Utilizing Interactive Technology
to Teach Our Children about
Public Health   
 

Guarding Against the
'Sneak Thief of Sight'
 

  
 

Rylie Jacobs (left), diagnosed with bilateral infantile cataracts as a newborn, plays dress up with her sisters Rowan and Rhyse.

January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month, and an important time to spread the word about this sight-stealing disease, often called the "sneak thief of sight." Ginny Jacobs, Senior Graphic Designer, Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) shared with PHWEEK her experience as the mother of a young girl who has had to see a Glaucoma specialist since she was six months old. This is Ginny's story.    

 

My daughter, Rylie, is your typical 6 year old little girl.  She loves to draw and paint, play dress up with her two younger sisters and ride her bike.  What most people don't know is that Rylie was born with an uncommon condition, bilateral infantile cataracts, affecting only one in 10,000 infants. 

 

Rylie was fitted with contact lenses at a month old after her cataracts were removed.  Her father and I had to quickly learn and adapt to placing and removing her lenses every morning and night.   One morning when Rylie was about six months old I noticed her right eye was enlarged when I was putting her contacts in.  Needless to say, I panicked.  I called Dr. Lambert immediately.  We quickly found out that Rylie had increased pressure in her right eye and were introduced to Dr. Allen Beck, Section of Glaucoma Director at the Emory Eye Center. 

 

Opening the Doors of Public Health District 4 Holds Open House   

 

Children with Special Needs Coordinator Phyllis Turner, M.S., presents to Board of Health members at Open House.

On January 6 and 7, District 4 Public Health hosted its first open house for all the board of health members in the district.  Twenty-two board members representing all twelve counties participated in the open house.

"I wanted the board members to learn more about the many programs managed by the district and benefiting the people within the counties," said Nicole Haynes, M.D., M.P.H., the district health director.   "Open house was important for the board members so they could meet the staff, appreciate their role in public health and understand the structure and function of the district office."

Program managers presented information on more than 30 of the district's Public Health programs, highlighted accomplishments of the previous year, and outlined challenges for the upcoming year.  Accomplishments include a new WIC call center that serves to schedule new WIC appointments, reschedule appointments, answer WIC questions, make referrals for other services, give directions, handle complaints and provide information regarding other Public Health programs. The call center received approximately 69,000 calls in 2011. 

  

  

Spreading Sweet Dreams in South Health District

 

Bridget Walters, program director of Sweet Dreams, and Brandi Melton, administrative assistant for Sweet Dreams, provide information about diabetes and administer glucose tests at a health fair.

Since 2005, over 500 people have been through Sweet Dreams, a diabetes education and management program at the Ben Hill, Berrien, Cook and Irwin County Health Departments.  The goals for the program are to reduce the number of hospitalizations resulting from diabetes or diabetic complications by ten percent and to increase community awareness of the importance of prevention and early detection of Type 2 diabetes. 

 

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in the United States. In 2005, the prevalence of diabetes in Ben Hill and Irwin Counties was much higher when compared to Georgia and the United States. Both counties fell in the top 50% of counties in Georgia with the highest hospital admissions for uncontrolled diabetes.        

  

  

Mangla Named Director of Academic Relations and Research   

Anil T. Mangla, M.S., Ph.D.,  M.P.H., is the now the director of academic relations and research at the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) and will serve as a departmental liaison to education and academia. As DPH moves forward, it will look to increase publishing efforts and build upon existing relationships in the academic community. Dr. Mangla comes to this new position from his role as Director of Infectious Disease and Immunizations where he lead one of the largest school-based flu  immunization programs in the country. He brings a wealth of knowledge with regard to infectious diseases, heavy metal toxicology, epidemiology and community advocacy. In addition to his work with DPH, Dr. Mangla prepares the next generation of public health professionals in his capacity as an adjunct professor at the University of Georgia School of Public Health and Mercer University School of Medicine.

"I am thrilled with this new position," stated Dr. Mangla.  "For the first time, we have an official department that will collaborate with academia and other organizations and institutions. This position will also allow me to complete many of the important studies and trials we have initiated in Georgia.  This research and resulting publications are important to show case our new highly-skilled innovative Department of Public Health.  We have some excellent evidenced-based protocols and these should serve as models for the rest of the nation."
 

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