Georgia PH week [May 28, 2013]

PHWEEK 5-28-2013: Serious E. Coli Outbreak in Stephens County

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Public Health Tracks Serious E. Coli Outbreak in Stephens County

Georgia public health

teams are investigating an

outbreak of E. coli in

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your own!

Stephens County that sickened almost a dozen people who ate at a barbecue restaurant in

the first week of May.

In This Issue

As of May 23, District 2 Public Health, the

Serious E. Coli Outbreak Drunk Driving Tactics Falls Flat

Stephens County Health Department and the Georgia Department of

Students Test Drive GoNoodle Public Health (DPH)

Employees Dish About Weight Loss on Katie Couric

identified 10 Georgians and one South Carolina resident who were infected with E. coli 0157:H7 after eating at the BBQ Shack in Toccoa. An additional seven people were probably infected,

Drive for Sight Program

although their illnesses haven't been confirmed with lab results.

Georgia Tobacco Quitline

Pick Healthier Foods with App
PHEVENTS


Cherie Drenzek, D.V.M., DPH state epidemiologist, said public health officials consider outbreaks of this strain of E. coli to be public health emergencies since the infections can have severe clinical complications.

An Evening of Gospel &

"This is a big one, as far as E. coli outbreaks go. It's kind of an all

Education

hands on deck situation," Drenzek said.

June 26

7 p.m. Maloof Center Auditorium, Decatur In observance of the eighth annual National HIV Testing Day, STAND Inc.

Seven of the infected patients were hospitalized, five of whom have been diagnosed with Hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), a kind of kidney failure that is a rare but serious complication of E. coli

will host an evening of gospel and infection.

education featuring the Atlanta

chapter of the Gospel Music

All of the patients reported their illnesses between May 4 and May

Workshop of America. For more information, visit
www.standinc.com.

8, and investigators believe everyone was probably sickened sometime between May 2 and May 4.



Tai Chi in the Park



Tuesday and Friday

11 a.m.

DPH, in partnership with the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District, is

Drunk Driving Tactic Falls Flat

offering tai chi classes at the water wall on the north end of Woodruff

National board recommends lowering

Park. The class is open to the BAC level, support hard to find
community and there is no need to

register. No classes will be held

during inclement weather.

Drunk driving kills about

10,000 Americans every year

Free Exercise Classes

and public health and safety

DPH offers group exercise classes groups across the U.S. are

everyday at 2 Peachtree. Classes include dance, kickboxing, yoga, walking and more. Classes are open on a first come, first served basis

always looking for new ways to keep people from operating motor vehicles after

and there is no need to pre-register. they've had too much to

Download the monthly schedule at drink. But one recent

www.health.state.ga.us/wellness. suggestion received an

unusual lack of support from

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

several major public safety groups.

PHTRAINING
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 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.
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.

This month, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an independent federal agency that reviews travel safety issues, urged states to lower their legal limits for drunk driving from .08 percent blood alcohol content (BAC) to .05 percent, the first change to the law since the limit decreased from .10 percent to its current level nearly 15 years ago.
In a news conference discussing the recommendations, NTSB Chair Deborah Hersman said the goal is to eliminate alcohol-impaired driving by targeting drivers who drink but think they are not a danger.
"We know drivers are significantly impaired at .05. There is no debate about that," she said. Lowering the BAC limit "has the effect of everyone drinking less."


Atlanta Students Test Drive GoNoodle
Quick, interactive game system gets students moving in classroom

Imagine a

classroom full

of elementary

school students

running and

jumping next

to their desks,

coached by

Olympic

athletes as

they pretend to

run hurdles in an Olympic race in just a

Olympic hurdler Queen Harrison leads Mary Lin Elementary students in GoNoodle exercises.

few minutes

between lessons.

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.

That was the scene for students at Mary Lin Elementary School in Atlanta on May 16 when they were visited by Olympic decathlon gold medalist Ashton Eaton, Olympic hurdler Queen Harrison and Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) Commissioner Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., as they tested GoNoodle, a suite of interactive games that features running, stretching, dancing and deep breathing activities.
HealthTeacher, which produces Go Noodle and other Web-based health games and apps for kids, designed the program to be a free, easy way for teachers to add physical activity to their classrooms without having to create additional lesson plans or activities.

City of Atlanta Employees Dish About Weight Loss on Katie Couric's Show

HIV in the South: What Nurses Need to Know June 8 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Loudermilk Center, Atlanta Topics to be discussed include HIV/AIDS clinical updates, HIVrelated legal issues, mental health
and HIV, and HIV and aging. Registration is $40 and includes materials, continental breakfast, lunch and parking. Click here to register. For more information, contact Candace Meadows at
404-727-1550 or cjone17@emory.edu.
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.

City of Atlanta

employees have

shed hundreds of

pounds and gained

national

recognition while

doing so. On May

20, a group of

workers joined

Atlanta Mayor

Kasim Reed on

Katie Couric's

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and Ian Smith, M.D., discuss

national talk show

the city's weight loss challenge.

to discuss their

citywide effort to adopt healthier lifestyles.

About 800 city employees joined the mayor's weight loss challenge, a six-week endeavor to improve their diet and exercise habits. Reed said encouraging employees to change their lifestyles has not only improved health and morale in the workplace, but it has helped the city save money in health care costs.

"We have saved $7 million since 2010 by encouraging healthy lifestyles," Reed told Couric.



$1 Donation Makes a Difference
DPH's Drive for Sight program aids visually impaired

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

McClain Hermes, 12, is too young to get a driver's license, but she appreciates the $1 donation from drivers renewing or applying for one.
Those contributions go to the Georgia Department of Public Health's (DPH) Drive for Sight Program, which supports partners who provide low vision education, rehabilitation and treatment services for people who are blind or visually impaired.

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

Subie Green, president of The

Center for the Visually

Impaired (CVI), uses the funding for children's vision screenings, eye exams for adults in need, training for

McClain Hermes practices techniques as a swimmer who is visually impaired. Her
goal is to qualify to compete among 4,200 athletes in the 2016 Paralympic Games in

those who have lost vision

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

and public education about

eye donation.

"Drive for Sight makes it possible for many Georgians with vision loss to learn the skills they need to be successful at school and work, and to live in their own homes instead of care facilities," said Green. "I'm inspired by the commitment of our clients to become and remain independent, to stay involved and to be contributing members of our communities -- all because of the $1 donations from Georgia drivers renewing their driver's licenses."

Fluoride mystery closer to being
solved

CDC: Fecal bacteria common in Georgia Tobacco Quitline Sees

swimming pools

Spike in Calls

Maine inspection rule among least National, local ads encourage smoking

restrictive in US

cessation

Sweet Surprise: Guess Where Your World Health Added Sugar Is Coming From? Organization

(WHO) will mark

World No Tobacco

PHRECIPE

Day on May 31, highlighting the

health risks

associated with

tobacco use and

advocating for

effective policies

to reduce tobacco

consumption. This

year's theme is

"ban tobacco

Chocolate Raspberry Smoothie advertising,

Prep and Cook Time: 10 minutes promotion and

Serves 2

sponsorship."

A Tips 2013 billboard on I-285 features North Carolina resident Terrie, 52, who had her larynx removed as a
result of oral and throat cancers.

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

According to WHO, tobacco kills up to half of its users. Tobacco also kills nearly 6 million people each year, 600,000 of whom are nonsmokers dying from breathing secondhand smoke. Unless urgent action is taken, the annual death toll could rise to more than 8 million by 2030.
On a national level, CDC's Tips from Former Smokers campaign is building public awareness of the damage caused by smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke with its hard-hitting tobacco education campaign, geared toward motivating smokers to quit and keeping nonsmokers from starting.


Pick Healthier Foods with 'ShopWell' App
ShopWell helps you eat healthier food and achieve your nutrition goals. Use ShopWell to help manage your weight and conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and gluten intolerance. And earn rewards such as coupons and gift cards for taking healthy actions.

At home and in the grocery store use the ShopWell barcode scanner to scan foods and find out if they are a good match for your diet, then get suggestions for foods that are a better your health.

Consistently ranked as one of the top Health & Fitness apps, ShopWell was created by registered dietitians and is a community partner of the USDA.

Click here to download.
Georgia Public Health Observances | May 2013

Mental Health Month

Hepatitis Awareness Month
Forward email

Healthy Vision Month

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