On Feb. 22, Governor Deal addressed a crowd of nearly 100 people
- child and health advocates, legislators, and agency heads - at
Voices for Georgia's Children's reception to celebrate the new,
executive-level Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) and
welcome Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald as its commissioner. (In July
2011, DPH became a stand-alone, cabinet-level agency after more
than 30 years of being consolidated under other departments.)
Governor Deal, with First Lady Sandra Deal and Comr.
Fitzgerald standing by, spoke to the group at the Freight
Depot about the important role DPH plays in the lives of
Georgia's children, especially in reducing childhood obesity
- a significant problem in Georgia, as our children are the
heaviest in the country next to Mississippi.
Comr. Fitzgerald - a founding board member of Voices and new
member of Governor Deal's "Leadership Team for Children" -
also addressed the crowd and discussed DPH's priorities for
2012, which include, but are not limited to, infant
mortality, childhood immunizations and childhood obesity.
(Learn more about Comr. Fitzgerald's plans for DPH
here and read our 2012 Health Steps Indicators
publication for more information on these issues in
Georgia.)
All in all, the event was a great show of support for DPH
and Comr. Fitzgerald and recognized the important job they
have in making life better for Georgia's children. (View
pictures from the event on our
Facebook page.)
We are grateful for all those who attended the reception and
for the support of our event sponsors:
BCDI-Atlanta
Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta
Georgia Assoc. of Homes & Services for Children
Georgia Budget and Policy Institute
Georgia Chapter American Academy of Pediatrics
Georgia Dental Association
Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students
Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education
Georgia Women for a Change
Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies
Healthy Start Programs of Georgia
Hemophilia of Georgia
Interfaith Children's Movement
Junior League of Atlanta
Southern Education Foundation
United Way of Metro Atlanta
