- Written by Jennifer King
- Category: Press Room
The Georgia Breastfeeding Coalition has recognized Shaw Industries and its facilities in Calhoun, Georgia with the 2014 Georgia Breastfeeding Business Award for Lactation Support. This award acknowledges breastfeeding-friendly employers who establish and maintain comprehensive, high-quality lactation support in the workplace.
Shaw’s manufacturing plants in Calhoun were nominated for the award by community members statewide, and the plants received more community member votes from the Dalton-Calhoun area than from any other part of the state.
Human resources managers, nurses, and supervisors understand the need to comply with the guidelines for breastfeeding mothers returning to work under the 2010 revisions of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)*. Shaw plant managers exceeded guideline expectations by setting up lactation rooms in several plants very quickly and efficiently, often utilizing creative solutions.
Manufacturing corporations use many creative solutions to support nursing mothers while addressing unique workplace challenges related to space and time limitations. Their solutions deal with environmental hazards, inflexible breaks, and limited space for milk expression. Space options include setting aside small storage areas or office space, or constructing small spaces in quieter areas of the plant. Partitions and other barriers can be used to create private single-user or multi-user spaces.
“Balancing work and family is both important and challenging,” said Paul Richard, vice president of human resources for Shaw Industries. “Shaw is pleased to support our associates who are also nursing moms. They tell us it really helps in the transition back to the workplace, which can be critical to our efforts to support the talented women in our workforce.”
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- Written by Jennifer King
- Category: Media Releases
Morganton (GA) – A fox that has tested positive for rabies bit a resident of Morganton in Fannin County, Georgia.
According to Fannin County Environmental Health officials, the incident took place early in the morning on Thursday, July 3 at a home on the north side of Dry Branch Road in Morganton. The resident was in the yard tending to chickens when the fox bit the resident’s leg and upper arm. The resident’s spouse shot the fox and brought it to the environmental health office later that morning.
A health official prepared the fox for rabies testing and delivered the specimen to the Georgia Public Health Laboratory on Thursday. The test results came back as positive later that day.
On Thursday afternoon, county environmental staff, Shannon Bradburn and Monica Hodskins, canvassed the neighborhood with flyers regarding the incident and with rabies information.
The resident will soon begin post rabies exposure treatment, which includes an initial shot of rabies immune globulin and four shots of rabies vaccine administered over a two-week period.
Rabies that goes untreated is fatal almost 100 percent of the time; therefore, if a person or domestic animal is bitten by an animal in Fannin County, residents should report it immediately to Fannin County Environmental Health at (706) 632-3024.
Health officials also continue to urge residents to maintain rabies vaccinations in pets.
For more information about rabies and rabies protection, log onto the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website at http://www.cdc.gov/features/rabiessafefamily/.
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- Written by Jennifer King
- Category: Press Room
Jasper (GA) – A Pickens County dog has been euthanized because it was not vaccinated against rabies and came into contact with a rabies-infected animal.
Jan Stephens of Pickens County Environmental Health reported there was a fight between the dog and a raccoon in the Henderson Mountain Road area of Pickens County on Tuesday, July 1. The raccoon was shot and environmental health sent the head to the Georgia Public Health Laboratory for testing. Test results came back the following day that the raccoon was positive for rabies, and since the dog was not vaccinated against rabies, it was euthanized.
The other household animals at the residence were current on their vaccinations so the only requirement for them was a rabies booster shot.
Georgia state law requires that ALL dogs and cats receive rabies shots on a regular basis for the protection of other animals and their owners. An unvaccinated animal that is exposed to a rabid bat or other rabid animal may also become rabid and expose family members and pets to the disease before it is discovered.
Rabies that goes untreated is fatal almost 100 percent of the time.
A vaccinated pet is the best protection for everyone.
Additionally, anytime a person or domestic animal in this area receives an animal bite, it must be reported to Pickens County Environmental Health at (706) 253-0900.
For more information about rabies and rabies protection, log onto the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website at http://www.cdc.gov/features/rabiessafefamily/.
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- Written by Jennifer King
- Category: Media Releases
Is your child ready for the upcoming school year? The Pickens County Health Department will conduct a Back-to-School Bash Health Clinic on Tuesday, August 5, 2014 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The health department is located at 60 Health Way in Jasper, GA. The required Hearing, Dental, Vision and BMI/Nutrition Screenings will be available: Total cost for screenings is forty dollars. Also, immunizations will be provided for school-age children. There is a charge for vaccines. Medicaid is accepted as well as Amerigroup, Peach State, PeachCare and WellCare. Participating community partners will include Georgia State Patrol, Pickens Emergency Medical Services and the Pickens County Fire Department. For more information, please call (706) 253-2821.
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