Follow Us! Statewide Public Heath Leaders Assemble, Launch 'Good to Great' Movement With health outcomes in key target areas continuing to improve throughout the Submit your story suggestions, ideas, comments or a story of your own! state, leaders at the Georgia Department of Public Health are rapidly expanding a program aimed at moving the entire organization from "Good to Great," literally. In This Issue The agency is embracing a program - more of a Statewide Public Heath Leaders Assemble, Launch 'Good to Great' Movement Tobacco Satellite Media Tour movement, inspired by the popular business improvement book by the same name. Commissioner Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., addresses key leaders at 'Good to Great' mega meeting. Healthier Babies: Are US Policies "The people of Georgia Working? deserve a great health department. The dedicated people of the Georgia Summit Educates Georgians on Aging Eye Disease Department of Public Health are capable of greatness. Let's do this," a determined Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., declared as she opened the two day conference at Emory University's School of Public Health. 2014 STD Prevention Conference Public Health Honors Award Recipients PHBRIEF The commissioner's remarks brought applause and cheers from more than 150 public health leaders from each of Georgia's 18 public health districts and state offices, most hearing for the first time about the movement that bridges discipline and decision-making into a "culture of greatness." On May 6, Commissioner Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., was a featured speaker at TEDx Atlanta, an offshoot of the popular online Ted Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Satellite Media Tour Talks. She presented "Improving Early Child Development with Words" and focused on DPH's Talk With Me Baby campaign. Commissioner Fitzgerald is leveraging the simple practice of talking to babies and toddlers to nourish their brains and set them up for better performance in school and life. To view Tobacco is the leading cause of death in Georgia. It kills more than 11,500 people a year. No one is immune from the effects of tobacco use and secondhand smoke-tobacco kills men, women, children and babies. Exposure presentation, click here. to tobacco products causes cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke, PHEVENTS asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Pregnant Looking for DPH events? Visit the Events Schedule on our website. women, babies, and children are especially vulnerable to the dangers of tobacco. PHTRAINING Two for Tuesdays Join the Office of Human Resources on the second Tuesday 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, share knowledge and highlight teams and their work. On June 10, DPH staff will present on learning and collaboration technologies. To learn more and to register, click here. Last week, Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) shared that message with countless Commissioner Brenda Fitzgerald prepares for satellite media tour to address the risks of people in Georgia and beyond. For the first time ever, DPH and Commissioner smoking and tobacco use for pregnant women and their babies. Fitzgerald participated in a satellite media tour. Media from all over Georgia were invited to speak to Dr. Fitzgerald during ten minute satellite windows assigned to them individually, to ask questions about the risks of smoking for pregnant women. "There is nothing good about smoking ever," said Fitzgerald. "But smoking while pregnant or second hand smoke after that baby is born is equivalent to putting a pillow over the baby's face and smothering the child." Excel Graphical Charts Thurs., June 12 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Excel Working with Multiple Worksheets Thurs., June 12 1:30-4:30 p.m. Manager Fundamentals for Success Tues. - Wednes., June 17-18 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. HR - Training Room 16th Floor Procurement Services: Navigating the Process Thurs., June 19 9:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. HR - Training Room 16th Floor Performance Management for Everyone Mon., June 23 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. HR - Training Room 16th Floor Excel Intermediate Functions Tues., June 24 10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Healthier Babies: Are US Policies Working? Public policies aimed at improving prenatal health care, nutrition, and education appear to be having a positive effect on the health of babies born to economically disadvantaged women in the United States. The next step, researchers say, is to understand which policies are most effective for which populations so that resources can be deployed most effectively. Despite the fact that the US economic inequality gap has been widening for decades, the health of newborns has actually improved nationally in recent years, says Anna Aizer, associate professor of economics at Brown "We know a lot more about improving health at birth than we did 20 years University. "That was really surprising to us." ago and there are more policies now that are trying to do just that," says Anna Aizer. (Credit: Dennis Frank/Flickr) Summit Educates Georgians on Aging Eye Disease Excel Data Management and Pivot Tables Tues., June 24 1:30-4:30 p.m. Performance Management for Supervisors Tues., June 24 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. HR - Training Room 16th Floor Performance Management for Everyone Tues., June 24 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. HR - Training Room 16th Floor More than 100 attendees joined the Department of Public Health and other healthcare professionals to gain the knowledge and skills to protect their sight and have a lifetime of healthy vision. Aging eye disease is increasingly becoming a problem in the US. Over 4 million Georgians aged 40 and The Quality Care for Children app helps Georgia parents find high-quality child care near them. older have some type of vision problem, such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, or cataract. It is estimated that this number will more than double by 2030 as the population continues to age. For employees not at 2 Peachtree, classes can be In an effort to raise awareness about aging eye disease, the Georgia Vision Collaborative was formed to serve as a resource to adults at risk for aging eye attended remotely; however, disease. The collaborative hosted its second annual Focus on Eye Health Summit remote attendees must be on May 21st in Atlanta. registered 48 hours prior to class. Register for all classes through SABA (2 Peachtree attendees register for "Instructor-Led" and remote attendees register for 2014 STD Prevention Conference "Virtual" classes). Contact Lisa Miller if you have questions. STD and HIV prevention program Free Online Courses Available managers, researchers, clinicians, from Lynda.com public health employees, and DPH has purchased a limited advocates from across the country number of licenses for Lynda.com, an online library of high-quality, easy-to-use instructional videos on the latest software, creative and around the globe are converging on Atlanta this week for the 2014 STD Prevention Conference. The goal and business skills. Licenses are of this year's conference is to available for check out on a first promote interdisciplinary dialogue on come, first served basis. To check out a license, simply email Lisa Miller from your public health email account. the best ways to improve the quality of STD/HIV prevention and care. Among the collaborators for this year's conference are the International Union Against Sexually Transmitted Infections and the Latin America/Caribbean Association for Control of Sexually Transmitted Disease. Submit Calendar Entries to communications@dph.ga.gov PHNEWS This year's theme is "More STD Prevention for the Money: Maximizing Impact, Efficiency and Return on Program Investments." Department of Public Health (DPH) Commissioner Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., will welcome the more than1,500 conference attendees at the opening plenary session. Medicaid Enrollment Policies Help Pregnant Women Quit Smoking Prevent STDs in Seniors "The ever-increasing number of STDs represents a serious threat to public health," said Fitzgerald. "We have to fix this. It is not only the core of our mission at DPH preventing disease and promoting health - it's our future, the future of our children and the future of our grandchildren - around the world." Federal Funds Drop Squeezes Public Health HPB researchers awarded $3.15 million to improve chronic disease management PHRECIPE UGA's College of Public Health Honors Award Recipients Karen Neff, District 2 Public Health's Adolescent Health and Youth Development Coordinator, was awarded the 2014 Preceptor of the Year Award from the University of Georgia's College of Public Health. The award was presented at the annual Practice Advisory Group spring luncheon in Athens. The Practice Advisory Group directs and guides the Internship and Residency Programs for the College of Public Health as well as connecting academic resources of the college to public health agencies. Chicken Waldorf salad Serves 4 Prep and Cook Time: 15 minutes Click Here for Full Recipe PHWEEK Director of Communications Ryan Deal Content Coordinator Connie F. Smith Neff was nominated for the Preceptor of the Year award by UGA interns, Jenessa Karen Neff (center) receives UGA's College of Public Health Preceptor of the Year Award with Teague and Kelly Truesdell, both MPH interns Janessa Teague (left) and Kelly Truesdell students with concentrations in Health (right). Promotion and Behavior. Of Neff, Jenessa wrote, "Karen is not only our internship supervisor, but a great mentor and someone that we can rely on not only professionally, but personally as well." Neff was selected for the award for her guidance and direction of UGA interns in the implementation of the Be Proud! Be Responsible! curriculum; an evidencebased intervention that seeks to reduce the risk of HIV, STDs and pregnancy among teens. The program is a six-module program of study designed to educate youth populations about the risks associated with certain behaviors. The interns work with at-risk youth in the Hall County Juvenile Justice System and the Regional Youth Detention Center, part of the Georgia Juvenile Justice System. Sr. Graphic Designer Ginny Jacobs Web Developer Jimmy Clanton, Jr. Editorial & Design Team Tammy Beasley Turquoise Griffith Eric Jens Nancy Nydam Sandra Roberts Georgia Public Health Observances | June 2014 Forward email This email was sent to gadocs@uga.edu by jclanton@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