PHWEEK 1-21-2014: DPH to Pursue National Accreditation Follow Us! DPH to Pursue National Accreditation In a move that could change the landscape of public health in Georgia, leaders at the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) announced Friday their decision to seek formal, national accreditation. If approved, DPH would join the states of Washington and Oklahoma in achieving this status. Submit your story suggestions, ideas, comments or a story of your own! "Our work in our first two and a half years as a new department tells us we're doing the right thing and bringing the right health outcomes," said DPH Commissioner Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D. "And I think we're ready to be recognized by our peers as a true model of public health." In This Issue DPH to Pursue National Accreditation In order for Georgia to receive full accreditation by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB), examiners will assess DPH in ten essential services of public health. Georgia's DPH could seek accreditation as early as 2015. Commissioner Hosts First Statewide Call 50 Years of Fighting Tobacco New Year, New Chances to Be Commissioner Hosts First Statewide Call Healthy DPH Urges Prevention for HPV Sope Creek Elem. Powers Up The start of a new year brought a first for public health and Georgia Shining a Light on Diabetes in Department of Public Health Georgia (DPH) Commissioner Brenda Healthcare Georgia Foundation Launches Infant Mortality Initiative PHBRIEF Fitzgerald, M.D. On Jan. 10, Fitzgerald hosted the first statewide video conference call, broadcast to 149 locations in Help Wanted? Learn about all 18 health districts as well DPH's Intern Program Do you need assistance with a project? Are you interested in supporting the future public health workforce? Are you interested in being a mentor? If so, you are as DPH's locations at 2 Peachtree, Skyland and the public health lab via the Employees gathered across the state for the first video conference call with Commissioner Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D. telehealth network. The call was the first of what will become monthly calls in which the invited to attend a lunch-and-learn commissioner will speak to thousands of DPH employees across the state, session on Fri., Feb. 7 from 12:00- providing updates and answering questions from public health staff. 1:00 p.m., Room 7-430. The session will highlight some of DPH's Fitzgerald's first order of business was to thank all employees for their external partnerships for recruiting and selecting interns and discuss dedication and good work. the requirements and benefits of accepting interns. For more information, please contact L'laina Rash, in the Office of Science, Research and Academic Affairs, at 50 Years of Fighting Tobacco ltrash@dhr.state.ga.us. Fifty years ago this week, the first PHEVENTS U.S. Surgeon General's report linking tobacco and lung cancer was published. Since then, the U.S. and Looking for DPH events? Visit the Events Schedule on our website. Georgia have made tremendous progress in reducing the burden of tobacco on our communities. However, our work is far from finished. Here in Georgia, tobacco PHTRAINING remains the leading preventable cause of death and kills more than 11,000 people in our state each Manager Fundamentals for year. More than 1.5 million Success Georgians smoke. Another 317,000 A new course for supervisors will use other forms of tobacco. And 25 begin in February. This two-day instructor-led course provides a foundation for understanding supervision within the Department of Public Health. You will gain new skills and access tools and percent of Georgia's youth smoke, a rate higher than kids in other states across the country. Tobacco causes lung cancer, cancers of the head and neck and heart disease. information related to successful management within DPH. Registration for this course is in Saba. For additional information contact Donna Dunn at dgdunn@dhr.state.ga.us. Two for Tuesdays Join the Office of Human Resources on the second Tuesday Most smokers think a tobaccorelated illness will never happen to them, but sadly, there are real people behind the statistics. On Jan. 11, 1964, U.S. Surgeon General Luther L. Terry, M.D., released the first report tying smoking to lung cancer and other diseases. Georgia resident Janice Hayes started experimenting with tobacco when she was 13, two years after the first Surgeon General's report came out. Now, she lives every day with the effects of using tobacco. of each month from 11:30 a.m.- 12:45 p.m. for the learning series Two for Tuesdays. This series provides an opportunity for programs to explore new ideas, New Year, New Chances to Be Healthy share knowledge and highlight teams and their work. On Feb. 11, the Office of Telehealth will describe the development of The beginning of a new year has many people hoping to make a fresh, healthy Georgia's statewide network. To start. The Office of Worksite Wellness at learn more and to register, click the Georgia Department of Public Health here . Instructor-Led Computer Training at 2 Peachtree (DPH) aims to help public health employees do just that. PHWEEK asked Susanne Koch, DPH's worksite wellness coordinator, to fill us in on all that the Word Tables and Forms Wed., Jan. 29 program has in store for the next 12 months. 10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. PHWEEK: It's a new year at DPH! What Word Columns and Graphics Wed., Jan. 29 can employees expect from Worksite Wellness in 2014? 1:30-4:30 p.m. Koch: Worksite wellness continues to grow PowerPoint Intermediate Fri., Jan. 31 10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in 2014, and we are looking forward to many great programs. Susanne Koch, DPH's worksite wellness coordinator Look for Access classes in February and Excel classes in March. DPH Urges Prevention for HPV, For employees not at 2 Peachtree, classes can be attended remotely - Cervical Cancer - 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. Free Online Courses Available from Lynda.com DPH has purchased a limited number of licenses for Lynda.com, an online library of high-quality, Girls and boys should receive the three doses of the HPV vaccine by age 13. easy-to-use instructional videos on The fight against cervical cancer has come a long way, but too many the latest software, creative and business skills. Licenses are available for check out on a first come, first served basis. To check out a license, simply email Lisa women are still impacted by this highly preventable disease. This year, the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) will begin a campaign to urge more women and girls to get vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus that causes almost all cervical cancer. Miller from your public health email account. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HPV is so common that nearly all sexually-active men and women will get at Submit Calendar Entries to least one type of HPV at some point in their lives. Some will fight the communications@dhr.state.ga.us infection naturally with no hospitalization or treatment required. But for many, the virus causes genital warts and several types of cancer, PHNEWS including cervical cancer. The CDC reports that about 12,000 women in the U.S. develop cervical cancer each year. Walk a Mile in Her Shoes FDA asks doctors, dentists to stop prescribing high-dose acetaminophen Media Focus on Obesity May Backfire for Some Women "Cervical cancer was once the leading cause of death for American women," said Andrea Yeany, nurse consultant with DPH's Office of Cancer Screening and Treatment. Sope Creek Elementary Powers Up As Weight Rises in People with Diabetes, So Does Death Risk: Study PHRECIPE Fruity Thai Pita Pockets Serves 4 Prep and Cook Time: 15 min. Click Here for Full Recipe PHWEEK Director of Communications Ryan Deal Editor Carrie Gann Content Coordinator Connie F. Smith Sr. Graphic Designer Ginny Jacobs Web Developer Jimmy Clanton, Jr. Editorial & Design Team Tammy Beasley Eric Jens Nancy Nydam Sandra Roberts Check out the latest video from Georgia SHAPE, showing how Sope Creek Elementary School in Marietta, Ga., is reaping rewards from Power Up for 30. Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health, and Sope Creek staff discuss the program and how it helps students and teachers. Shining a Light on Diabetes in Georgia Nearly one in 10 Georgians lives with diabetes, and thousands more are at risk of developing the disease. While many need to learn how to live well with the disease, for others, it may be entirely preventable. Health advocates discussed the impact of diabetes on Georgia on Jan. 15, gathering at the State Capitol for Georgia Diabetes Awareness Day. DPH Commissioner Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., gathered Georgia Department of Public Health Commissioner with health advocates at the State Capitol to highlight diabetes. Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., joined Lt. Governor Casey Cagle and others to emphasize the importance of addressing diabetes in the state. "It is my hope that every Georgian - child, teen, parent, adult, family, senior, grandparent - learns and understands the facts about diabetes and their importance," Fitzgerald said. "Together, I know we can help create a generation free of diabetes and its life-threatening complications. Healthcare Georgia Foundation Launches Infant Mortality Initiative Healthcare Georgia Foundation today announced the launch of its new infant mortality program initiative, Taking Care of You. The program reflects the foundation's mission of achieving health equity through targeted community interventions. Building on a previous investment, this initiative will provide multi-year community-level funding, technical support and evaluation assistance for the purpose of achieving measureable reductions in adverse birth outcomes among high disparity populations, including but not limited to: low-birth weight, prematurity, and sudden unexpected infant death (SUID)/sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). "High infant mortality and persistent racial disparities in birth outcomes have been highlighted for decades," said Gary Nelson, Ph.D., president of the foundation and member of Georgia's Board of Public Health. Georgia Public Health Observances | January 2014 Forward email 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