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