Georgia PH week [June 3, 2013]

PHWEEK 6-03-2013: Health Director Promotes National Initiative

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District Health Director Promotes National Initiative in D.C.
CDC campaign encourages smokers to talk to their doctors

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In This Issue
District Health Director Promotes National Initiative
Public Health Officials Honored

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and groups representing nearly 600,000 physicians recently gathered at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to unveil their Talk with Your Doctor initiative, designed to motivate people to stop smoking and to encourage smokers to talk with their doctors about quitting smoking.

Pets Need Emergency Preparedness, Too
'Food Deserts' Go Mobile Medbank Celebrates 10 Years 'Calm' App Helps Users Relax

Patrice Harris, M.D., director of

health services for Fulton County and

a board member of the American Medical Association, was there to

Patrice Harris, M.D., director of health services for Fulton County

help promote the initiative.

PHEVENTS

"Quitting is the best thing a smoker can do to improve their health and the health of their loved ones who may be exposed to their

An Evening of Gospel &
Education

secondhand smoke," said Harris. "The message physicians are sending is clear -- don't wait. Talk with your doctor today about kicking the habit for good."

June 26

7 p.m.

Talk with Your Doctor is part of the CDC's national tobacco

Maloof Center Auditorium, Decatur education campaign, Tips from Former Smokers, which not only tells

In observance of the eighth annual the story of how real people's lives were changed forever due to

National HIV Testing Day, STAND Inc. smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke, but also motivates

will host an evening of gospel and education featuring the Atlanta

people to quit.

chapter of the Gospel Music



Workshop of America. For more

information, visit

www.standinc.com.

Public Health Officials Honored with

Tai Chi in the Park Tuesday and Friday

Patriot Award

11 a.m. DPH, in partnership with the Atlanta Diane Weems,

Downtown Improvement District, is M.D., district

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.

health director for Coastal Health District 9-1, and Todd Jones,

environmental

Free Exercise Classes

health director

DPH offers group exercise classes for Chatham

everyday at 2 Peachtree. Classes County Health

From left, retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Chuck Clark,

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

Department, have been

Georgia employer outreach volunteer for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve; Diane Weems, M.D., district health director for Coastal Health District 9-1; Todd

and there is no need to pre-register. recognized by

Jones, environmental health director for Chatham County

Download the monthly schedule at the Department www.health.state.ga.us/wellness. of Defense,

Health Department; and retired U.S. Air Force Col. Edward Wexler, Georgia area chair for
Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.

Employer

Submit Calendar Entries to

Support of the

communications@dhr.state.ga.us Guard and Reserve with the Patriot Award. The award is presented

to employers supportive of employees who serve the country.

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.
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.
Focus on Eye Health: An Aging Eye Summit June 26
8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Prevent Blindness Georgia, Atlanta If you provide services for people
over the age of 60, people with diabetes, African American or Latinos age 40 and older, join the Georgia Vision Collaborative for an aging eye summit. Click here to register. For more information, call
404-266-2020.
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.
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

Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Chuck Clark, Georgia employer outreach volunteer, and retired U.S. Air Force Col. Edward Wexler, Georgia area chair, presented Weems and Jones with the award.
Weems and Jones were nominated by Chris Newton, Chatham County Health Department environmental health specialist 3, who is also a marine science technician 2 U.S. Coast Guard reservist currently deployed overseas. In his nomination letter, Newton recognized both Weems and Jones for their ongoing support of his duties as a U.S. Coast Guard Reservist.

Pets Need Emergency Preparedness, Too

One of the most

inspiring moments in

the awful aftermath of

the tornado that struck

Moore, Okla., came

when a woman found

her dog amid the

rubble of her home

during a television

interview. There were

other happy reunions

after some Oklahoma

City-area organizations

set up a website to

help reunite lost pets

Danielle Tack, D.V.M., and CDC preventive medicine fellow at the Georgia Department of

with their families. For Public Health, has made a plan to care for her dog,

other lost pets, shelters Abbey, if an emergency or disaster strikes.

in the area opened

their doors to take in displaced animals. These stories are reminders

that natural disasters and emergencies affect our four-legged

friends as much as ourselves.

Caring for pets during and after an emergency starts with making a plan before disaster strikes. But Danielle Tack, D.V.M., CDC preventive medicine fellow at the Georgia Department of Public Health and a veterinarian, said many people don't think about disaster plans for their pets until it's too late.

"When people are planning for their families, they should include planning for their pets as part of that process as there are some additional considerations, just as there are for households with small children or people with medical conditions," Tack said.

Tack advises pet owners to take time to think about where they can seek shelter with their pet if staying at home becomes dangerous. Many hotels and shelters can't accommodate animals, so pet owners should spend time researching facilities that can or identify friends or family out of danger who can care for their pet. But if you plan to evacuate with Fluffy or Fido in tow, be sure to give yourself plenty of time.

Groceries Go Mobile to Improve Public Health

Areas in

northwestern New

Mexico and in

Kansas City have

found an

innovative means

of addressing the

public health

problem of "food

deserts" - areas

with little or no

access to fresh and affordable

MoGro's 33-foot refrigerated trailer.

healthy foods.

A 33-foot refrigerated trailer called "MoGro" pays weekly visits to

five small Native American communities - called pueblos - all of

which are at least 30 miles away from the closest supermarkets in

Albuquerque and Santa Fe. And in Kansas City's low-income urban

core, a bus named "Healthy Harvest Mobile Market" rolls on Tuesdays

and Thursdays to several community centers and other stops.

The first-of-its-kind MoGro truck/trailer carries more than 200 items, including many types of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain foods, low-fat dairy products, fish, lean meats and nuts. What you won't find are sugary drinks, potato chips and white bleached flour. They've been banned, along with candy, except for dark chocolate.

MoGro is a comprehensive public health effort to address the extremely high rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease in the pueblos it serves. In addition to healthy foods, the program offers a whole set of ancillary services, including nutrition classes, healthy cooking demonstrations, fitness programs, farmer workshops and technical assistance on school and community garden design. Future plans call for a second refrigerated trailer and service to additional pueblos.

In part, MoGro seeks to break Native Americans' reliance on bleached flour, refined sugar and fried foods - a dependence forced upon them more than a century ago. That's when the federal government gave American Indians rations of lard, sugar and flour while barring them from leaving reservations to hunt and gather.

PHNEWS
Diet soda habit as bad for teeth as meth addiction

MoGro was launched by Rick Schnieders and his wife, Beth, in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health (JHCAIH). Schnieders knows plenty about food storage and distribution - he's a former CEO of national food supplier Sysco. Others assisting with MoGro include the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Notah Begay III Foundation, La Montanita Co-op and others.

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New Tools to Hunt New Viruses

"We believe this MoGro project can be a model project, not only for these native communities, but for the rest of America," says JHCAIH Director Mathu Santosham, MD, MPH. "That's why I'm so excited about this."

Tone deaf ploy at public health



news conference



Medbank Celebrates 10 Years

PHRECIPE
Strawberry, Banana and Nut Butter Muffins
Prep and Cook Time: 40 minutes Yield: 9 large or 12 small muffins
Click Here for Full Recipe
PHWEEK

Medbank, North Georgia Health

District 1-2's prescription drug

assistance program, is

celebrating its 10th year in

Whitfield County. Since opening

its doors in May 2003, Medbank

has collaborated with over 140

area doctors in helping more

than 4,000 eligible Whitfield

County residents receive nearly

$32 million in essential

prescription medications. For

more information about Medbank

visit http://nghd.org/WhitfieldCounty-Health-

From left,volunteer pharmacist Rep. Bruce Broadrick, Medbank Director Susan

Department/medbank.html.

Relaford, 10-year volunteer

Betty Stinson and Program Assistant

-Story by Jennifer King, Risk

Tracy Marshall.

Communicator/ Public

Information Officer, North Georgia Health District 1-2



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

'Calm' App Helps Users Relax
Need a little more calm in your life?
The Calm app provides guided relaxation and helps quiet the mind and improve mood. Features include the Seven Steps of Calm, guided relaxation sessions from two to 30 minutes -- for whenever you need a break from your day -10 beautiful nature scenes and more. New content is added monthly.
Click here to download for iPhone.
-Story by DPH Communications

Georgia Public Health Observances | June 2013

Cataract Awareness Month

Men's Health Month
Forward email

National CMV Awareness Month

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