform at a
February 22 event celebrating the city of Savannah's one-year anniversary of being smoke-
free.

Effective March 25, 2012, the ordinance applies to any business that allows the public inside or has at least one non-family member employee. All bars, restaurants, outdoor serving areas and private clubs will now be smoke-free. Electronic smoking devices known as "e-cigs" are also prohibited in all businesses and public places.

The Chatham ordinance is even stronger than the smoke-free air ordinance that was implemented by the city of Savannah in 2011. The county ordinance tightens up ambiguities in the city ordinance by prohibiting Hookah bars and lounges.

DFCS Workers Walking the Stairs for Health's Sake: How My Walks Caught On

As a full-time employee of the Georgia Department of Human Services, Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS), mother, and student, my days and nights are extremely busy. Often times, hectic lifestyles and stress go hand in hand along with a variation of other health ailments. Due to my packed schedule, I was bothered that I did not have time to work out to achieve my fitness goals. To my astonishment, I was wrong.

In DFCS, the stairs were DFCS workers started a Get Fit Club and they

literally staring at me

walk the stairs to improve fitness during their

each floor

day as I

on the 18th walked toward

work day at 2 Peachtree Street. From bottom to top of stairs: Dorethea Durden, Valerie Parker,
Roxanne Dearro, and Tacia Bazile.

the elevator. I realized

one day that I had the time and just needed to incorporate

exercise into my work schedule. That's how I began to walk the

stairs and invited other DFCS workers to join me for the Get Fit

Club.

I work on the 18th floor at 2 Peachtree Street in Atlanta, which is the starting point, and walk to the 28th floor, and then back down to the 18th. This amount of walking certainly gets the heart rate up and the blood pumping. With each step, you increase the muscle movement and toning in your legs and hamstring. Going up the stairs is a way to raise the heart rate and walking down will gradually bring it back down to a resting rate.

I began to invite more of my colleagues, and to my surprise they were eager to join me with similar goals. Now we try to walk the stairs together, but find ourselves still taking the challenge alone if our schedule doesn't permit us to walk together as a team.

It's great to do it alone or in a group! In a group you may experience the encouragement to push a little further when you don't want to. At about the 5th flight, you can feel your muscles stretching and your heart pounding. Occasionally, you can hear someone encouraging the team to "keep moving" or "we can do this" as we walk toward our fitness goals. When taking the stairs alone you can have a moment to yourself to clear your thoughts and decompress. Every other week, we add two more flights of stairs. We're currently walking from floors 18th to 32nd, two times a day.

The Obesity Epidemic: Looking Beyond the Obvious

Adult Mosquito ID class
May 21-22 Hinesville Free mosquito ID classes open to environmental health specialists, mosquito control techs, PCOs, and anyone else with an interest in learning to ID mosquitoes To sign up, email Rosmarie Kelly
Submit Calendar Entries to askdph@dhr.state.ga.us
PHTECHTIP
Create a List with Checkboxes
in Word 2007/2010
Here's an easy way to add a list with checkboxes in Word: Create a bulleted list Select the list
On the Home tab, in the Paragraphs group, click the arrow on the Bullets If a checkbox does not appear on the Bullets drop-down menu, click Define
New Bullet Under Bullet Character, click the
Symbol button From the Symbol menu, click on a
checkbox symbol and click OK You can also select another font, such as Wingdings, and choose a checkbox
from this font before clicking OK
This is a quick and simple way to create a checkbox list for printing. However, it does not allow you to click the checkbox on the screen and
check the item off the list. Next week's tip will cover this more advanced technique for creating
checkbox lists in Word.
-by Lisa Miller, Human Resources Information Systems, Georgia Department of Public Health

Is it possible that

chemicals we're

exposed to everyday

could be a big part of

the national obesity

epidemic? Lawton

Davis, M.D., director of

South Central Health

District, joined

employees at 2

Peachtree to talk

about obesogens-

compounds found in

everyday objects like

some cans, water

bottles, nonstick pans

and shower curtains.

The effect of these

chemicals on cells is

significant enough to

interrupt the body's

system that controls

your weight-increasing

fat cells and decreasing the calories

Lawton Davis, M.D., director of South Central Health District, shares research on obesogens,

you burn.

compounds that interrupt the body's system that

controls your weight, with employees at 2

Dr. Davis described the Peachtree during a recent lunch and learn.

growing obesity and

overweight trend in the

U.S. Both have risen dramatically in the nation over the past 30

years. Dr. Davis described the traditional focus on combating

obesity as "just eat less and exercise more." But then he posed a

great question.

"What about all those children and adolescents who are getting fat and developing diabetes and hypertension? Are they simply the victims of an overfed and under-exercised culture?"

PHNEWS

Be the Match: SNS Planner Donates Bone Marrow to Save a Child's Life

NFL players tout healthy living to Middle Georgia kids
Diet FAQs for Georgians
Publication Gives Schools 'How To' Ideas for Involving Parents in School
Health
One in four TB cases is a recent transmission, CDC reports
Duluth parks first in Gwinnett to ban smoking
Warm, dry winter leads to 'intense' allergy season
CDC issues warning on C. difficile infections
Bill Targets Vacant Properties
Health officials issue warning over rabid kitten found at Starbucks
PHWEEK

Seven years ago after

donating blood, Gerald

Gifford, Strategic

National Stockpile

Planner for Gwinnett,

Newton, and Rockdale

County Health

Departments, signed

up to be a bone

marrow donor by

sending in a cheek

swab to the National

Marrow Donor

Program. As the years

passed, he didn't give

the process much

thought... At least not

until November 11,

2011 when his phone

rang, "We think you're

a bone marrow match Gerald Gifford, Strategic National Stockpile

for a one year old child. Are you still available?" Gifford's

Planner for Gwinnett, Newton, and Rockdale County Health Departments donated bone marrow
that helped save a young child's life.

emotions ran the gamut from "How painful is this going to be?" to

"Let's do this!"

Editor Kimberly Stringer
Content Coordinator Connie F. Smith
Graphic Designer Jimmy Clanton, Jr.

With his "yes", began a series of blood tests to see how closely his genetics matched the child's medical profile. As the match was confirmed, the level of testing became more complex, culminating with a full-day, and complete physical at Emory's Winship Cancer Institute.
While Gifford was being checked, the recipient's doctors were working on getting the child strong enough to go through the procedure. After being delayed once, the procedure took place on February 13, 2012.

Digital Properties Manager Bobbi Powell
Editorial & Design Team Charles Gary Ginny Jacobs Sandra Roberts
Suleima Salgado
Director of Communications Ryan Deal

Georgia Senate Recognizes Public
Health Leadership
The Georgia Senate recently recognized two Public Health leaders for their sacrifices, foresights, accomplishments and contributions on behalf of the health of Georgia through two Senate resolutions.

Beverly Townsend,

M.D., M.P.A.,

F.A.A.F.P., director of

West Central Health District was recognized for the

Beverly Townsend, M.D.(left), Director of West Central Health District and Kathryn K. Cheek, M.D.(right), Georgia Board of Public Health

vital role she plays in leadership and her commitment to the

citizens of Georgia. "She has diligently and conscientiously

devoted innumerable hours of her time, talents and energy

toward the betterment of her community and state," stated the

resolution.



Public Health Observances for March 2012

National Native American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
March 20 Click Here for more information
Forward email

National Colorectal Cancer
Click Here for more information

World Tuberculosis Day March 24
Click Here for more information

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