Dalton (GA) April 27, 2012 - Medical Access Clinic physician volunteer Dr. J. Sherwood Jones with patient Elizabeth Reid. Dr. Jones has volunteered with the clinic for over 10 years. Ms. Reid said, "Dr. Jones has been a wonderful friend who has coached me through to a much healthier weight and lifestyle. I couldn't have done it without him."A primary care clinic that is unique in Whitfield County is the Medical Access Clinic located in the Whitfield County Health Department.

The Medical Access Clinic, also known as MAC, is an Adult Primary Care clinic that focuses on low-cost, high-quality medical care and overall wellness for patients. The staff consists of Dr. Mark Elam, medical director, Debbie York, APRN, clinic manager, and advanced practice registered nurses, registered nurses, clinical and administrative support staff and community physician volunteers that are specialists in the areas of family medicine, internal medicine, urology, nephrology, pulmonology and general surgery.

"Due to the strong support of our community partners, including our medical volunteers, we are able to offer adult primary care and specialty care through public health," said Gayle Brannon, health department manager.

Click image to download poster (pdf)Dalton (GA) April 13, 2012 – Approximately 19 million new sexually transmitted infections occur every year in the United States – and almost half of these are among young people aged 15 to 24, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Sexually transmitted diseases (STD) pose a serious public health threat to Americans – particularly young women, African Americans, men who have sex with men (MSM), and individuals living in poverty or who have limited access to healthcare. STDs cost the United States’ health care system as much as $17.0 billion annually.

Canton Mayor Gene Hobgood with Cherokee County Health Department Manager Denise Bowman at left and Cherokee County Immunization Outreach Coordinator Nancy Stackhouse on rightDalton (GA) April 11, 2012 - Each year, thousands of children become ill from diseases that could have been prevented by basic childhood immunizations. Countless more miss time from day care and school because they are under-immunized or inappropriately immunized.

During the week of April 21-28, 2012 the North Georgia Health District and health departments in Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield Counties will observe National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW). NIIW is a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initiative designed to raise awareness about the importance of childhood immunizations. Each year during NIIW, state, regional and local public health officials highlight the importance of vaccinations for children under the age of two.

Cherokee County (GA) April 11, 2012 - Cherokee County Health Immunization Outreach Coordinator Nancy Stackhouse, LPN, is the 2012 CDC Childhood Immunization Champion for the state of Georgia.

The CDC Childhood Immunization Champion Award is a new annual award that recognizes individuals who make a significant contribution toward improving public health through their work in childhood immunization.

Gayle Brannon is the new Manager of the Whitfield County Health Department; however, she is certainly no stranger to this area or to public health.

Mrs. Brannon most recently served the North Georgia Health District in Dalton as Assistant Director of Public Health Nursing and Clinical services and as Director of Public Health Nursing and Clinical services for the Northwest Georgia Health District based in Rome. In both positions she had oversight of the programmatic and financial operations of clinical programs key to public health services such as child health, adult health, immunizations, HIV services, cardiovascular disease prevention, WIC, tuberculosis, epidemiology, and pharmacy.

The Northwest Georgia Breastfeeding Coalition presents Breastfeeding: Protecting Mothers' Life Long Health by guest speaker Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett on Wednesday, March 28, 2012 at the Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center. Registration begins at 7:15 a.m., and the all-day session includes breakfast and lunch.

The Cherokee County Health Department will conduct a School Registration Health Clinic on Tuesday, March 27 from 1 to 6 p.m.! The clinic will be held at both the public health center in Canton, located at 1219 Univeter Road, and in Woodstock at 7545 North Main Street, Suite 100.

Join us for this special afternoon as we help get children ready for school registration! We will provide hearing, dental and vision screenings as well as immunizations for school age children. For more information, call either the Cherokee County public health center in Canton at 770-345-7371 or in Woodstock at 770-928-0133.

The North Georgia Health District Speakers Bureau

Welcome to the North Georgia Health District (NGHD) Speakers Bureau! We have made it easy and convenient to request a local public health lecturer, keynote speaker or representative for events from among members of our Speakers Bureau Team.

Public health topics we speak on range from health screenings to nutrition assistance to preparing individuals and communities for disasters. We cover everything from flu shots to WIC services, to vital records.

To request a speaker, please complete this simple online form  and we will immediately follow up with you.

Here are the public health topics we regularly address.

Who are we?

North Georgia Health District 1-2, based in Dalton, is one of 18 districts under the Georgia Department of Public Health. This district provides administrative support to public health departments and environmental health offices in Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield Counties.

The health district, county health departments and environmental health offices coordinate public health services and programs to serve almost 430,000 people in North Georgia.

Improving the quality of people's lives through disease preventatives, healthy lifestyle education and emergency preparedness is part of our public health vision and mission here in North Georgia.

How does public health affect individuals, families and communities?

Infectious Diseases: Through the health district’s Infectious Diseases Department and our county health employees, the prevention of epidemics and spread of diseases in your community is ongoing.

Communicable diseases: Communicable diseases such as TB, Hepatitis, HIV, Norovirus, Lyme Disease, Giardia, Pertussis, Salmonella, and Rabies are reported to the Infectious Diseases office for investigation. Public health staff, locally and at the state level, monitors the health status of the community to identify outbreaks and epidemics and how to best provide preventive measures.

Anyone who may have been exposed to Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) such as Chlamydia, Syphilis, Gonorrhea, and/or HIV may receive education, testing, counseling, treatment and referral to appropriate specialists.

Those living with HIV are served by a health district administered program called The Living Bridge Center, provider of Ryan White Part B and Part C. Funded services include: outpatient HIV ambulatory care, primary care, and sub-specialty medical care; medical case management and adherence; oral health; non-medical case management; individual and group level mental health and substance abuse outpatient counseling; consumer advisory services; laboratory and nutritional services; pharmaceutical assistance; linguistic services; medical transportation; and, HIV counseling, testing, and prevention services.

Immunizations: The prevention of disease and its spread are made possible through our life-saving immunizations to children and adults for influenza and other vaccine preventable diseases, including state required vaccinations for school registration.

Environmental Health: Our Environmental Health employees provide a wide variety of services, including inspections of hotels, restaurants, swimming pools and body art establishments; issuance of septic system permits; investigation of mosquito-borne diseases; collaboration of animal testing for rabies; lead investigations and education, and much more. Click here to access the Health Inspection Search Tool on our website to check the most recent health scores for restaurants in our six counties.

Emergency Preparedness: Through the North Georgia Health District's Emergency Preparedness Department, local plans are in place to respond to terrorism, natural disasters and other public health emergencies. Ongoing county, district and state public health emergency preparations are coordinated with community partners, including city and county governments, law enforcement, hospitals, healthcare facilities, schools, businesses, Emergency Medical Services, each county's Emergency Management Agency (EMA) and the counties' emergency operations centers.

Health Screenings: Public health promotes and encourages healthy behaviors and injury prevention through health screenings, including physical exams and screenings for breast and cervical cancer; family planning services and education; prenatal care; pregnancy tests; and, children's car seat safety education.

Women’s Health: County health department clinics provide comprehensive services for well women, including physical exams, breast and cervical cancer screening, family planning services and education, prenatal care and pregnancy tests.

Children’s Health: The Children's Clinic provides healthcare services to children from birth to 21 years of age. It is our goal to give children the best care available by providing services by an experienced and dedicated staff. These services include:

•  Complete well child physicals
•  Immunizations for children
•  Immunizations for child caregivers
•  Limited acute care for children
•  Hearing, vision and dental screenings
•  Car seat education program

-    Children’s Medical Services works to provide healthy outcomes for local children from birth to 21 years of age who have special healthcare needs, but their families are unable to afford this type of care. Children’s Medical Services coordinates access for these families and their children to affordable, quality specialty healthcare in areas such as hearing, neurology, cardiac services, orthopedics and genetic counseling.

-    Babies Can't Wait provides a coordinated, comprehensive system of services for infants and toddlers from birth to age three who have been identified as having special needs related to developmental delays and chronic health conditions.

-    Children 1st identifies children from birth to five years of age who are at risk for poor health and developmental outcomes. Children 1st serves as the single point of entry for these children to be connected with other public health programs and community services. Moreover, Children 1st provides follow-up services through the Universal Newborn Hearing, Screening and Intervention (UNHSI) program. Services through the UNHSI program include education and links to community resources for families of newborns that have failed a hearing test.

Women, Infants and Children (WIC): WIC services range from providing vouchers for healthy food purchases, tips on healthy meal choices and preparation for young children and mothers, nutritional support of breastfeeding moms and pregnant women to referrals to doctors, dentists, and programs such as Food Stamps, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).

Dental Clinic: The health district has a progressive, state-of-the art dental clinic and mobile van that provides basic dental care for children. These services are targeted toward children who have limited or no access to dental care and offers routine cleanings, exams, x-rays, fillings and extractions as well as sealants, space maintainers, baby tooth root canals, dental health programs for schools, dental screenings and referrals, and emergency care. The local Public Health Children’s Dental Clinic is in the Whitfield County Health Department at 800 Professional Boulevard in Dalton.

Medical Access Clinic: The Medical Access Clinic is located at the Whitfield County Health Department. The Medical Access Clinic, also known as MAC, is an adult primary care clinic that provides physical examinations, breast and cervical cancer screenings, and management of acute and chronic illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, thyroid disorders, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and neuropathy. The Medical Access Clinic is available in Whitfield County due to the combined efforts of the local community and the health district. 

MedBank: MedBank Clinics in Murray and Whitfield Counties help eligible clients secure prescription drugs from patient-assistance programs offered through participating pharmaceutical companies.

Vital Records: Vital Records services are available in our Cherokee, Gilmer and Whitfield County Health Departments for residents needing assistance in obtaining birth and death certificates. 

International Travel Clinic:The Gilmer County International Travel Clinic is based in the Gilmer County Health Department in Ellijay and provides comprehensive health services that travellers need before leaving for faraway lands.

Tobacco Prevention and Cessation: We conduct tobacco prevention and cessation education to warn people against the dangers of tobacco usage and secondhand smoke through mass broadcasting, health fairs and public presentations. We promote the Georgia Tobacco Quit Line (1-877-270-STOP) where tobacco cessation support is available to callers 24 hours every day, and we encourage businesses, schools, agencies and organizations to adopt 100% tobacco-free policies.

Pool Custodial Class

Welcome to the Cherokee Co. Pool Custodial Class Registration.

Date: March 13th 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Location: Jones R T Memorial Library, 116 Brown Industrial Pkwy, Canton, GA, United States

To register, please e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - There are only 20 spaces availble.  

The Pickens County Health Department in Jasper, GA will remain closed on Wednesday, February 15, 2012, for continued work on repairs to a broken water line. The health department is scheduled to reopen on Thursday, February 16.

The Pickens County Environmental Health Office WILL be OPEN on Wednesday.