Georgia PH week [Apr. 23, 2013]

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Georgia Resident Empowers Women in Fight Against HIV
Eva Fields joins Alicia Keys in national campaign

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You might recognize Eva Fields before you ever meet her.

The 37-year-old Roswell resident

In This Issue

can be spotted standing next to

Women in Fight Against HIV Environmental Health District 4 Fights STDs

Grammy-winning recording artist Alicia Keys in YouTube videos

Emergency Exercise Track Sleep with Sleepbot App

and on billboards in Georgia and around the U.S.

Eva Fields, of Roswell, is taking part in a national HIV awareness campaign.

PHBRIEF

Fields wants the ads to send a particular message.

Rustin Earns Doctorate Chris Rustin, deputy director of "Yes, I am an HIV-positive woman, but I'm not a ticking time bomb.
DPH's Environmental Health I'm not going anywhere," she said.

Section, will be awarded a Doctor of Public Health degree with a Fields is joining Keys and four other HIV-positive women in concentration in community Empowered, a campaign launched by the Kaiser Family Foundation's health behavior and education Greater Than AIDS initiative that aims to highlight the power of
from Georgia Southern University's women to change the course of HIV/AIDS. On April 15, the group Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public introduced the Empowered campaign in an event broadcast live Health in May. Rustin defended from Washington, D.C. by the Kaiser Family Foundation. During the
and passed his dissertation, event, Keys said the campaign is a battle cry to put women first in "Evaluating the Efficacy of a the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Childhood Lead Poisoning Risk Model as an Accurate Predictor of "We will never see an AIDS-free generation without harnessing the Lead Exposure," in April. Rustin is power and strength of women," Keys said.

responsible for assisting with



supervision and direction of environmental health programs



including land use, food service, public pools, tourist
accommodations, chemical hazards, tanning, and healthy
homes and lead poisoning

Celebrating Environmental Health Specialists
Behind-the-scenes professionals ensure

prevention programs. Rustin also oversees environmental health

public's safety

emergency preparedness and is the liaison for the 18 district
environmental health directors. Rustin previously worked for the Evans, Effingham and Chatham
County Health Departments.

Recently, thousands of passengers aboard a pleasure cruise ship were sickened with a stomach virus transmitted through their foods. While not all

PHEVENTS

such outbreaks can be stopped, there is a public health professional

Tai Chi in the Park
Tuesday and Friday 11 a.m.
DPH, in partnership with the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District, is offering tai chi classes at the water wall on the north end of Woodruff
Park. The class is open to the community and there is no need to
register. No classes will be held during inclement weather.

dedicated to protecting you and your family from these and many other types of diseases: environmental health specialists.
What if no one inspected the restaurants where your family dines? Or, imagine if no one inspected and sampled the pool where your children swim. Where would you go with a complaint about an environmental health or safety hazard? What if your child was found to have elevated levels of lead? Who makes sure your septic system is properly sized and installed? These are only some of the services

Free Exercise Classes
DPH offers group exercise classes everyday at 2 Peachtree. Classes include dance, kickboxing, yoga,

provided by your local public health environmental specialists. They are part of your county health department but are the unseen professionals making your world a healthier and safer place to live and work. Their primary task is to prevent diseases and conditions

walking and more. Classes are open that could affect your health and ensure a safe and healthy

on a first come, first served basis environment through education, policy development and regulation.

and there is no need to pre-register.

Download the monthly schedule at www.health.state.ga.us/wellness.

The environmental health profession has its roots in the sanitary and public health movements of the Civil War. During that war,

Submit Calendar Entries to

more soldiers died of diseases and parasites than in battle -- about

communications@dhr.state.ga.us 320,000.

PHTRAINING
District 4 Fights STDs with Education,

Two for Tuesdays: Office of
Human Resources
Join the Office of Training and Workforce Development the second Tuesday of each month for the new learning series Two for Tuesdays.
This program provides an opportunity for programs to explore
new ideas, share knowledge and highlight teams and their work. The
Office of Human Resources will present April 22.
Introduction to Public Health
Think you know what public health does? Here's an opportunity to know
and learn more about the field of Public Health and specifically how it
works in Georgia. This course is open to all employees new and seasoned to learn more about what we are doing in Georgia and how your role supports the department's goals. Course dates are April 23, May 21, June 25, July 23, Aug. 27, Sept. 24, Oct. 22 and Nov. 26. To learn more and to register, go to
SABA or email Donna Dunn at dgdunn@dhr.state.ga.us.

Testing
Public health staff partners with Gordon State College to raise awareness

There are some top health rankings that Georgia would be better off without: third in the nation for syphilis rates, sixth for gonorrhea rates and seventh for rates of chlamydia.

More than 52,000 Georgians

were infected with at least

one of these sexually

transmitted diseases (STD) in

2010 and more than 18,500 were living with HIV, conditions that can put

Staff from District 4 Public Health and Gordon State College hosted a HIV testing event for students April 10 during STD Awareness

health and life at risk.

Month.

April is STD Awareness Month and the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) urges everyone to learn more about these diseases, protect themselves and get tested.

CPR Training April 30
8 a.m.-11 a.m. and Noon-1 p.m. Vital Records
Two Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) courses will be held. It is a classroom and video-based instructor-led course that teaches adult CPR and Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) use, as well as how to relieve choking in an adult. The course teaches skills with the American Heart Association's research-proven Practice-WhileWatching (PWW) technique, which allows instructors to observe the students, provide feedback and guide the students' learning of skills. To register, go to SABA.
Focus Groups for the Public Health Professional May 16 and 17 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Evergreen Conference Center, Stone Mountain
This two-day course introduces participants to the many
applications of focus group in public health practice, including creating questions, facilitating groups and
compiling data. For more information and to register, visit
www.sph.emory.edu/ephtc. Contact Tara Redd,
tredd@emory.edu, with questions. Register by May 9.
Health Literacy and Cultural Competency: Practical Skills for
Public Health Practitioners June 3
9 a.m.-5 p.m. Clarence Brown Conference Center,
Cartersville This one-day course will improve the communication skills of public health practitioners by teaching
strategies to incorporate key principles of health literacy and cultural competency into existing programs. For more information and
to register, visit sph.emory.edu/ephtc. Contact Tara Redd, tredd@emory.edu, with questions. Register by May 28.

Young people are especially at risk. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, half of all new STD infections occur in people ages 15 to 24. The agency noted that stigma, incorrect or inconsistent condom use, limited access to health care and a combination of other factors lead to the relatively high rates of infection for this age group.
District 4 Public Health workers mobilized to spread the word among this population and get more in the area tested for STDs. They worked with Gordon State College in Barnesville to host a HIV testing event on campus on April 10. Nurses and epidemiologists were on hand to brief students on the HIV testing process, administer tests, give post-test counseling and answer any questions. More than 120 students visited the campus auditorium to get tested.

Emergency Exercise Tests Information Gathering, Dissemination Capabilities

It was a normal,

quiet Tuesday

morning on

Savannah's Westside.

Children were busy

learning important

lessons in school and

parents began

settling into their

work routines. But

all that changed

when a bank robber,

holding a hostage

and speeding away

Public information officers from all over Chatham

from the scene of his

County, including the Coastal Health District,

crime, ran head on into a tanker truck

participated in the full-scale Joint Information Center exercise which focused on the scenario of a chemical
spill in close proximity to a school.

carrying hydrochloric

acid.

The truck overturned, resulting in spillage of the clear, poisonous liquid. Emergency and media crews quickly arrived on the scene. Nearby neighbors started posting panicked messages on Facebook and Twitter. School officials looked for guidance on what to do with a building full of students and staff. And in an instant that ordinary Tuesday turned into mass chaos.

Analyzing Health Behaviors: Practical Skills for the Public
Health Professional June 4
9 a.m.-5 p.m. Clarence Brown Conference Center,
Cartersville This training will provide practical
information on analyzing health behaviors to develop effective interventions. The course will
introduce health education intervention planning and an overview of major theories, including stages of change, health belief model and planned behavior change. For more information and
to register, visit sph.emory.edu/ephtc. Contact Tara Redd, tredd@emory.edu, with questions. Register by May 28.
Community Needs Assessment Skills for the Public Health Professional June 13 and 14 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Moultrie Technical College, Tifton The training will provide
participants with the practical skills and knowledge needed to conduct a
community needs assessment. Participants do not need to have skills in research, assessment or evaluation to attend. Topics will cover design and implementation of community needs assessment. For more information and to register, visit www.sph.emory.edu/ephtc.
Contact Tara Redd, tredd@emory.edu, with questions.Register by June 3.
Word Mail Merge April 23
1:30-4:30 p.m.
Word Automatic Features April 24
10 a.m.-noon
PowerPoint Intermediate April 24
1:30-4:30 p.m.

That was the scenario during a full-scale, multi-agency Joint Information Center (JIC) exercise recently initiated by Chatham Emergency Management Agency (CEMA). Public information officers (PIO) began receiving notification of the incident around 7 a.m. and quickly reported to the JIC in downtown Savannah. Close to 20 PIOs from various agencies, including the Coastal Health District, Savannah-Chatham Public School System, Savannah Fire Department, U.S. Coast Guard and the Chatham County Sheriff's Department, participated in the exercise along with CEMA staff and volunteers.

Track Sleep Cycles with Sleepbot App
Find out what's really happening in that missing third of your life with Sleepbot, an intuitive sleep cycle tracker and dependable optimal alarm that lets you customize your sleep tracking. Record your movements and sounds during the night and wake up better each morning during light sleep. With Sleepbot you can: set and customize multiple alarms for your partner, easily customize smart alarm, motion tracking and sound recording options, and tap detailed motion/sound graphs to play back sleep talk, snores, etc.
Features also include simple punch-in using widget, options for auto-silence and airplane mode and quick solutions to fall asleep and stay awake. Sleepbot also contains a comprehensive sleep analysis with direct comparison between movement and sound correlations; trend graphs (length, sleep/wake times, pattern) to see your sleep quality over time; and sleep statistics, debt log and averages.
SleepBot is recognized by the U.S. National Institute of Health and the National Academy of Engineering as a first place winner of the Go Viral to Improve Health competition.


Word Columns & Graphics April 25
1:30-4:30 p.m.

PowerPoint ClipArt & Graphics April 30
10 a.m.-noon

PowerPoint Tables & Charts April 30
1:30-4:30 p.m.

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.

Submit Calendar Entries to communications@dhr.state.ga.us

PHNEWS

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PHRECIPE

Coconut Bars Prep Time: 1.5 hours
Yields: 20 squares
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
Director of Communications Ryan Deal
Georgia Public Health Observances | April 2013

STD Awareness Month

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