RECENT NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
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.
UPDATE: DUE TO HAZARDOUS ROAD CONDITIONS, THE NORTH GEORGIA HEALTH DISTRICT OFFICE AND ALL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS IN CHEROKEE, FANNIN, GILMER, MURRAY, PICKENS AND WHITFIELD COUNTIES WILL BE CLOSED TODAY, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11TH. FURTHER UPDATES WILL BE POSTED TO THIS WEBSITE.
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."
Buckle Up Right, Every Trip, Every Time
Dalton (GA) – County health departments in North Georgia Health District 1-2, based in Dalton, were awarded the 2014 Car Seat Mini-Grant by the Georgia Department of Public Health, Office of Injury Prevention. Through the Mini-Grant, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield County Health Departments will educate parents and caregivers on how to properly install and use car seats, offer car seat inspections and provide car seats and booster seats to financially eligible families.
The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety and the Maternal and Child Health Program fund the Car Seat Mini-Grant to help ensure Georgia’s children are safe while riding in motor vehicles.
As a result, since 2007, at least 262 children in Georgia who were involved in crashes were saved from serious injury or death by car seats, booster seats, and education provided through the Mini-Grant. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, car seats reduce fatal injuries by 71 percent among infants and by 54 percent among children ages 1 to 4 years in passenger cars. Car seats offer the best protection for children in the event of a crash, and they are most effective when installed and used correctly. Nearly three out of every four car seats are not used properly, placing children at unnecessary risk.
Keeping children safe is paramount and the Car Seat Mini-Grant is a great opportunity to work with communities in protecting children from serious injuries or death in motor vehicle crashes.
Through the Car Seat Mini-Grant, agencies supporting more than 130 counties are working to keep Georgia’s children safe. These programs help families get their children buckled up right, every trip, every time.
For more information about the 2014 Car Seat Mini-Grant in Georgia, please contact the Georgia Department of Public Health’s Child Occupant Safety Project via email at
Dalton (GA) – It is time for all Georgia women to say, “Cervical Cancer? Not On My Watch!”
Only through routine screenings can cervical cancer be detected early. Close to 100% of women diagnosed in a pre-cancerous stage will survive this disease. However, an estimated 134 women in Georgia will still die this year from cervical cancer. Therefore, during January, Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, the North Georgia Health District has joined the Georgia Department of Public Health Office of Cancer Screening & Treatment and the American Cancer Society in asking everyone to help fight against cervical cancer by spreading information about the importance of getting a Pap test.
Cervical cancer is a concern for all women. Even though white women are diagnosed more frequently with cervical cancer, black and Latina women have a higher risk of dying from the disease due to later detection. Women who live in rural areas and women who have economic challenges also tend to have a high mortality rate due to their lack of resources.
Early detection through routine screenings in the United States has reduced cervical cancer to less than one percent of cancer deaths since the introduction of the Pap test in 1943. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Georgia Breast & Cervical Cancer Program – commonly known as BreasTEST & MORE – and the American Cancer Society recommend women to start having Pap tests at age 21.
Dalton (GA) – The Georgia Department of Public Health has confirmed two flu-related deaths in North Georgia. Of the current 20 confirmed flu-related deaths in Georgia, these are the only two that have been reported thus far for the North Georgia Health District, comprised of Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield Counties.
Both of the deceased were middle-aged, and there is no evidence in the Georgia Registry of Immunization Transactions and Services that either of them had received an influenza vaccination.
Health officials continue to stress the importance of getting a flu shot and that anyone 6 months and older who has not yet gotten a flu vaccination this season should get one now at their local health department, through their healthcare provider or at a pharmacy that provides flu shots.
Symptoms of the flu come on quickly and often include a fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue and some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults.
Also to prevent flu and to prevent spreading viruses, use good, common sense hygiene practices such as avoiding people who are sick, stay home if experiencing flu-like symptoms, cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue then throw the tissue in the trash, wash your hands often and thoroughly with warm, soapy water, avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with your hands, and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs like the flu.
For more information about the flu and flu prevention, log onto to the CDC’s website at www.cdc.gov/flu.
What are YOUR New Year's resolutions? The Georgia Tobacco Quit Line can help you with one of them -- Call 1-877-270-STOP today!
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 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 Guideline.
Eligibility
- Professional assistance is available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
- Any tobacco user 13 years or older living in Georgia.
Who Should Call the Quit Line?
Anyone can call the Georgia Tobacco Quit Line; not only tobacco users. The general public, relatives, friends, as well as healthcare and public health professionals.
Health Improves Within 20 Minutes After Quitting
- 20 minutes after quitting, your heart rate drops.
- 2 weeks to 3 months, after quitting heart attack risk begins to drop. Lung functions begins to improve.
- 1 to 9 months, after quitting coughing and shortness of breath decrease.
- 1 year after quitting, added risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker's.
- Within 5 years, of quitting risk of cancer of the month, throat and bladder is cut in half.
- 10 years, after quitting risk of dying from lung cancer drops by half.
Get more information at http://dph.georgia.gov/
