Georgia PH week [May 6, 2013]

PHWEEK 5-6-2013: Commissioner Applauds DPH Accomplishments

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Commissioner Applauds DPH Accomplishments, Recognizes Public Service

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In This Issue
Commissioner Applauds DPH Public Health Information Gage Ochsner, M.D.

This week, the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) joins governments and agencies across the nation in celebration of Public Service Recognition Week, a time set aside to honor the men and women who serve as federal, state, county and local government employees.
In a letter to employees, DPH Commissioner Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., expressed her appreciation for their hard work.

Residents Learn Road Safety "When we became Georgia's new

Georgia SHAPE Partner Honored Department of Public Health just

1st Responders App
PHEVENTS

less than two years ago, I asked that we do more. More to bridge the disparity gap and connect more Georgians with the care and information they need to live

DPH Commissioner Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D.

Newborn Screening Exhibit happier, healthier lives. More to reduce the burden of childhood

April 29 - May 9

obesity in our state. More to connect mothers and children with the

2 Peachtree Lobby

essential nutrition they need to grow and learn. More to reduce the

The Association of Public Health Laboratories is celebrating 50 years
of newborn screening in the U.S.

spread of HIV and sexually transmitted disease. More to prepare for disaster. And more to ensure our data is the strongest it can be in

DPH employees at 2 Peachtree will order to concentrate our efforts where they're needed most,"

have the chance to learn more about Fitzgerald said.

the history of newborn screening

with a traveling exhibit that will be DPH employees went above and beyond, delivering extraordinary

on display in the lobby.

accomplishments, Fitzgerald said.

Tai Chi in the Park



Tuesday and Friday



11 a.m.

DPH, in partnership with the Atlanta Two Clicks Lead to Wealth of Public
Downtown Improvement District, is

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

Park. The class is open to the Online tool gives quick picture of Georgia's

community and there is no need to
register. No classes will be held community health needs

during inclement weather.

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

The Office of Health Indicators for Planning (OHIP) at the Georgia

include dance, kickboxing, yoga, Department of Public

walking and more. Classes are open Health (DPH) wants to

on a first come, first served basis let you in on a little

and there is no need to pre-register. Download the monthly schedule at www.health.state.ga.us/wellness.

secret: you may be spending more time than you need to analyzing

Submit Calendar Entries to

and organizing data. A

communications@dhr.state.ga.us new Web-based tool can

gather easy-to-

understand information

PHTRAINING
Two for Tuesdays: Office of Human Resources

on the health needs of communities across Georgia in just a couple of mouse clicks.

The Community Health Needs Assessment Dashboard gives users an easy-to-understand
version of statewide health data. (Click to enlarge)

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

The Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) Dashboard -housed on OASIS, the Online Analytical Statistical Information System -- parses public health data county by county and lets users compare outcomes for one county to rates for the whole state. That

opportunity for programs to explore may not sound particularly groundbreaking, but according to OHIP,

new ideas, share knowledge and the tool is unlike the others on OASIS.

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

"In two clicks you can get information from the CHNA dashboard that otherwise would take six months to prepare," said Gordon Freymann, OHIP's director, who came up with the idea for the dashboard.

does? Here's an opportunity to know and learn more about the field of The dashboard allows users to select one or more counties and view

Public Health and specifically how it the top 15 causes of death, hospital discharges or emergency room

works in Georgia. This course is visits and compare those rates to the other 158 counties in Georgia

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

and to the rate for the whole state. The tool can give even more detailed assessment of a community's health issues by breaking down data by age and race.

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

Gage Ochsner, M.D., Saved Thousands

dgdunn@dhr.state.ga.us.

of Lives

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.

M. Gage Ochsner Jr., M.D., one of Georgia's most prominent trauma surgeons who worked to overhaul the state's trauma system, died April 26 of lung cancer. He was 59.
Ochsner was the chief of trauma and surgical critical care at Memorial University Medical Center (MUMC) in Savannah, where he operated on more than 10,000 patients, according to a Savannah Morning News report.

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.

"It didn't matter if you were the bank president or a bank robber, he treated you all the same," said colleague Carl Boyd, M.D., in the report.
Ochsner was remembered for his vision to improve the quality of and access to trauma care for all patients around the state. He also worked to establish the Institute for Injury Research and Prevention at MUMC, which launched last November with the goal of reducing and preventing injuries through research, training, education and outreach.
Patrick O'Neal, M.D., director of health protection at the Georgia Department of Public Health, called Ochsner an eloquent advocate for developing a robust trauma system in Georgia, the organization of care and prevention that works to treat injuries more efficiently or keep them from happening altogether.

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.
Access Intermediate Queries May 6
2-4:30 p.m.


State Agencies School Toombs County Residents on Road Safety

Bonnie Brantley knew

one thing for sure:

people in Toombs County

needed to learn more

about road safety.

Previous surveys

conducted in the county

showed just one-third of

children traveled safely

in car seats and only

about 40 percent of

drivers and passengers

wore seat belts. In her

years of inspecting car

seats, Brantley has seen misuse of all kinds, from

Law enforcement joined public health employees, safety groups and volunteers to teach Toombs

secondhand, faulty

County residents about child safety seats, seat

equipment to a parent

belts and road safety.

using a butter knife to

anchor a car seat.

"When it comes to traffic safety, the education level here is very low," said Brantley, the Safe Kids Coordinator at Meadows Regional Medical Center in Vidalia. "We needed help getting the information out."

Brantley and her colleagues at the Georgia Department of Public Health's (DPH) Rural Roads Initiative turned to the Governor's Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) for help. The office brought together law enforcement officials and highway safety educators, who joined forces with the Rural Roads Initiative and local volunteers to host the Toombs County Occupant Safety Caravan April 8-10. During those three days, the group traveled the area educating all kinds of drivers and passengers about staying safe on the road.

Access Form & Report Design May 14
10 a.m.-3:30 PM
Access Advanced Queries May 16
2-4:30 p.m.

"The safety caravan is really important for the rural areas where we don't have a lot of resources," Brantley said. "When you get 30 people from all over the state coming to help you, it makes such a difference."


Access Tables & Database Design May 30
9:30 a.m.-4:30 PM
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

Georgia SHAPE Partner Honored for
Dedication to Youth
The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and its affiliated fund, the Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation, were recently awarded the Clyde Partin Service Award from the Southern District of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (SDAAHPERD).

PHNEWS

The award honors a person or organization that is not

a member of the

FDA will investigate added caffeine in foods

profession but has made significant contribution to the development and

promotion of SDAAHPERD's

12 Ounces of Sugary Soda a Day goals and purposes, or in

Raises Diabetes Risk: Study

the efforts of the

SDAAHPERD divisions in

Getting in Shape in Middle Age their program planning and/or development.

Are doctors nicer to patients who aren't fat?
PHRECIPE

AMBFF/AFYF is dedicated to helping Atlanta neighborhood youth increase their physical activity and fitness while fighting obesity and improving nutrition. As the largest NFL owner-funded foundation, AMBFF/AFYF has provided grants totaling more than $18 million to combat obesity and bring healthy, affordable food to Georgia residents who lack access.

Breakfast Bagel Prep and Cook Time: 15 minutes
Serves 1

"We are honored to receive recognition from the physical education teachers who are working so hard to improve the health and fitness of Georgia children," said John Bare, vice president of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and the Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation. "We are excited to see so many communities taking innovative approaches to increase the time kids spend in physical activity."

App Helps First Responders with Hazardous Materials

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

First responders and HAZMAT units, in particular, must make many decisions quickly in handling hazardousmaterials incidents. They need accurate information about the hazardous substances, the emergency resources available, and the surrounding environmental conditions to save lives and minimize the impact on the environment and physical property.
The WISER (Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders) app helps them do just that.
WISER extracts content from TOXNET's Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB), an authoritative, peerreviewed information resource maintained by the National Library of Medicine, and places that information into the hands of those who need it most. Other features of WISER include: rapid access to the most important information about a hazardous substance by an intelligent synopsis engine and display called Key Info; intuitive, simple, logical user interface developed by working with experienced first responders; and comprehensive decision support, including guidance on immediate actions necessary to save lives and protect the environment.


Georgia Public Health Observances | May 2013

Bike to School Day Wednesday, May 8

Hepatitis Awareness Month
Forward email

Healthy Vision Month

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