DPH launched Georgia SHAPE, Gov. Deal's statewide program merging governmental, philanthropic and academic and business communities to address childhood obesity.

We are just one year into the new Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) and we have already seen incredible progress.  The accomplishments the department has made are numerous and we wanted to highlight just a few that illustrate the important work that is taking place to build a healthier Georgia.

DPH reduced the Georgia's AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) wait list by 70 percent, giving more people access to the drug treatment that is a major factor in preventing infected people from developing the full-scale disease.

Infant mortality in Georgia has decreased from 8.1 per 1,000 live births on 2006 to 6.3 per 1,000 live births in 2012. DPH created initiatives to address infant mortality in Georgia, starting with an infant mortality task force that will strengthen partnerships with the private sector, including the pediatric community and the Georgia Hospital Association. This task force will create a public health perinatal community plan with measurable outcomes and formulate a funding plan to undergird existing infant mortality efforts and strengthen and/or expand public health initiatives. Numerous targeted interventions are in place to continue to decrease these numbers.

DPH coordinated the launch of outreach materials and an awareness campaign for Georgia's Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children also known as WIC. These new statewide marketing materials will allow public health staff to go out into communities across the state and educate families on WIC eligibility and services.

One hundred and fifty-one schools in Georgia adopted the 100% Tobacco Free School Policy, which protects 93,879 students from the harmful effects of second hand smoke.

DPH joined stakeholders from the education, nursing, pediatrics and vaccine communities to create a statewide plan to implement school-based flu clinics in order to give all school-aged children in Georgia the opportunity to receive flu vaccination, which is the single best way to protect against seasonal flu and its potentially severe complications. Benefits of flu vaccinations go beyond those to a student's health, positively impacting attendance and graduation rates.

Finally, DPH helped launch Georgia SHAPE, Gov. Deal's statewide program merging governmental, philanthropic and academic and business communities to address childhood obesity. The launch of Georgia SHAPE included the unveiling of a digital portal, one of many strategies aimed at addressing childhood obesity. One of the most exciting aspects of GeorgiaSHAPE.org is the fitness directory, where visitors can enter their ZIP codes and the number of miles they are willing to travel. Based on the information provided, a list of area fitness programs will populate, along with details about each.

-Story by Kimberly Stringer, DPH Communications