PHWEEK 5-20-2013: GA SHAPE Exhibit a Hit at Gwinnett Braves Event Follow Us! Submit your story suggestions, ideas, comments or a story of your own! 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 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