- Written by Jennifer King, District Public Information Officer and Risk Communicator
- Category: Media Releases
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!
- Hits: 3986
- Written by Jennifer King, District Public Information Officer and Risk Communicator
- Category: Media Releases
National 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.
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- Written by Jennifer King, District Public Information Officer and Risk Communicator
- Category: Media Releases
March Is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.
Take Charge of Your Life. Get Screened.
Dalton, GA – Every 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.
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- Written by Jennifer King, District Public Information Officer and Risk Communicator
- Category: Media Releases
Jasper (GA) - A Talking Rock (Pickens County) resident is now undergoing post-rabies exposure treatments after breaking up a fight between the resident’s two dogs and a raccoon that has now tested positive for rabies. The dogs were not vaccinated; therefore, the owner decided they would be euthanized.
The positive rabies test result for the raccoon was returned by the Georgia Department of Public Health Laboratory on January 22.
According to Jan Stephens, manager of Pickens County Environmental Health, the fight between the dogs and the raccoon occurred early in the morning of Saturday, January 18 at a residence off of Talking Rock Road about two miles from where two previous rabies cases were found within the past three years - one was a raccoon and the other was a fox.
"In this incident, the dogs were bitten on their noses while fighting the raccoon," Stephens said. "Both dogs had to be put down because they’d had a definite exposure and had never been vaccinated for rabies."
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