Georgia PH week [Apr. 13, 2015]

Don't see graphics and text from DPH?Click here

Follow Us!

DPH Commissioner Fitzgerald Receives SellersMcCroan Award

Today, Georgia Department of

Public Health (DPH) Commissioner

Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., received

Submit your story suggestions, the 2015 Sellers-McCroan Award,

ideas, comments or a story of your own!

which honors a public health professional in Georgia whose

work has had significant impact



on epidemiology or laboratory services at the state, district, or

In This Issue

county levels, in academia or in hospitals. The award is presented

Commissioner Fitzgerald Receives annually by the Georgia Public

Sellers-McCroan Award.

Health Association (GPHA).

DPH Joins State Leaders to Prevent Child Abuse
Eighth District School Nutrition and the Southeast Health District
Lend a Helping Hand
Houston County Hot Shots Coalition Reaches Out to High
School Students
First Lady Sandra Deal Launches SPLASH with DPH
Georgia Infant Inspires March for Babies
App of the Week: TravWell
PHEVENTS

In nominating Dr. Fitzgerald for

the Sellers-McCroan Award,

Georgia's 18 district health

directors highlighted her many

contributions to public health and

the impact of her work for the

health of the state and the

strength of epidemiology in our

public health system.

Commissioner Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., is being recognized for

In 2011, when the Georgia

her extensive work in advancing public health efforts across the state of Georgia.

General Assembly restored DPH to

its own state agency after more than 30 years of consolidation with other

departments, it was crucial that the new department be led by someone with a

passion for public health who would be able to help guide the new agency in the right

direction. Dr. Fitzgerald was chosen for the job and has never looked back.

Looking for DPH events? Visit the Events Schedule
on our website.

DPH Joins State Leaders to Prevent Child Abuse

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. To learn more about the training and to register, click here.
Saba LMS has a new home! Log into Learning- Development.dph.ga.gov .
Free Online Courses Available from Lynda.com
DPH has a limited number of licenses for lynda.com which is an online library
of high-quality, easy-to-use instructional videos on 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 Miller from your PH email account.
Instructor-Led Microsoft Classes
Microsoft instructor-led classes will only be approved for groups that can
guarantee a minimum of six DPH participants. Please contact Lisa Miller for more information and to schedule a
class.

In Dorothy Law Nolte's poem, Children Learn What They Live, she writes that if a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn. If a child lives with encouragement, he learns to be confident. Nolte's poetry asserts that good childhood experiences are essential to a child's physical, emotional, social and mental development.

Research supports that when there is neglect and

First Lady Sandra Deal presents proclamation in recognition of Child Abuse Prevention Month to advocates and representatives protecting
Georgia's children from neglect and abuse.

maltreatment toward

children, the negative impact can have a ripple effect over the person's lifespan. In

Georgia, maltreatment creates an economic burden to public health, educational, and

legal/correctional systems.

In recognition of prevention for child maltreatment, Governor Nathan Deal has signed a proclamation declaring April as Child Abuse Prevention Month in Georgia. In it, the Governor declares that "child abuse and neglect can be prevented by supporting and strengthening Georgia's families, thus preventing the far-reaching effects of maltreatment and providing the opportunity for children to develop healthy, trusting family bonds, and consequently, building the foundations of communities."

Submit calendar entries

Eighth District School Nutrition and the Southeast

to communications@dph.ga.gov by 12

noon on Wednesday.

Health District Lend a Helping Hand to the

Homeless

PHNEWS

Health Education Helping Refugees Live and Thrive in

An old saying goes, "You should never look down on someone unless you are helping them up."

Georgia

Two local groups are

Older Georgians discovering, embracing fitness

taking this motto to heart and fulfilling a big need in their

communities. The Eighth

US Teens Not Using the Best Birth District Georgia School

Control

Nutrition Association and

Nursing shortages continue as need grows in Middle Georgia

the Southeast Health

District have partnered to form Operation Thrive,

Eighth District School Nutrition Association, Southeast Health District, the Coffee County Sheriff's Office and the Douglas Police Department
joined forces to provide backpacks full of supplies for the local

a project that will

homeless population.

Mutant, drug-resistant stomach provide resource bags for

bug is spreading in the US, CDC the homeless population in their counties.

warns
Indiana Begins Needle Exchange in County with HIV Outbreak

According to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, there were close to 17,000 homeless people in Georgia in 2013. At a recent meeting of the Eighth District Georgia School Nutrition Association held in Douglas, the two organizations came together to merge all of their donated items.

'Nightmare bugs' fought with skills from Ebola

CDC includes e-cigarettes in latest Houston County Hot Shots Coalition Reaches Out

anti-smoking

to High School Students to Get Flu Shot

Infant Mortality: A Health Crisis in the African American South Childhood Trauma May Raise Odds of Asthma
PHRECIPE
Roasted Salmon with Peach Tomato Salsa Serves: 4
Prep Time: 30 Minutes

More than 7,800 high school

students in Houston County will

hopefully be protected during

the 2015 influenza season by

getting the flu shot. That's

because the Houston County Hot

Shots Coalition is expanding its

School Based Flu campaign to

educate students, school

administrators and parents on

the importance of the flu shot

as the best prevention against

getting the flu and missing

school and other activities.

Houston County is expanding its School Based Flu campaign

According to the Centers for

with new grant funding to increase the number of high school students that receive the flu shot.

Disease Control and Prevention

(CDC), infectious diseases account for millions of school days lost each year for

kindergarten through 12th-grade public school students in the United States. As many

as 38 million school days are lost each year due to the influenza virus.

A Click Here for Full Recipe
PHWEEK
Communications Director Shawn Ryan
Editor Ebony Brooks
Content Coordinator Connie F. Smith-Lindsey
Graphic Designer Darryl Moland
Web Developer Jimmy Clanton, Jr.
Editorial & Design Team Tammy Beasley Eric Jens Nancy Nydam

First Lady Sandra Deal Launches SPLASH with DPH and Georgia Child Advocates

The end of the school year is quickly approaching, and families are making plans for long, relaxing days by the pool. Before pool season in Georgia begins, First Lady Sandra Deal is promoting water safety practices with a new initiative aptly titled SPLASH.

The Georgia Children's

Cabinet, led by First Lady

Deal, formed a Water

Safety Subcommittee comprised of various health and community

From left to right: Katie Jo Ballard, Governor's Office for Children and Families; First Lady Sandra Deal; Lisa Dawson, DPH Injury Prevention Program director; and Maurice Redmond, Pool Public Program director

leaders to address water

for DPH's Environmental Health Program.

safety needs facing our

state. Among the committee members are leaders from the Georgia Department of

Public Health (DPH) including Lisa Dawson, director of DPH's Injury Prevention

Program, and Maurice Redmond, Public Pools Program director for DPH's

Environmental Health Section.

As an intervention to reduce water-related child deaths and injuries, the Water Safety Subcommittee created SPLASH as an all-encompassing water safety campaign. The initiative encourages Georgians to follow six key techniques when enjoying activities at the pool or near bodies of water such as lakes and beaches:

Georgia Infant Inspires March for Babies Teams and People Worldwide

Brayleigh Richard is the topic of a globally read blog, center of attention for a growing number of Facebook followers and even a budding local hero. To top all of Brayleigh's many accomplishments, she's 6-months-old and surviving a rare birth defect.

Boasting a name that means "ray of hope," Brayleigh has marked her own path in life, defied the odds and inspired thousands of others along the way.

Born Oct. 8, 2014 at Emory University

Hospital Midtown, doctors delivered a

heartbreaking birth outcome to

mother, Sabrina Bowens-Richard, and

father, Chris Richard, before Brayleigh's At only 6-months-old, Brayleigh Richard is inspiring

birth.

people worldwide as she lives with a rare disorder known as Trisomy 18. Throughout April, stories like

hers are inspiring people to participate in March for

Babies fundraising walk/run events to raise awareness

about infant health.

App of the Week: TravWell

Planning your next dream vacation or just a simple get-a-way to relax? You may want to check out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) TravWell app to make sure you arrive to and from your destination without any health issues.
CDC's TravWell app helps you plan for safe and healthy international travel. Build a trip to get destination-specific vaccine recommendations, a checklist of what you need to do to prepare for travel and a customizable healthy travel packing list. The app also lets you store travel documents, keep a record of your medications and immunizations, and set reminders to get vaccine booster doses or take medicines while you're traveling.

Georgia Public Health Observances | April 2015

Forward email This email was sent to gadocs@uga.edu by communications@dph.ga.gov | Update Profile/Email Address | Rapid removal with SafeUnsubscribeTM | Privacy Policy.
Georgia Department of Public Health | 2 Peachtree Street, NW | Atlanta | GA | 30303