- Written by Jennifer King, District Public Information Officer and Risk Communicator
- Category: Media Releases
Chatsworth, GA - Chatsworth Mayor Dan Penland has officially proclaimed October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Chatsworth. Murray County Health Department is participating in National Breast Cancer Awareness Month by highlighting the event through the mayoral proclamation and by providing breast cancer awareness and prevention information at the health department, including:
- About 1 in 8 women born today in the United States will get breast cancer at some point during her life, but many women can survive breast cancer if it’s found and treated early.
- Women ages 40 to 49 should talk with their doctor about when to start getting mammograms.
- Women ages 50 to 74 need mammograms every 2 years.
- Talk to a doctor about your risk for breast cancer, especially if a close family member has had breast or ovarian cancer.
For more information about breast cancer and its prevention, call the Murray County Health Department at 706-695-4585 or visit them at 709 Old Dalton-Ellijay Road in Chatsworth. Information is also available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website at www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast.
- Hits: 4382
- Written by Jennifer King, District Public Information Officer and Risk Communicator
- Category: Media Releases
Dalton, GA - Drive-By Flu Shot Clinics led by the six county health departments in the North Georgia Health District are now completed, and as a result, more than 1600 North Georgians are better prepared to face the flu season.
Gilmer County Health Department culminated the series of drive-by flu shot clinics on Thursday, October 3 in Ellijay, when 138 residents were vaccinated.
Previous drive-by flu shot clinics were most recently held by Cherokee County Health Department on October 1, in which 234 shots were provided, and by Fannin County Health Department, which administered 178 vaccinations on September 23.
Earlier, district health departments in Murray, Pickens and Whitfield Counties provided a total of 1107 flu vaccinations at drive-by flu shot clinics that they each conducted in September.
In addition to providing flu shots quickly, safely and conveniently at the drive-by flu shot clinics, North Georgia Health District county health departments and community partners, including EMA, fire and law enforcement agencies, utilized this as an opportunity to exercise well-prepared plans to rapidly mass dispense medications in times of public health crisis, such as widespread disease outbreaks.
Flu vaccine is available at North Georgia Health District county health departments while doses last. The cost of the regular seasonal flu vaccine through the public health departments is $22 and the high dose vaccine for people ages 65 and older is $50. Cash, checks, Medicare, Medicaid and Aetna, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, State Cigna and State United Healthcare Insurance will be accepted.
Arm yourself against the flu this season by getting your flu shot right away and by also avoiding people who are sick, by washing your hands often with soap and water, by not touching your eyes, nose or mouth with your hands and by disinfecting surfaces and objects that could be contaminated with germs like the flu.
For more information about influenza and how to avoid it, please contact your local health department (please click on above Locations tab) or log onto www.cdc.gov/flu.
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In above photo: Barbara Ann Burgess of Ellijay smiles after receiving a flu shot from Leigh Ann Dover, RN, at Gilmer County Health Dept's Drive-By Flu Shot Clinic
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- Written by Jennifer King, District Public Information Officer and Risk Communicator
- Category: Media Releases
Dalton, GA - Over one thousand North Georgians, so far, have armed themselves against the flu at Drive-By Flu Shot Clinics in the North Georgia Health District!
In Chatsworth on Tuesday, 121 residents were vaccinated at Murray County Health Department’s drive-by flu shot clinic, and on Wednesday, Whitfield County Health Department administered 876 flu shots at their drive-by flu shot clinic in Dalton. Also on Wednesday, Pickens County Health Department vaccinated 110 people against the flu at the drive-by flu shot clinic they held in Jasper.
The next Drive-By Flu Shot Clinic will be conducted by the Fannin County Health Department this Monday, September 23 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Farmers Market in Blue Ridge.
Cherokee County Health Department will conduct a Drive-By Flu Shot Clinic on Tuesday, October 1 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Woodstock Health Center on North Main Street in Woodstock.
Gilmer County Health Department will hold their Drive-By Flu Shot Clinic on Thursday, October 3 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church of Ellijay.
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- Written by Jennifer King, District Public Information Officer and Risk Communicator
- Category: Media Releases
Dalton (GA) - In anticipation of World Breastfeeding Week, October 1-7, 2013, the North Georgia Health District is presenting a World Breastfeeding Week Walk on Friday, September 20, 2013! The World Breastfeeding Week Walk will be held from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Mack Gaston Community Center in Dalton at 214 Fredrick Drive. The public is encouraged to come for a healthy walk, exciting exhibits and free goodies. North Georgia Women, Infants and Children (WIC) will partner with the Northwest Georgia Breastfeeding Coalition to highlight the importance of providing support to breastfeeding families through the 2013 World Breastfeeding Week theme, Breastfeeding Support: Close to Mothers.
Infant feeding is one of the most important decisions that new families make. Evidence is clear that breastfeeding is the ideal way to feed an infant. Research shows that infants who are not exclusively breastfed for their first six months of life are more likely to develop a wide range of chronic and acute diseases, including ear infections, diarrheal diseases, asthma, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, obesity and respiratory illnesses. Mothers also benefit from breastfeeding with a decreased risk for breast and ovarian cancers.
Despite most mothers wanting to breastfeed, many are met with barriers that keep them from achieving their personal breastfeeding goals. Support and encouragement from all angles can make success possible for mothers who wish to breastfeed. Negative attitudes and practices of the mother's closest support network can pose a sizeable barrier, making it difficult for mothers and babies to successfully breastfeed.
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