PHWEEK 12-30-2014: Talk of the Town: New Language Program Wins United Way Grant Follow Us! Talk of the Town: New Language Program Wins United Way Grant Submit your story suggestions, ideas, comments or a story of your own! The United Way of Greater Atlanta has pledged to support a program that will get parents talking literally. In This Issue Talk of the Town: New Language Program Wins United Way Grant Governor Honors EMS Director Pregnant? Don't Forget Your Whooping Cough Vaccine Rapid Test Is Promising Tool Get Healthy, Live Well PHEVENTS Looking for DPH events? Visit the Events Schedule on our website. On Dec. 18, the organization announced it will give $500,000 each year for three years to Talk With Me Baby, a new program piloted by half a dozen Georgia agencies, including the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH). The program is designed to help parents get into the habit of talking with their babies, a practice that scientists say can do wonders for a child's future literacy and health. The program is led by the Marcus Autism Center in partnership with DPH, the Georgia Campaign for Grade Level Reading, Emory University's Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Georgia Department of Education. DPH Commissioner Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., said Talk With Me Baby teaches skills that are as important to a baby's health as good nutrition. PHTRAINING Two for Tuesdays Join the Office of Human Resources on the second Tuesday 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, share knowledge and highlight teams and their work. On Jan. 14, staff from the Georgia Tobacco Use Prevention Program will present about the tobacco prevention and cessation program, Breatheasy Georgia. To learn more and to register, click here. PowerPoint Basics Fri., Jan. 3 10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. PowerPoint ClipArt and Graphics Fri., Jan. 3 1:30-3:30 p.m. Word Formatting Tues., Jan. 7 2:00- 4:00 p.m. Word Styles and Themes Fri., Jan. 10 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Word Automatic Features Fri., Jan. 10 1:30-3:30 p.m. Governor Honors EMS Director for 'Outstanding Contribution' "No one has dedicated more time and effort advocating for the advancement and enhancement of prehospital care in Georgia than Keith Wages." With those words, the director of the Office of EMS and Trauma for the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) was honored by Gov. Nathan Deal for "Outstanding Contribution to Profession." The 2013 Governor's Public Safety Awards, which were presented in Forsyth, Ga. on Dec. 12. "Keith Wages is one of the most outstanding members Keith Wages accepts a 2013 Public Safety Award of the department's health from Gov. Nathan Deal. protection team," said J. Patrick O'Neal, M.D., DPH's director of health protection. "His experience as a former EMS director in the 1990s followed by overseeing EMS for the state of Minnesota makes him the perfect person to be DPH's EMS director in Georgia." Word Tables and Forms Wed., Jan. 29 10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Word Columns and Graphics Wed., Jan. 29 1:30-4:30 p.m. PowerPoint Intermediate Fri., Jan. 31 10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Look for Access classes in February and Excel classes in March. For employees not at 2 Peachtree, classes can be attended remotely -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. Pregnant? Don't Forget Your Whooping Cough Vaccine It is never too early to start protecting a newborn - and with whooping cough it can, and should, start before that baby is even born. During the third trimester of every pregnancy, expectant mothers should get a tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap) vaccination, according to a recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) wants to make sure every family knows about the recommendation and takes steps to protect infants against whooping cough. Free Online Courses Available from Lynda.com DPH has purchased a limited number of licenses for Lynda.com, an online library of high-quality, easy-to-use instructional videos on 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 Miller from your public health email account. Submit Calendar Entries to communications@dhr.state.ga.us PHNEWS Too Few Americans Aware of Their High Blood Pressure: Study H1N1 Flu Spreading in South-Central U.S. When the Tdap vaccine is given to a pregnant woman, it provides whooping cough protection for both the mother and her unborn child. Infants are extremely vulnerable to pertussis and having severe complications from it. Rapid Test Is Promising Tool for Antibiotic Stewardship Time is a critical factor in antibiotic resistance. The longer bacteria have to be exposed to a drug, the more opportunities they have to develop ways to resist it. But a rapid lab test is emerging as a promising tool in helping doctors and hospitals cut that time short. The testing method is U.S. spends 5 times more than U.K. called MALDI-TOF - short on antibiotics for kids for matrix-assisted laser Bacteria like Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) cause dangerous, difficult-to-treat infections, a consequence of antibiotic resistance. desorption/ionization time Report finds Alabama HIV of flight - which identifies bacteria based on the weight of their diagnosis rate on decline microscopic particles. And it does so very quickly. While traditional lab methods can take up to five days to identify a specific germ, MALDI- TOF can deliver results in 24 to 48 hours. PHRECIPE Eileen Burd, Ph.D., director of clinical microbiology at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, said every hour counts when it comes to fighting antibiotic resistance, a problem identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as one of the gravest threats to public health today. Get Healthy, Live Well Brings Public Health Solutions to West Georgia Eve's Tasty Turkey Tetrazzini Serves 8 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 Tanner Health System launched a number of successful health promotion programs across west Georgia in 2013 through its Get Healthy, Live Well initiative, a program designed to reduce chronic disease risks for the 151,000 residents of Carroll, Haralson and Heard counties. With 24 task forces, 150 community partners and more than 500 individual Just a few of the more than 1,200 west Georgians who shed pounds in Get Healthy, Live Well's 2013 weight loss challenge. volunteers, Get Healthy, Live Well has achieved notable success with its focus on building community capacity for sustainable public health programs. In 2013, Get Healthy, Live Well led a number of groundbreaking initiatives in west Georgia aimed at increasing physical activity, enhancing nutrition, decreasing tobacco use and minimizing chronic disease risk factors. Georgia Public Health Observances | December 2013 - January 2014 Forward email This email was sent to gadocs@uga.edu by communications@dhr.state.ga.us | Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribeTM | Privacy Policy. Georgia Department of Public Health | 2 Peachtree Street, NW | Atlanta | GA | 30303