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| January 03, 2012- In This Issue |
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Home
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School-Based Flu Clinics |
Radon and Lung Cancer |The
Beat Goes On |
DPH "Partners Up" |
UGA Vaccine |
UGA and Emory Training
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PHBRIEFS |
PHRECIPE |
PHEVENTS
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PHNEWS
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PHPOLL
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Teacher Shelly Osborne and her son,
Nolan, both received the flu vaccine
at Nolan's school.
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Last week, 58 percent of PHPOLL
respondents indicated they will set a New
Year's resolution. One Georgia Public Health
District has set their own kind of
resolution-to ensure school children and
their families are healthy and flu-free in
the New Year.
This was the challenge presented to the
North Central Health District's (NCHD)
Immunization Program this fall: One
health district. 13 county health
departments. Over 150 schools. And one
goal: To offer a flu vaccine to every
school-aged child with no out of pocket
expense to parents.
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Small children are at greater risk for radon
exposure because they breathe air closer to the
ground where levels are highest and they breathe
a greater volume of air in relation to their
body size.
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It's
toxic and deadly. But you can't see it. You can't taste it. You
can't smell it.
This harmful chemical is seeping into some homes in Georgia and
scientists have linked this colorless, odorless and toxic gas to
lung cancer. It's called radon.
During the National Radon Action Month, the Georgia Department
of Public Health (DPH) is raising awareness of its ongoing
efforts statewide to address the concerns around radon in
homes.
Radon comes from the decay of the natural radioactive element
uranium found in some soils and rocks. Radon gas goes through
radioactive decay and emits particles that can be harmful to the
human body, primarily the lungs. It is the leading cause of lung
cancer among non-smokers according to the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA). Radon can be found all over the United
States in varying amounts. It can get into any type of structure
and build up, resulting in a high indoor radon level.
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The Beat Goes On
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One in 33 babies is born
with a birth defect.
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All expectant parents hope that their babies will be
healthy, but it can be hard not to worry about potential
complications. What if the baby has a serious health
problem? Is there anything I can do to prevent problems?
Birth defects affect approximately one in 33 newborns and
are the leading cause of death in children less than one
year of age-causing one in every five deaths. A birth defect
is an abnormality of structure, function or metabolism
present at birth that results in physical or mental
disability or is fatal, and for many babies born with a
birth defect there is no family history of the condition.
The most common type of birth defects is congenital heart
defects, which are the focus of January's National Birth
Defects Prevention Month theme, "And the Beat Goes On...
Looking to the Future for Healthy Hearts."
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DPH "Partners Up"
 In
2012, the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) will
collaborate with the Partner Up! for Public Health
campaign to highlight local achievements in Public Health
throughout the state. The Partner Up! for Public Health
Heroes program plans to recognize the work and
achievements of Public Health champions over the next year.
Partner Up! for Public Health is a statewide
advocacy campaign with the goal of advancing Public Health
in Georgia. Partner Up! launched in the fall of 2009 and is
funded by the Healthcare Georgia Foundation. As the
campaign begins its third year, the goal is to create more
positive messaging in order to continue to build awareness
of the vital functions of Public Health.
The Partner Up! for Public Health Heroes program is
designed to highlight the important work of improving the
health of communities and citizens of Georgia. "We want to
highlight the positive advancements in Public Health around
Georgia, especially now as Georgia has established a
standalone Department," said Charles Hayslett, spokesman for
the Partner Up! for Public Health campaign. "We
feel there is a lot of momentum in Public Health and want to
build on that."
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UGA Vaccine Could be Big
Anti-Cancer Agent
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UGA chemistry professor
Geert-Jan Boons worked with the Mayo Clinic's
Sandra Gendler to develop a vaccine that can
seek out and kill cancer cells.
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Researchers at the University of Georgia and the Mayo Clinic
hope they've found a way to harness the body's own immune
system to fight cancer.
Working with mice, UGA chemistry professor Geert-Jan Boons
and the Mayo Clinic's Sandra Gendler have developed a
vaccine that actually can seek out and kill cancer cells -
including fast-growing cancers that kill quickly.
The body's immune system recognizes foreign bacteria and
other invaders in the human body, fighting back with killer
cells and antibodies that snuff out invaders. But because
cancer is produced within our own bodies - our own cells
growing out of control - the immune system usually doesn't
recognize anything is wrong.
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UGA and Emory Offer Training for Public Health Workforce
 Funded
by the Health Resources and Services Administration
(HRSA), the Public Health Training Center (PHTC) program
was developed over 10 years ago to help improve the
public health system in the United States by enhancing
skills of the current and future public health
workforce. Centers are primarily located at schools of
public health and are awarded through a competitive
process. Prior to September 2010, Georgia was one of
seven U.S. states not covered by the national PHTC
network. In the last round of competitive applications,
Georgia was fortunate to have been awarded two PHTCs.
The University of Georgia, under the direction of Dr.
Marsha Davis, and Emory University, under the direction
of Dr. Kathleen Miner, both received PHTCs.
While the specific training activities of the two PHTCs
are different, the staff of both centers recognizes the
synergistic benefit of collaboration. Together, the two
PHTCs conducted a state-wide training needs assessment
and developed work plans to provide both
competency-based field placements for the future
workforce (public health students) and competency-based
training for the current public health workforce.
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Home
|
School-Based Flu Clinics |
Radon and Lung Cancer |The
Beat Goes On |
DPH "Partners Up" |
UGA Vaccine |
UGA and Emory Training
|
PHBRIEFS |
PHRECIPE |
PHEVENTS
|
PHNEWS
|
PHPOLL
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