- Written by Jennifer King
- Category: Media Releases
Is your child ready for the upcoming school year? The Fannin County Health Department is conducting a Back To School Rush Health Clinic on Tuesday, July 31st from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at their location in Blue Ridge. The required Hearing, Dental, Vision and BMI/Nutrition Screenings will be available: Total cost for screenings is $50. Also, immunizations will be provided for school-age children for $21.90 each (for uninsured or underinsured). Medicaid, including Amerigroup, Caresource, Peachstate, Wellcare, and Peachcare for Kids are accepted. Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Ambetter, CIGNA, HUMANA, AETNA, Coventry and Meritain are also accepted. The health department is located at 95 Ouida Street in Blue Ridge, Georgia. For more information, call (706) 632-3023.
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- Written by Jennifer King
- Category: Media Releases
The right message at the right time from the right person can save lives. Every natural disaster is unique and emergency responders have to quickly adapt to the ever-changing nature of a crisis. To be able to more quickly and effectively disseminate messages before, during, and after an emergency, many key messages can be written in the preparedness phase. CDC developed a reference document that contains key messages on hurricane and flood related health threats.
The Preparedness and Safety Messaging for Hurricanes, Flooding, and Similar Disasters can help local responders quickly create and adapt health communication products for affected communities. The document contains messages on various topics including food safety, carbon monoxide poisoning, waterborne diseases, and mold.
How to Use this Document
Public health and emergency management partners can add the key messages document as a resource to their communication plans that address hazards expected from extreme weather involving strong wind and high water. Partners can also use these messages to develop products with protective information for diverse audiences before, during, and after a hurricane, flood, or similar disaster.
Click on the name of your county in North Georgia - Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens or Whitfield - to contact your local county Health Department for more information about preparing for disaster and how you can access public health services.
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For More Information
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- Written by Jennifer King
- Category: Media Releases
Your One-Stop Spot for All School State Health Requirements!
Is your child ready for the upcoming school year? The Pickens County Health Department is conducting a Back To School Bash Health Clinic on Tuesday, July 24th from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the public health department in Jasper. The required Hearing, Dental, Vision and BMI/Nutrition Screenings will be available: Total cost for screenings is $50. Also, 
immunizations will be provided for school-age children for $21.90 each (for uninsured or underinsured). Medicaid, including Amerigroup, Caresource, Peachstate and Wellcare, and Peachcare for Kids are accepted. Each child who attends gets a FREE Goody Bag with Crayons, Coloring Book, Toothbrush, Pamphlets and Coupons! The Pickens County Health Department is located at 60 Health Way in Jasper. For more information or to check on additional insurances accepted, call (706) 253-2821.
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- Written by Jennifer King
- Category: Media Releases
From the Georgia Department of Public Health website
The Hands-Free Georgia Act recently signed by Governor Nathan Deal is set to become law July 1. At that time, motorists cannot hold their phones while driving to read or text. Video recording and broadcast video is also prohibited. The law allows use of Bluetooth devices so drivers can answer calls or use GPS navigation. Enforcement of the law also begins July 1.
Use of a phone during driving is a form of distracted driving. Each day in the U.S. approximately 9 people are killed and more than 1,000 injured in crashes reported to involve a distracted driver, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Distracted driving is when drivers divert their attention from driving to focus on something else,” said Elizabeth Head, M.P.H., deputy director of Injury Prevention at the Georgia Department of Public Health.
Types of distractions include:
- Visual, or taking your eyes off the road.
- Manual, or taking a hand off the wheel.
- Cognitive, or thinking about something other than the driving task.
“Phone use can result in all three forms of distraction,” said Head.
Using a phone is the second most commonly-reported form of distracted driving. (Being “lost in thought” is number one.)
There are many benefits to driving without distraction, especially due to phones. Anyone who has ever been injured in an auto accident, or grieved the loss of a loved one due to an auto accident, knows the potential cost of not giving the road your attention.
In 2016, the U.S. Department of Transportation reports that 14 percent of all fatal distraction-affected crashes involved phone use, and a total of 486 people died in fatal crashes that involved phone-related activities as distractions.
Distraction occurs not just because of phones, but because of a driver’s state of mind which allows for distraction. The more you do, like use your phone, the less your brain can focus on driving. As your attention goes down, the chances for a crash go up.
The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety in Georgia encourages individuals to take a pledge to avoid doing certain activities while driving. Take the pledge here.
Penalties for violators of the Hands-Free Georgia Act are $50 for a first offense, $100 for a second and three or more violations will result in fines of $150. First-time offenders may have their fee waived by purchasing a Bluetooth device and providing proof of the purchase.
Georgia is the 16th state to ban motorists from holding phones and other mobile devices while driving.
Find information about all the public health services available to you and your family at North Georgia Health District's county Health Departments in Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield Counties by clicking on the name of the county health department that's nearest you.
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