South Health District's Elsie C. Napier, MSN, APRN-BC is celebrating 30 years of public service as a state of Georgia employee.  In her 30 years, she received the Al Dohany Award for Community Service, presented by the Georgia Public Health Association in 2006.

As the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) reached and crossed over its one year anniversary on July 1, 2012, Commissioner Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., the Board of Directors, the Executive Leadership Team, 1,433 State employees and 6,069 county employees stand ready to face opportunities and challenges in public health.

PHWEEK wants to salute and recognize those employees who have remained dedicated to public health and reached the milestone of 5 years to 30 years during the current fiscal year. We congratulate and thank them for their steadfast commitment to DPH's mission to prevent disease, injury, and disability; promote health and well being; and prepare for and respond to disasters in Georgia.

Established by the Georgia General Assembly to recognize state employees, the Faithful Service Awards Program recognizes approximately 13,000 state employees annually for their service. Awarded in five year increments, the Faithful Service Award begins with recognition at the five year mark.

30 Years

Ingrid Dukes
Maresa Helton
Cynthia Hickox
Jeanette Ivey
Elsie Napier
Linda Wright
 

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25 years

Claude Burnett, MD., is the Health Director for the Northeast Health District.  Dr. Burnett is shown here with Northeast Health District's Adult Health Nurse Specialist Donna Benton, at a joint exercise of the Hypertension Management (formerly SHAPP) Program and the Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response. The exercise screened over 200 people for hypertension and many were scheduled to come to the Walton County Health Department's Hypertension Program for treatment

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Claude Burnett
Ruby Gaines Garrett
Gregory Ray Harless
Jane Myers
Kathleen K. Nickerson
Joann Pullins
Mary Frances Simpson
Alvin Stafford
Carl Dewayne Tanner
Quonzetta Habeeb Ullah
 

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20 Years

In the Georgia Public Health Laboratory Virology Unit, Romulo T. Morales, MT (ASCP) MPH has been working as the Clinical Laboratory Manager in the Virology Unit since April 1992.  He is responsible for the routine HIV, HIV Viral load, rabies, and viral culture testing of infectious diseases, which aid the state of Georgia in diagnosis, outbreak investigations and surveillance.  Morales is standing in front of the Abbott HIV Viral Load instrument, which monitors the HIV viral load of infected HIV patients so they can receive treatment in the Ryan White Clinics

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Cathleen Broom
Lydia Cooper
Troy Edwards
Romulo Morales
Mary Sherman
Helen Diane Watson
Angelique Webster
 

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15 Years

East Metro Health Director Lloyd Hofer, MD, has dedicated 15 years of service to the state of Georgia. His work in Public Health makes him a leader in the community.  Dr. Hofer was one of the recipients of the Community Rock Star award by the Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services in 2011.  He was recognized for his volunteerism and philanthropy. Connie Russell, District Program Director, for the Gwinnett, Newton, and Rockdale County Health Departments (GNRHD) was also honored with the Community Rock Star award.

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Matthew Carter, III
Cynthia Britt Daniel
Thelma Fannin
Maria Fontenelle
Lloyd Hofer
Elizabeth Massiah
Samuel Sims
E. Elaine Warren
Sandra Wimberly
 

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10 Years

Linda Knox is the operation analyst for the Georgia Department of Public Health's Maternal and Child Health, Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program. As the recipient of the Faithful Service Award for 10 years of outstanding service, she works closely with the office of inspector general to improve and provide sound, secure and improved safety measures with regard to the vendor operations section.

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Kristal L. Ammons
Edgar Angulo
Adebunmi Salimot Bamidele
Sherilyn P. Bell
Patrina Lafaye Bowles
Michael Brackett
Sharon Byars
Kimberly Davis
Myeisha Davis
Tina Williams Dempsey
Leslie Freymann
Sonia A. Gilbert
Jeanissa J. Ginn
Joye Aleasia Grace
Charles Henry Hall
Cindi R. Hart
Susan Hubbard
Gwendolyn Johnson
Rosalind K. Jones
Chancey L. Joiner
Marion Kirkland
Angela Diana Knight
Linda Knox
Deinance Lane
Margareta A. Milkas
Angel M. Moten
Tamiko P. Pickett
Paulette Poole
Mushira, Manawar
Theo W. Moss
Ahmed H. Mohamed
Karen Morgan
Mo T Pham
Delitta Scott-Dixon
Linda Simmons
Rhonda L. Simpson
Perry Sims
Gavert Smith
Joseph A. Sternberg
Lakeshia Strong
Kendell Turner
Monica L. Vargas
Katrina Elise Williams
Debbie Willis
Jierong Xu
 

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5 Years

Craig L. Young is the executive director of the Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund Commission (BSITFC).  The primary purpose of the Fund is to provide grants to Georgians who have sustained a traumatic brain and spinal cord injury for post acute care and rehabilitation.  Young is presenting Cindi Johnson, executive director of Side by Side Clubhouse, the Larry Huggins Memorial Award. Side by Side Clubhouse works exclusively with individuals with brain injury.

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Betelehem Alemayehu
Kenyata Arnold
David P. Austin
Peggy Baughns
John Broere
Melody Jacques Clark
Chiquita Frances Covington
Camille F. Cowans
Latasha Dillard
Kelly Kim Duke
Raimi Ewetola
Sherrionda Lavontae Grady
Marketa Guidry
Roxie Hanson
Dwight Herring
Eina A. Hogan
Lana Marcius Joseph
Sharon Rose Johnson
Toya Lanay Key
Kalaivani Kumaresan
Jherusha L. Lambert
Demetrius Quintarius Lee
Tomeka Nicole Linder
Ricky R. Magee
Lakisha L. McMillian
Cynthia Montgomery
Hanethia Paulette Parks
LaDonna Peoples
Laura A. Quinche Perez
Tara Tulane Perry
Ginny Price
Regina Radcliffe
Diane Roberts Ayers
Kechial Laverne Sanders
L'laina Rash
Robert Shaw
Katrina Sims
Tolaya Minnie Skinner
Deborah Stephenson
Germaine Leslie Stevens
Donna Surrency
Dharmendra Thakar
Pamela Q. Tyson
Melissa Tobin-D'Angelo
Craig Young
Monica Elvira Youngblood
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-Story by Connie F. Smith, DPH Communications