Cobb2020 Partnership, a collaboration of community organizations and individuals committed to the delivery of essential health services in Cobb County, is pleased to announce the launch of its website, www.Cobb2020.com.

The new website was developed as part of a major health initiative, the Cobb2020 Health Improvement Plan, to build a healthier Cobb community focused on promoting healthy lifestyles and improved access to health services. Cobb2020.com offers easy suggestions for jump starting a healthy lifestyle including information on maintaining a healthy weight, physical activity, and nutrition and tobacco prevention. The website also will offer information on access to health services in the county.

Based on an assessment of the county's health status and leading health issues, the website includes recommended action plans, weekly challenges, a robust calendar of community health events and other health-related resources. The new website teaches people how to make simple changes to improve their health, the health of their families and the community's overall health.
 

 

Young Savannah Voices journalist Bobby Battle interviews Coastal Health District Immunization Coordinator Beth Hausauer about immunizations while Battle's Young Savannah Voices counterpart, Sterling Smith, records the interview.

While most Savannah students are still enjoying the lazy days of summer, rising high school senior Bobby Battle is on a mission to educate his peers and the general public.

Battle is part of Young Savannah Voices, a group of young would-be journalists who dedicate part of their summer vacation to honing their communication skills and learning more about important health topics such as immunizations. The Chatham County Health Department kicked off National Immunization Awareness Month by hosting Young Savannah Voices for an interview and tour of the health department's immunization clinic.

"This is a great opportunity for us to talk to the youth of our community about the importance of immunizations so that they have a better understanding of how and why immunizations work to protect all of us," said Beth Hausauer, Coastal Health District immunization coordinator.
 
 

One of many external STEP leadership-development instructors, David W. Key, Sr., speaks on change management.

To prepare, develop and educate public health employees to be effective and dynamic supervisors, managers and leaders anywhere, Northwest Georgia Public Health launched the Supervisor Training and Education Program (STEP) in 2008.

Four years later, participation in the unique, competency-based program has become an eagerly sought after job benefit in the 10-county health district.

"Participants are nominated by their supervisor or a workplace peer who sees their leadership potential," says Northwest Georgia Public Health Chief Learning Officer, Nichole Harrison, who developed the program and continues to lead and nurture it. "Getting in STEP has become very competitive among our employees."  

Harrison says she was motivated and challenged to develop the program, which consists of a series of monthly, day-long courses spread over 18 months, because "there was nothing with a dual focus on public health and leadership this extensive and comprehensive readily available. We had no formal training programs available for our employees other than out-of-the box programs."

"STEP is tailored to who we are, what we do, our field  --  public health" Harrison says. "It's not just generalized leadership training, but is specifically designed to identify, cultivate and, most importantly, retain leaders in our field." Harrison developed the program based on public health competencies identified in the Public Health Competency Handbook, The Career Place, University of California at Berkley, and JGN Consulting.  
 

Labor and delivery staff at Columbus Regional Healthcare System.

Throughout each day, expectant mothers are admitted to the hospital in anticipation of the birth of a healthy baby. Unfortunately, some of these women fear they may have passed their HIV infection to the unborn child.

With the great progress made in medicine and infectious disease prevention, a mother's HIV status does not mean her baby will have HIV as well. By testing mothers, initiating treatment prior to delivery and educating families, lives are changed forever.

On December 8, 2010, Columbus Regional Medical Center presented a grant proposal to the physician executive committee to assist Georgia families in HIV prevention and education. The committee approved the request and the medical center was fortunate to receive the approval of the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) to participate in the Third Trimester HIV Testing Grant. The driving force behind the Medical Center and the hospital's participation in the DPH, Third Trimester HIV Testing Grant is clear: "Your Health, Our Mission."