Dalton (GA) - The Whitfield County School Board voted to revise the school district's tobacco policy for both students and staff at their monthly meeting last evening. With a 4-0 vote (one board member was absent), the verbiage in the policy now better reflects the actual procedures that have been followed in the school system for many years. Under the new policy, no student, staff member or school visitor is permitted to use any tobacco product at any time on school property or at school events. The revised policy also bans the use of electronic cigarettes, better known as e-cigarettes.*

The school board began considering changing the policy several weeks ago when Girl Scout Brownie Troop 12617 of New Hope Elementary School, assisted by the North Georgia Health District, made an appeal to School Superintendent Dr. Judy Gilreath to "make Whitfield County Schools recognized as a Georgia model 100 percent tobacco-free school district." The troop attended the school board meeting last evening to provide a presentation to the board prior to the vote.

"Although Whitfield County Schools has been a tobacco free system since 2001," said Dr. Gilreath, "the revised policy will bring us more in line with the state criteria required in order to be officially designated by the state as tobacco free. It is so encouraging to see this young troop of girls actively involved in making our community healthier for all of us. Troop 12617 and their adult leaders are to be commended for leading this effort."

Waleska (GA) – Cherokee County Animal Control officials reported to the Cherokee County Environmental Health office last week that a raccoon should be tested for rabies after it bit a dog in Waleska, Georgia.

According to Curtis Barnhart, Cherokee County Environmental Health Manager, a resident on Pleasant Arbor Road in Waleska shot the raccoon on April 5 because it was on the resident’s property behaving aggressively. The raccoon then lunged at the resident, who remained unharmed, but the dog was bitten in the process of defending its owner. The resident immediately took the dog to be treated by a veterinarian and called Animal Control to remove the dead raccoon.

Environmental health sent the raccoon specimen to the Georgia State Public Health Laboratory for rabies testing on April 7, and the positive result was returned on April 9.

The dog was current on its rabies vaccination; therefore, the dog only needed a booster shot and it will be quarantined at home for 45 days.

Health officials urge residents to protect against rabies by maintaining rabies vaccinations in their pets and to avoid contact with all unfamiliar animals, both domestic and wild.

For more information about rabies and its prevention, call the Cherokee County Environmental Health Office at (770) 479-0444 or log onto the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website at www.cdc.gov.

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The annual rabies clinic hosted by 4H in Cherokee County will be held this weekend. For details, go to their website and open their April 2014 Newsletter: http://www.caes.uga.edu/extension/Cherokee/4h/index.html

Dalton (GA) – Many people are surprised to learn that family and friends are the biggest suppliers of abused prescription drugs, yet according to the Medical Association of Georgia Foundation, it is true, and prescription drug abuse is a national epidemic with well over 16,500 deaths a year from pain killer overdose. More people now die each year from accidental drug overdose than in auto accidents.

National Take-Back Day, now in its eighth year, is an initiative of the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration that provides a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications.

National Take-Back Day is Saturday, April 26, 2014, and local drop-off collection sites will be available from 10 AM to 2 PM that day at these Dalton and Chatsworth locations:

- K-Mart  - 1308 W. Walnut Avenue, Dalton

- Kroger  - 1205 Cleveland Highway, Dalton

- Bi-Lo  - 502 G.I. Maddox Parkway, Chatsworth

Anyone wishing to drop off their unused or expired medication for safe disposal is encouraged to come that day to the secure, designated drive-through area at these specified locations. No questions will be asked. No identification will be required.

The National Take-Back Day collection sites in Dalton and Chatsworth are being hosted through a collaboration of the Dalton Police Department, the Murray County Sheriff's Office, the Family Support Council, the Family Connection of Murray and Whitfield Counties, the Oakwood Cafe in Dalton and the North Georgia Health District, part of the Georgia Department of Public Health.

For more information about National Take-Back Day, please visit www.dea.gov.

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Click here for Flyer.   Click here for Public Service Announcement.

Prepare your child for the upcoming school year!

The Cherokee County Health Department will conduct a Back-to-School Health Clinic on Tuesday, April 22, 2014 from 1 to 6 p.m. at public health centers in both Canton and Woodstock. The required Hearing, Dental, Vision and BMI/Nutrition Screenings will be available: Total cost for screenings is forty dollars. Also, immunizations will be provided for school-age children (there is a charge for vaccines). Medicaid is accepted. The Canton Health Center is located at 1219 Univeter Road in Canton, and the Woodstock Health Center is at 7545 North Main Street in Woodstock. For more information, please call (770) 345-7371 in Canton or (770) 928-0133 in Woodstock.

(Click here to view/print Flyer - click directly on image at right to enlarge Poster)

Jasper (GA) – Two dogs in Pickens County were potentially exposed to rabies after coming into contact with raccoons that later tested positive for the disease.

Jan Stephens, manager of Pickens County Environmental Health, said the first incident occurred at a residence in the Jerusalem Church area on February 24. A dog at the home that was not yet old enough to have had its initial rabies shot was observed being intimidated by a raccoon. The dog owner shot the raccoon and environmental health submitted it to the Georgia Department of Public Health Laboratory for rabies testing. The positive results were confirmed on February 26.

The dog is under quarantine for six months. After five months in quarantine, the dog will be given a rabies shot and will remain quarantined for the final month.

The second incident was on March 9 at a home in Talking Rock on the Pickens-Gilmer County line. A relative of the homeowner saw the raccoon attack the owner’s dog, so the relative shot the raccoon. The raccoon was prepared and shipped for rabies testing on March 10, and the positive rabies result was returned on March 11.

 Breastfeeding Strategies for Special Situations by Karen Gromada 

Dalton (GA) – Karen Gromada, MSN, RN, IBCLC, FILCA, will be the featured guest speaker at the 2014 Breastfeeding Conference at the Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center in Dalton, Georgia on Wednesday, March 26 at 8 A.M. The conference theme is Breastfeeding Strategies for Special Situations. 

Gromada has worked in various perinatal settings, including labor and delivery, obstetric early discharge homecare, and as a private practice and hospital-based lactation consultant. She leads a La Leche League group for mothers of multiples and is the author of Mothering Multiples: Breastfeeding and Caring for Twins or More (2007). She has also written related articles for professional and parenting publications. Gromada served as President of the International Lactation Consultant Association from 1994 to1996. 

Presented by the Northwest Georgia Breastfeeding Coalition and sponsored by the North Georgia Health District, the 2014 Breastfeeding Conference is particularly essential for physicians, nurses, lactation consultants, dietitians, certified nurse midwives, certified professional midwives, La Leche League leaders, WIC employees, nutritionists, nurse practitioners and anyone who works with breastfeeding moms.

See Butts? Kick ‘Em in the Can!

The North Georgia Health District joins the Georgia Department of Public Health and teachers, youth leaders and health advocates around the state on national Kick Butts Day to urge everyone to kick cigarette butts in the can, and to:

-   Raise awareness of the problem of tobacco use in Georgia;

-   Encourage youth to stay tobacco-free;

-   Ask school districts to adopt the Georgia Model 100% Tobacco Free Schools policy; and

-   Urge tobacco users to call the Georgia Tobacco Quit Line at 1-877-270-STOP.

For more information, call the North Georgia Health District at 706-272-2342 or log onto www.kickbuttsday.org.

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Listen to what the kids of Girl Scout Brownie Troop 12617 in Whitfield County, GA have to say about smoking on their new radio ad that airs this March and April on Chattanooga's WDEF-FM and WDOD-FM and on Dalton's Mix 104.5-FM and WBLJ-AM stations: Click here!

National Severe Weather Preparedness Week is March 2 - 8. NOAA’s National Weather Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are teaming up for a third year to lead a public education effort aimed at improving the way people prepare for and respond to severe weather.

The goal of National Severe Weather Preparedness Week is to inform the public about severe weather hazards and provide knowledge which can be used to prepare and take action. These actions can be used to save lives anywhere - at home, in schools, and in the workplace before tornadoes and severe thunderstorms and extreme weather strikes.

Help loved ones, friends and associates prepare for severe weather by using this great toolkit: http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/91992.

      March Is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.

Take Charge of Your Life. Get Screened.

Dalton, GA – Every 10 minutes, someone in this country dies from colorectal cancer, a cancer that can be prevented. The North Georgia Health District and the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) want all Georgians to know that colorectal cancer screening can mean the difference between life and death. Colon cancer is highly treatable if detected early, yet one in three Georgians between the ages of 50 and 75 is not being screened. Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers and most common causes of death from cancer in Georgia.

People should start getting screened for colorectal cancer at age 50, but anyone with a family history or other high risk factors may need to be tested earlier. Men and women are both at risk for colorectal cancer, but African American and Asian men in Georgia are at a higher risk.

“Screening for colorectal cancer may keep you or a loved one from dying from a cancer that is preventable,” said Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., commissioner, Georgia Department of Public Health. “What’s the best test for colon cancer? It’s the one you are willing to have done.”

There are several screening tests for colorectal cancer. A colonoscopy can detect cancer early and it can find precancerous polyps so they can be removed before they turn into cancer. From the time the first abnormal cells start to grow into polyps, it usually takes about 10 to 15 years for them to develop into cancer. If the thought of a colonoscopy is frightening, an FOBT/FIT is a simple at-home test that can detect cancer early by identifying blood in the stool, a possible sign of cancer. Patients should speak to their health care provider about the best colorectal cancer test for them, but studies show that people who are able to choose the test they prefer are more likely to get the test done.

Jasper (GA) - A Talking Rock (Pickens County) resident is now undergoing post-rabies exposure treatments after breaking up a fight between the resident’s two dogs and a raccoon that has now tested positive for rabies. The dogs were not vaccinated; therefore, the owner decided they would be euthanized.

The positive rabies test result for the raccoon was returned by the Georgia Department of Public Health Laboratory on January 22.

According to Jan Stephens, manager of Pickens County Environmental Health, the fight between the dogs and the raccoon occurred early in the morning of Saturday, January 18 at a residence off of Talking Rock Road about two miles from where two previous rabies cases were found within the past three years - one was a raccoon and the other was a fox.

"In this incident, the dogs were bitten on their noses while fighting the raccoon," Stephens said. "Both dogs had to be put down because they’d had a definite exposure and had never been vaccinated for rabies."