NORTH GEORGIA HEALTH DISTRICT

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    NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Category: Media Releases

Get the Facts. Get Tested. Get Involved.

National HIV Testing Day is June 27

NatlHIVTestDay 2016Dalton (GA) – National HIV Testing Day is Monday, June 27, and North Georgia Health District 1-2 of the Georgia Department of Public Health is continuing to remind people of all ages to get the facts, get tested and get involved in taking care of themselves and their loved ones.

The health district will provide free rapid HIV and Hepatitis C testing on June 27 from 8:30 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. in the Whitfield County Health Department at 800 Professional Boulevard in Dalton. Free prevention supplies will be available along with HIV and Hepatitis C related information.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV, and that number grows by almost 50,000 every year. One in eight people who have HIV are unaware of it. Therefore, they are not getting the medical care they need to stay healthy and avoid passing HIV to others.

Getting tested is the first step to finding out if you have HIV. If you have HIV, getting medical care and taking medicines regularly helps you live a longer, healthier life and also lowers the chances of passing HIV on to others.

For more information about the free rapid HIV and Hepatitis C testing event in Dalton on June 27, call (706) 281-2360. Information regarding National HIV Testing Day and Hepatitis C is available on the CDC website at www.cdc.gov.

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Category: Media Releases

Gilmer County Health Department presents

BACK-TO-SCHOOL HEALTH CLINIC June 28 & July 26!

back to school clinic-for webAre your children ready for the upcoming school year? Bring them to Gilmer County Health Department’s Back-to-School Health Clinic any time on Tuesday, June 28th or Tuesday, July 26th from 7:30 AM to 6:30 PM. The clinic will be held at the health department facility at 28 Southside Church Street in Ellijay. It’s the one-stop-spot for schools’ state health requirements. Required Hearing, Dental, Vision and BMI/Nutrition Screenings as well as Immunizations will be available for school-age children. Medicaid (including Americgroup, Peachstate and Wellcare), Peachcare for Kids, HUMANA, AETNA, United Health Care, Blue Cross/Blue Shield (immunizations, only), CIGNA and Coventry will be accepted. For more information, call (706) 635-4363.

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Category: Media Releases
Ken Ellington and David Huskey with trailer containing 50 cots.for-webELLIJAY, GA – New cots and a trailer to house and transport them will enable emergency responders to shelter more residents in times of disaster in Gilmer County.
 
Officials of North Georgia Health District 1-2 of the Georgia Department of Public Health recently delivered the trailer containing 50 cots to the Gilmer County Department of Public Safety as part of a wider effort to prepare communities for emergencies. The equipment was purchased through designated Public Health Emergency Preparedness federal funds.
 
Tony Pritchett, Director of the Gilmer County Department of Public Safety, said, “We very much appreciate the health district for seeing the need for this equipment and for supplying the trailer and cots.”
 
As the result of hazardous winter weather and floods that sometimes occur in Gilmer County, there is often the need to open shelters for residents affected by these conditions.
 
“Gilmer County is the area within our health district that is at greatest risk for displaced persons due to winter weather power outages or flooding from heavy rains,” said David Huskey, Director of Emergency Preparedness for the North Georgia Health District. “Therefore, this county is in greatest need of shelter supplies. Through the partnership between the North Georgia Health District and the Gilmer County Department of Public Safety, these supplies will now be readily available.”
 
For more information about how individuals, families and communities can prepare for emergencies, click here on the North Georgia Health District website at nghd.org/district-programs/ep.
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Category: Media Releases

prep-1Dalton (GA) – The North Georgia Health District is now accepting appointments for its new Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) program. The program is designed for people who are not HIV positive, but are at high risk of exposure to HIV and acquiring the infection.

PrEP consists of a single pill, containing two active medications, taken every day. This pill helps keep the virus from infecting an individual who is HIV negative but is exposed to HIV through sex or injection drug use. The pill can also be used as part of a treatment regimen for those who already are HIV positive.

  

PrEP is an HIV intervention tool and used as part of a comprehensive sexual plan. When used with condoms and other prevention methods, it provides the best defense against HIV infection. People who use PrEP must commit to taking the drug every day and seeing their health care provider for follow-up every three months.

  

To participate in the program, individuals should contact the North Georgia Health District PrEP Program at 706-281-2360 to schedule an appointment with the benefit coordinator. Clients will need proof of residency, proof of income and proof of insurance.

  

The clinic is located at 800 Professional Boulevard in Dalton, Georgia and is open Monday through Thursday from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

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Additional Information:

AID Atlanta HIV/STD INFO LINE: 1-800-551-2728 or 404-876-9944

PrEPLine: 1-855-448-7737

DPH PrEP Toolkit: dph ga prep toolkit

CDC PrEP fact sheet: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/prevention_prep_factsheet.pdf

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