NORTH GEORGIA HEALTH DISTRICT

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

    NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Breast Cancer Awareness 2023 BCA webpage banner 

Ver opción en Español en la parte superior de esta página

North GA - October is all about raising awareness for Breast Cancer, and IT'S TIME for screening! Join us in the fight against this all-too-common cancer by attending free screening and awareness events at various clinics in the North Georgia Health District.

Did you know that one in eight women in the U.S. will develop breast cancer in their lifetime? Early detection is key in winning the fight against breast cancer, so don't miss out on these important breast cancer awareness and screening opportunities.

Check out these upcoming events below at our county health departments (listed alphabetically), and stay tuned for more updates! Let's make a difference together. #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth  Click HERE to download Flyer!

 RSV Vaccine Webpage Banner

Ver opción en Español en la parte superior de esta página 

NORTH GEORGIA – Now, adults aged 60 and above may receive a single dose of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine at the North Georgia Health District public health departments in Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens, and Whitfield counties.

RSV is a prevalent respiratory virus that is typically responsible for mild, cold-like symptoms; however, in infants and older adults, it has the potential to develop into a severe condition. 

According to the CDC, people 60 or older should have a Shared Clinical Decision-Making (SCDM) conversation with their healthcare provider about the RSV vaccine. The healthcare provider might recommend RSV vaccination for them, especially if they have weakened immune systems due to illness (e.g., leukemia or HIV infection), are on certain medications (e.g., cancer treatment or organ transplants), have chronic medical conditions like heart or lung disease, or are residing in a nursing home. Such individuals are at higher risk of severe RSV disease, and vaccination is a vital preventive measure.

Our health departments are especially urging people ages 65 and above to receive the vaccine since adults in this age group experience approximately 60,000-160,000 hospitalizations and 6,000-10,000 fatalities each year in the U.S. due to RSV.

The vaccination effectively averts future respiratory ailments, even for individuals with a prior RSV infection. While there is no specific waiting period after an RSV infection, if a person is experiencing moderate or severe illness, they should recover fully before receiving the RSV vaccine. People with minor ailments, such as colds, can receive the vaccine if they are eligible.

Most Medicare Part D plans cover the cost of the RSV vaccine.

For contact information, clinic hours, and address of a county health department in the North Georgia Health District, click HERE to our homepage, then click on the county name.

For more details about the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine, please visit www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/rsv/index.html. Join us in taking proactive steps to protect our community's health.

This is our September 2023 issue of the North Georgia Health District Newsletter: Emergency Preparedness. This newsletter is currently issued every other month and highlights our health district’s Emergency Preparedness efforts with state and local partners to help prepare our communities for disaster. Please link to the full issue by clicking the image below. To see all issues our Emergency Preparedness newsletter, please click HERE.

NGHD Emergency Preparedness Newsletter Thumbnail and Social Media Post Sept 2023

 

In Honor and Support of World Breastfeeding Week

North Georgia WIC, Northwest Georgia Breastfeeding Coalition, & Georgia Breastfeeding Coalition present
 
Express Your SuperPower 2022 Web Post

Saturday, September 30, 2023

Express Your SuperPower 5K/10K: 

Race starts at 8 am!

Includes a walk and a free Tot Trot for the littles (great photo op)

Etowah River Park, Canton GA

Registration is now open!!

GO TO THIS LINK FOR ALL INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION:

www.expressyoursuperpower5k.com

 

Northwest Georgia Breastfeeding Coalition and Georgia Breastfeeding Coalition present the 9th Annual 5K/10K on September 30, 2023.  Georgia is in desperate need of a milk bank to provide safe and donated breastmilk to infants who are unable to receive it from their biological mothers, ensuring they receive vital nutrition and immune protection.  Proceeds of this event will go to support the MedMilk project, building Georgia’s Milk Bank.

This race also directs attention to the global World Breastfeeding Week campaign that aims to inform, anchor, engage, and galvanize action on breastfeeding and related issues.  In the end, our breastfeeding families are given the resources and support they need to make informed decisions on promoting the health of their children.  This year, in harmony with all the various World Breastfeeding Week campaign themes, all our race funds will be dedicated to the development of this new milk bank for Georgia.

 

Another year has passed, and the momentum has started for our 2023 breastfeeding 5K/10K to be once again held in Canton, GA on Saturday, September 30. We hope everyone will don their superpower cape and costume to come join us at this annual event that's fun for the whole family! Each year, we use this occasion to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week, and we are excited to announce that we have a new goal this year as to where the funds we raise will be going. All proceeds from the run will go to support the newly formed MedMilk Project, Building Georgia’s Milk Bank. Georgia is the only state in the Southeast without a milk bank despite an awareness of the sobering statistics showing that we have the 3rd highest Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) mortality rate in the United States. Our families need equitable access to pasteurized, human donor milk provided by an Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA)-affiliated nonprofit milk bank for our most medically fragile preterm infants. MedMilk is in the process of applying to become a ‘milk bank in development’ with the HMBANA and needs our help to raise funds to support strategic planning.

- Carol Hendrix, BS, IBCLC, WIC Breastfeeding Coordinator, North Georgia Health District 1-2  

WABA button Eng

WABA button Sp

Med Milk Project Logo 002 THIS IS OUR WHY English THIS IS OUR WHY Spanish