Follow Us! Former Miss America Urges Eating Disorder Awareness Emory student's personal battle inspired national platform Submit your story suggestions, ideas, comments or a story of your own! Before Kirsten Haglund was crowned Miss America in 2008, she grew up dreaming of being a ballerina. She had been taking ballet classes since she was 3 years old, and she learned to idolize professional dancing and the small, thin body types of the dancers. "Ballet was my whole world, In This Issue my whole passion. When I turned 12, I wanted to be a Former Miss America Urges Eating professional dancer. But Disorder Awareness that's also the age when your body starts to change," State Urges Preparedness Haglund said. "So I went on Georgia House Commends my first diet at age 12." Commission Flu Levels Declining Houston County Health Workers Slim Down Running on the BeltLine CDC's 'Solve the Outbreak' App That was the beginning of Haglund's struggle with anorexia nervosa, just one of the eating disorders that plague nearly 20 million women and 10 million men at PHBRIEFS some point in their lives, according to the National DPH Hosts Twitter Chat on Black Health Issues DPH hosted a Twitter chat Feb. 28 to discuss health issues affecting Georgia's African- American population. Kimberly Eating Disorder Association (NEDA), which marked National Eating Disorder Awareness Week at the end of February. Emory student Kirsten Haglund was crowned Miss America in 2008 at age 19, two years after battling anorexia nervosa. Redding, M.D., DPH's director of health promotion and disease prevention, joined Otis Brawley, State Urges Preparedness as Spring M.D., chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, and Storm Season Approaches experts from the Morehouse School of Medicine, Spelman Georgia has already seen College and Emory University's a fair amount of wild Rollins School of Public Health in weather this year, and a discussion of health disparities with spring arriving in in heart disease, diabetes, March, the trend is likely cancer and more. According to to continue. That's all the the website Hashtracking.com, more reason for the chat reached more than Georgians to pay 545,000 Twitter users and attention during National messages were delivered to 2.1 Severe Weather million Twitter timelines. Preparedness Week, which began March 3. A resident of one of Adairsville's tornado-ravaged areas walks through debris Confirming Rapid HIV Test Results The Georgia Department of Public Health now offers a webinar on the use of dried left in the street from the Jan. 30 tornado. Georgia residents deal Photo courtesy of Erin Gray/Neighbor Newspapers. with a wide range of weather threats throughout the year, said Scott Minarcine, public health emergency preparedness director for the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH). blood spots to confirm HIV-1 after a preliminary positive result on a rapid HIV test. This webinar is primarily aimed at Georgia House Commends Commission organizations that implement HIV testing in non-laboratory, on Family Violence community settings. In addition to confirmatory HIV testing, the From 2003 through 2010, at least same dried blood spot card can 962 Georgians lost their lives due also be used to collect blood to to domestic violence. In 2010, test a client for hepatitis, CD4 more than 71,000 crisis calls were count, viral load and much more. placed to Georgia's certified View the webinar here . domestic violence agencies. Public Health Remembers Because of these statistics and C. Everett Koop, M.D. concerns about the impact of C. Everett Koop, M.D., former domestic violence, the Georgia U.S. Surgeon General appointed House of Representatives charged by President Reagan, died on the Georgia Commission on Family Feb. 25. He was 96. Koop is Violence with developing a remembered as a pioneer in comprehensive plan for ending addressing nicotine addition, the family violence in the state. dangers of second-hand smoke Representatives from more than and for taking on tobacco 20 agencies, including members of companies over the health risks all three branches of government, of their products. Koop openly spent 18 months crafting the plan. addressed the impact of the On Jan. 30, the House officially emerging HIV/AIDS epidemic in commended the commission's the 1980s to educate and efforts in House Resolution 113. empower the public about the disease. His bold leadership changed public policy and our nation's health. Flu Levels Declining, but Virus Still PHEVENTS Plagues Georgia Inaugural State of Public Health Conference The inaugural 2013 State of Public Health Conference will be March 21 at the UGA Hotel and Conference Center in Athens. Tyler Norris, vice president of Total Health Partnerships at Kaiser Permanente, will give the keynote presentation, along with DPH Commissioner Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, who will give the plenary presentation. The event is sponsored by the Georgia Public Health Training Center and the UGA College of Public Health. Click here for more information. Visits to Georgia's emergency departments for influenza-like illness peaked in December. Let's Move! Atlanta Let's Move! Atlanta, a C.H.O.I.C.E.S for Kids children's nutrition education and physical activity expo, will be March 16 Flu season got off to an early, severe start in Georgia this year, and it won't be over any time soon. Public health officials warn that even though flu levels around the state are mostly decreasing, people are still susceptible to the flu virus. from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Adamsville Recreation Center, 3201 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SW in Atlanta. Activities include fitness events, free health screenings, vendor exhibits and Flu season began in mid-November, peaked around Christmas and now seems to be on the decline, a cycle that happened about a month earlier than usual, said Cherie Drenzek, D.V.M., state epidemiologist at the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH), at a meeting of the Board of Public Health in February. youth performances. Please wear sneakers to participate in fitness activities. Admission is free. Donations and volunteers are Bringing "The Biggest Loser" to needed. Click here for more information. Houston County 2013 Dr. Daniel S. Blumental Contest helps Houston County workers slim Annual Public Health Summit down Morehouse School of Medicine's Dr. Daniel S. Blumental Annual Public Health Summit, "Preventing Obesity through the Life Stages," will be April 2-3, 2013. DPH Commissioner Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., is a featured speaker. Click here for more information. On Nov. 1, 2012, 20 employees at the Houston County Health Department decided to take part in a weight loss competition geared towards creating a healthier lifestyle. The idea was to have Free Fitness Classes employees compete to DPH offers group exercise classes shed pounds, based on every day at 2 Peachtree. Classes the competition in the include dance, kickboxing, yoga, television show, "The walking and more. Classes are Biggest Loser." open on a first come, first served Employees at the Houston County Health Department are using friendly competition to live healthier. basis and there is no need to pre-register. Download the monthly schedule. Matt Hively, environmental health specialist at the department, decided to start the competition when he realized that he needed to make some Submit Calendar Entries to communications@dhr.state.ga.us personal changes in his own life to improve his health and weight. He thought the best way to help himself would be to get help from work colleagues and friends, everyone holding each other accountable to meet their weight loss goals. PHTRAINING Excel Basics March 5 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Running on the BeltLine Excel Formatting March 5 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Excel Formulas & Functions March 7 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Excel Working with Multiple Worksheets March 21 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Excel Charts March 26 10 a.m.-12 p.m. The Atlanta BeltLine is considered to be among the most ambitious transportation projects in America. Originally thought up by architect Ryan Gravel in 1999 - he was then a graduate student at Georgia Tech the BeltLine is transforming old railroad corridors that surround Atlanta's downtown into acres of public park space, walking paths, biking trails and light rail. Excel Data Management & Pivot Tables March 26 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Exercise Detective Skills with CDC's For employees not at 2 Peachtree, classes can be attended remotely, 'Solve the Outbreak' App but employees 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 Get clues, analyze data, solve the case and save lives! In this fun iPad app, you get to be the Disease "Virtual" classes). View monthly Detective. training calendars on PHIL. Contact Lisa Miller if you have questions. Do you quarantine the village? Talk to people who Look for Word & PowerPoint are sick? Ask for more lab classes in April and Access classes results? The better your in May. answers, the higher your score -- and the more Submit Calendar Entries to quickly you'll save lives. communications@dhr.state.ga.us You'll start out as a trainee and can earn badges by solving cases, with the goal of earning the top rank: Disease Detective. PHNEWS Click here to download. Deaths of teen drivers up nationally, down in Georgia Mediterranean Diet Shown to Ward Off Heart Attack and Stroke Gaps in the Breastfeeding Trend Children in U.S. Are Eating Fewer Calories, Study Finds Hospitals clamp down on dangerous early elective deliveries PHRECIPE Quinoa Almond Berry Salad Serves 2-3 as a main dish or 4-6 as a side. Click Here for Full Recipe PHWEEK Editor Nicole Price Content Coordinator Connie F. Smith Sr. Graphic Designer Ginny Jacobs Interim Web Developer Jimmy Clanton, Jr. Editorial & Design Team Tammy Beasley Carrie Gann Eric Jens Nancy Nydam Sandra Roberts Suleima Salgado Director of Communications Ryan Deal Georgia Public Health Observances | March 2013 Patient Safety Awareness Week National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Forward email National Sleep Awareness Week This email was sent to gadocs@uga.edu by communications@dhr.state.ga.us | Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribeTM | Privacy Policy. 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