"All six counties of the [North Georgia] health district participated and all met the objectives for each individual area of the plan." - Robby Westbrook, Deputy Director of Cherokee County Sheriff's Office Division of Emergency Management

Dalton, GA – The local Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) Transportation Security Plan was tested on Thursday, January 8 in a functional exercise led by staff of North Georgia Health District 1-2 of the Georgia Department of Public Health and Georgia State Patrol. Emergency Management Agency (EMA) officials, law enforcement agents, and public health staff in Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield Counties participated in the exercise by standing up each county's Emergency Operations Center (EOC). (Pictured: David Huskey of N. GA Health Dist. and GA State Patrol Lt. Don Stultz collaborate during SNS Transportation Security Plan Functional Exercise, Jan. 8, 2015.)

"The Strategic National Stockpile, or SNS, is a federally maintained cache of medical assets that would be available to local health districts if assets needed to respond to a public health crisis become depleted within the state," said David Huskey, emergency preparedness director for the North Georgia Health District. "For years, we have worked with our community partners to develop our plan for receiving these assets and distributing them to local temporary points of dispensing. It’s necessary to actually exercise the plan to test its strengths and weaknesses."

It is important to exercise each part of a plan, according to Robby Westbrook, deputy director of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management and facilitator of the exercise. Westbrook said, “Each aspect of even the best written plan should be tested to make sure everything comes together in the way it’s spelled out. This exercise went very well. All six counties of the health district participated and all met the objectives for each individual area of the plan."

The holidays are here and gift exchanges are happening, but it’s not too late to consider giving gifts that help protect your family and friends in emergencies.

Here are some supplies for an emergency preparedness kit that would make unique — and potentially life-saving — holiday gifts:

• Battery-powered or hand-crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert.
• A quality flashlight and extra batteries.
• Solar-powered cell phone charger.
• Smoke detector and/or carbon monoxide detectors.
• First aid kit.
• Fire extinguisher and fire escape ladder.
• Enrollment in a CPR or first aid class.
• Books, coloring books, crayons and board games for the kids, in case the power goes out.
• Personal hygiene comfort kit, including shampoo, body wash, wash cloth, hairbrush, comb, toothbrush, toothpaste and deodorant.
• A waterproof pouch or backpack containing any of the above items, or with such things as a rain poncho, moist towelettes, work gloves, batteries, duct tape, whistle, food bars, etc.

National Influenza Vaccination Week is December 7-13, 2014

North Georgia – The holidays are here, and that means decorating, cooking and vaccinating. What is commonly referred to as a “flu shot” is the single most important step for protecting yourself and others against influenza. National Influenza Vaccination Week is December 7-13, and the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is encouraging all Georgians to get their flu vaccine.

Flu season can begin as early as August and could last through May, according to officials of the North Georgia Health District (comprised of Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield Counties). It is important that Georgians understand the best way to protect against influenza is to receive an annual flu vaccine. As long as the virus is circulating, it’s never too late to vaccinate.

Influenza can be a serious disease that leads to hospitalization and sometimes death. On average, more than 200,000 people in the United States are hospitalized each year for illnesses associated with seasonal influenza virus infections¹, and it is estimated that more than 36,000 Americans die each year from influenza-related illness.²

You can quit smoking today. We can help.
It is never too late to quit using tobacco.

What is the Georgia Tobacco Quit Line?

The Georgia Tobacco Quit Line is a public health service funded by the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) through the Georgia Tobacco Use Prevention Program (GTUPP). GTUPP partners with a national tobacco cessation vendor to provide telephone and web-based counseling services in accordance with the United States Public Health Service Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence Clinical Practice Guidelines. 

What are the benefits of calling the tobacco quit line?

• Receive FREE helpful quitting tips/techniques and support.
• Eliminate barriers of traditional cessation classes such as waiting for a class to be held or having to drive to a location in order to be in a class.
• Provide easy access for people who live in rural or remote areas. They can simply pick up the phone and call instead of having to drive long distances to attend a class.
• Empower callers who may feel uncomfortable with seeking help in a group setting.

Evidenced-based Intervention

The Georgia Tobacco Quit Line (GTQL) offers effective, evidence-based interventions to help Georgians quit smoking and using any other smokeless tobacco products (i.e., dip or snuff). For Georgians whose primary language may not be English, there are qualified interpreters available.

Dalton (GA)  – “Getting to Zero” is a rededication to the goal of entirely eliminating HIV transmission, and that is the vision for the World AIDS Day Celebration at First Baptist Church of Dalton on Monday, December 1, 2014 from 11:30 A.M. to 1 P.M.

“Getting to Zero”, the theme for World AIDS Day, held annually worldwide on December 1 since 1988, is about reducing new infections, increasing awareness of HIV and AIDS, decreasing prejudice against those whose lives are touched by this epidemic, and improving access to care and support for people living with the virus, including people who are infected with the virus and their loved ones.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 1.1 million people in the United States are living with HIV infection, and almost 1 in 6 (15.8%) are unaware of their infection. In 2010, over 15,500 people diagnosed with AIDS in the U.S. died, and approximately 636,000 people in the U.S. with an AIDS diagnosis have died overall*.

The World AIDS Day Celebration in Dalton is an opportunity to show support for people in this community who are living with HIV/AIDS and to commemorate people who have died. Reverend Rodney Weaver will preside over the ceremony and Dr. Mark Elam will be the guest speaker. Deanna Baker of the Living Bridge Center will present a Time of Remembrance, and there will be musical performances and testimonials.

The public is invited and encouraged to attend. First Baptist Church of Dalton is located at 311 North Thornton Avenue, Dalton, GA 30720.

For more information, please call (706) 281-2370.

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*References: CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/statistics/basics/ataglance.html

 "My Life. My Health. My Decision."

- 2014 Healthy Youth Summit theme

Holly Springs (GA) – Cherokee Youth Council members James Lindsey, Jasmine Lewis and Caleb Ductant recently attended the 2014 Healthy Youth Summit with adult leader Kirby Lewis-Hobba to launch a tobacco-free environment partnership with the Georgia Department of Public Health’s (DPH) North Georgia Health District 1-2.

Sponsored by DPH’s Chronic Disease Prevention Section and Georgia SHAPE, the Governor’s initiative to increase physical activity in Georgia schools, the 2014 Healthy Youth Summit was attended by over 130 teenagers on October 24 through 26 at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia.

Dalton (GA) – Public health departments in the North Georgia Health District counties of Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield have placed special emphasis on the importance of early breast cancer detection as part of their recent Breast Cancer Prevention Awareness campaign.

Staff have demonstrated through printed materials, breast exams, discussions, photos (see below) and a proclamation that breast cancer treatment is most effective when the cancer has been diagnosed at an early stage and before it has spread to other parts of the body.

Typically, the focus is on women because nearly 40,000 women die of breast cancer annually.

Canton (GA) – Josefina Arvizu-Villela, WIC Nutritionist and Georgia Department of Public Health Dietetic Intern, believes in promoting healthy eating.

“It’s time to become more conscious about eating healthy,” Arvizu-Villela said, “and that means making healthier choices at the grocery store and learning how to prepare food in a healthy way.”

Arvizu-Villela, through North Georgia Health District 1-2 of the Georgia Department of Public Health and its Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, conducted a "Share our Strength” and “Cooking Matters” tour on October 22 at the Kroger Store on Marietta Highway in Canton. Arvizu-Villela’s tour, attended by several local families, provided information about healthy eating, including how to read food labels, compare unit pricing, find whole foods and other important information that families can use while shopping.

The families were also taught how to save money when buying healthy foods and how to prepare healthy meals the smart and inexpensive way.

“Some people are telling me they don’t eat a healthy diet or provide healthy meals to their families because they don’t know how to cook in a healthy way, and they also feel eating healthy is expensive and time-consuming,” said Arvizu-Villela. “Through this tour, participants are learning how to eat well on a budget and how to prepare meals ahead of time so they can avoid making unhealthy or expensive food choices when crunched for time.”

 Enterovirus D68? Influenza? Ebola virus?

STAY INFORMED TO KEEP YOUR CHILD HEALTHY

As parents and childcare providers become increasingly aware of the effects of serious viral illnesses, the North Georgia Health District encourages us to also increase our awareness of how to prevent the spread of these viruses, know what signs and symptoms to look for and know what to do if we suspect there is an illness, especially if the suspected illness could be a viral disease that needs immediate medical attention.

For more information on illness prevention, please see the Georgia Department of Public Health website at:

http://dph.georgia.gov/infection-prevention-tips-staying-healthy

Also, here are some fact sheets that provide information on these illnesses - please click on the fact sheets to enlarge and download:

Don’t forget to drive by and arm yourself against the flu quickly and conveniently at Gilmer County Health Department’s Drive-by Flu Shot Clinic. The clinic will be held on Friday, October 10th from 8 A.M. to 4 P.M. at the First United Methodist Church located at 75 McCutchen Street in Ellijay.

This year, the Drive-by Flu Shot Clinic will protect you with the 4-in-1 quadrivalent flu vaccine that guards against four strains of flu in one shot. Also, the Fluzone High-Dose Flu shot will be offered to people ages 65 and older. Cost of the 4-in-1 flu shot is $25 and the high-dose shot is $50. Cash, checks, Medicare and Medicaid plus Aetna and BlueCross BlueShield Health Insurance will be accepted.

The best way to arm against the flu is with a flu shot -- the most convenient way to get that shot is at the Drive-by Flu Shot Clinic in Ellijay!

For more information, call (706) 635-4363 or log onto www.nghd.org.