PHWEEK 6-03-2013: Health Director Promotes National Initiative Follow Us! District Health Director Promotes National Initiative in D.C. CDC campaign encourages smokers to talk to their doctors Submit your story suggestions, ideas, comments or a story of your own! 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. Teen birth rate drops, especially among Hispanics 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 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