Georgia PH week [May 20, 2013]

PHWEEK 5-20-2013: GA SHAPE Exhibit a Hit at Gwinnett Braves Event

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In This Issue
Georgia SHAPE Exhibit a Hit DPH Nurses Take Center Stage Employees Earn Emory Degree
Angelina Jolie Writes About Mastectomy
Get Tested for Hepatitis 24th in Bike Friendliness
Hurricanes in Georgia World Asthma Day Heat Safety App
PHEVENTS

Georgia SHAPE Exhibit a Hit at Gwinnett Braves Event

From the first pitch to

the last inning, there

was a huge crowd at

the Gwinnett Braves'

2013 Education Day.

Although the

Gwinnett Braves lost

to the Pawtucket Red

Sox with a final score

of 14 to 9, it was a

perfect game day for

the Georgia SHAPE

exhibit.

Thousands of students attended Education Day

The exhibit, part of Georgia SHAPE, Gov.

at the Gwinnett Braves' Coolray Field. Photo by William Lofton, Gwinnett Braves.

Nathan Deal's

statewide initiative to combat childhood obesity, offers several

physical activities, along with health and fitness education for

children.



DPH Nurses Take Center Stage at CDC Symposium

Tai Chi in the Park

Public health has

Tuesday and Friday

changed the way

11 a.m. DPH, in partnership with the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District, is offering tai chi classes at the water

Sandee Simmons approaches her patients as a registered nurse.

wall on the north end of Woodruff

Park. The class is open to the Simmons, who began

community and there is no need to her career as a

register. No classes will be held pediatric nurse in the

during inclement weather.

hospital setting, is now

Free Exercise Classes DPH offers group exercise classes everyday at 2 Peachtree. Classes

nurse coordinator for Children's Medical Services (CMS) in South

include dance, kickboxing, yoga, Health District 8-1,

walking and more. Classes are open based in Valdosta.

on a first come, first served basis

and there is no need to pre-register.



Download the monthly schedule at

Registered nurse Sandee Simmons, nurse coordinator for
Children's Medical Services (CMS) in South Health District 8-1, based in Valdosta,
discusses telemedicine at a CDC nursing symposium.

www.health.state.ga.us/wellness.

Submit Calendar Entries to Public Health Employees Earn communications@dhr.state.ga.us Emory Degrees

DPH commissioner serves as
PHTRAINING commencement speaker

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. L'laina Rash will discuss DPH's
internship program June 11.
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 you role supports the department's goals. Course dates are 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.

Two Georgia public health employees were among the graduates celebrating their achievements at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health on May 13.

Albert Wright,

emergency preparedness administrator for

Public health employee Albert Wright, center, with Rollins School of Public Health Dean James Curran, M.D., and DPH Commissioner Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D.

Fulton County

Department of Health Services, and Greg Bautista, project

coordinator for the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance at the

Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH), earned their Master of

Public Health (MPH) degrees from the school. Both participated in

the Career MPH program, a distance learning career master's

program for public health professionals.



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.
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.

Angelina Jolie Writes About Prophylactic Mastectomy
American Cancer Society's chief medical officer
weighs in
Actress Angelina Jolie authored an opinion piece in the New York Times about her choice to have a prophylactic mastectomy to reduce her risk of breast cancer. Ms. Jolie says her family and genetic history gave her an 87% risk of having breast cancer, and that the surgery reduced that risk to under 5%. She says she chose "not to keep my story private because there are many women who do not know that they might be living under the shadow of cancer. It is my hope that they, too, will be able to get gene tested, and that if they have a high risk they, too, will know that they have strong options."
We asked Otis W. Brawley, M.D., chief medical officer, for his reaction to the piece.

U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson: Get Tested for Hepatitis
Congressman discusses personal diagnosis,

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.
Access Tables & Database Design May 30
9:30 a.m.-4:30 PM
Excel Basics June 11
9:30 a.m-12:30 p.m.

cure
On an evening in 1998 when I got word from my doctor about my diagnosis, I had already planned to go roller skating with my family. I decided not to change my plans. But I remember feeling "shell-shocked" and very alone in that rink full of people that night.
I had been really tired for weeks on end and one weekend I practically slept for two straight days. That is what prompted my visit to my doctor and he was smart enough to order a test, even though that was not routine at the time.

Georgia Ranks 24th in Bike Friendliness

Excel Formatting June 11
1:30-4:30 p.m.
Excel Formulas & Functions June 18
1:30-4:30 p.m.
Excel Multiple Worksheets June 20
1:30-4:30 p.m.
Excel Graphical Charts June 25
9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Excel Data Management & Pivot Tables June 25
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

Whether biking to work all week or pedaling for pleasure on the weekends, a new ranking gives Georgians an idea of how their cycling experience compares to residents of other states.
The League of American Bicyclists, a national cycling advocacy group, ranked Georgia 24th in the nation for bicycle friendliness in 2013. Georgia came in fourth among Southern states behind Virginia, Tennessee and Texas on the league's annual list.

Hurricanes in Georgia: A Question of When, Not If
Sally Silbermann, public information officer for Coastal Health District 9-1, has lived in Savannah for nearly 23 years. But she has never been through a hurricane.

Should we eat more insects? The "We have faced a

U.N. thinks so.

lot of very real

Telemedicine is Retail Health Clinics' Newest Tool

threats and near misses over the years," she said, including a

Nurses from Camden and Effingham County Health Departments work together to triage a functional/medical
needs patient during a full scale evacuation exercise in Savannah in 2012.

Hospitals, Testing Companies Face massive evacuation of nearly 3 million residents of Georgia, Florida

Questions About Value Of Community Screenings

and South Carolina as Hurricane Floyd threatened in 1999 (the storm changed direction and Georgia was spared).

Some of My Best Friends Are Germs
The Claim: Most of the Added Sugar in Our Diets Comes From
Sugary Drinks


DPH Observes World Asthma Day at Atlanta's Dunbar Elementary
Department, partners work to raise awareness

PHRECIPE
Sweet Chili Asian Stir Fry Prep and Cook Time: 25 minutes
Serves 4 Click Here for Full Recipe
PHWEEK
Editor Nicole Price Content Coordinator Connie F. Smith

of disease

Each May, thousands

of organizations join

together during

Asthma Awareness

Month to increase

public awareness of

the asthma

epidemic and to

take action to get

asthma under

control in

communities across

the nation.

From left, Ateya Wilson, American Lung Association;

This year, the

Carol Kemker, deputy director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Air, Pesticides and

Georgia Department Toxics Management Division; Pam Collins, acting deputy

of Public Health's (DPH) Georgia

director of CDC's National Asthma Program; Francesca Lopez, program manager of DPH's Georgia Asthma
Control Program; Katie Miller, Georgia Department of

Asthma Control

Public Health board member; and Jim Costas, regional

Program (GACP)

representative for Aerocrine Inc.

observed World

Asthma Day with the theme 'Is It Asthma' to increase awareness

among parents and caregivers of the signs and symptoms of asthma

and the key questions they should be asking their child's primary

care provider. The event was held at Dunbar Elementary in Atlanta

and included a talk by Leroy Graham, M.D., founder of Not One

More Life, an Atlanta-based asthma education program.

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


Heat Safety App Helps Prevent HeatRelated Illness
When you're working in the heat, safety comes first. With the OSHA Heat Safety Tool, you have vital safety information available whenever and wherever you need it - right on your mobile phone.

The app allows workers and supervisors to calculate the heat index for their worksite and based on the heat index, displays a risk level to outdoor workers. Then, with a simple tap, you can get reminders about the protective measures that should be taken at that risk level to protect workers from heat-related illness -reminders about drinking enough fluids, scheduling rest breaks, planning for and knowing what to do in an emergency, adjusting work operations, gradually building up the workload for new workers, training on heat illness signs and symptoms and monitoring each other for signs and symptoms of heat-related illness.

Click here for more information and to download for various platforms.
Georgia Public Health Observances | May 2013

Mental Health Month

Hepatitis Awareness Month
Forward email

Healthy Vision Month

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