NORTH GEORGIA HEALTH DISTRICT

Healthy people, families, and communities.
  • NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

    NEWS AND 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!

NSWPW Poster IconNational 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, GAEvery 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.