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| October 22, 2012- In This Issue |
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Home
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Rare Meningitis Outbreak |
BreastCancerSurvivor |
Employees Lose Weight |
Faith-Based Disaster Conference |
Are You A Survivor? |
Free App Offers Daily Health Tips |
Safely Surfing the 'Net |
PHBRIEFS |
PHNEWS |
PHRECIPE |
PHTRAINING |
PHEVENTS
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The nationwide response to a rare outbreak of fungal meningitis
is becoming more urgent. Now, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) is advising healthcare professionals to
follow-up with patients who were administered any product
purchased from or produced by New England Compounding Pharmacy (NECC)
in Framingham, Mass., after May 21, 2012. Contaminated epidural
steroid injections are thought to be at the root of the outbreak
that, as of Oct. 18, 2012, has sickened 257 people with at least
20 dying as a result.
DPH epidemiologists are working to notify about 150 facilities
in Georgia that received shipments of any product from NECC. The
expanded warning from FDA includes an ophthalmic drug that is
used in conjunction with eye surgery and a cardioplegic solution
used to induce cardiac muscle paralysis to prevent injury to the
heart during open heart surgery.
"So far, no cases of fungal meningitis have been confirmed in
Georgia," said Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., commissioner of the
Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH), noting that response
to symptoms must occur quickly. "We now have the ability to keep
clinicians up-to-date with the latest information and we're
using that capability."
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Dalton Woman Survives Breast Cancer Due to Yearly Check-Ups
At Health Department
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From left, Beth Spivey, registered nurse for the
Whitfield County Health Department's Medical Access
Clinic, and breast cancer survivor Paulette White
discuss monthly breast self-exams. "Ms. White's
breast cancer was detected early," said Spivey. "The
chance of a woman having breast cancer during her
lifetime is one in eight and early detection is key
in the treatment of it."
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"I never thought it could happen to me," said 63-year-old Dalton
resident Paulette White after being diagnosed with breast cancer
last fall.
But it did happen. And now, White is a breast cancer survivor
because she maintained regular check-ups.
White was faithful to getting yearly health screenings,
including mammograms, despite her lack of health insurance. It
was there during her physical last October that the abnormality
was detected.
"The MAC nurse felt a very small knot," said White, "So small,
it's no wonder I didn't notice it myself when doing my monthly
self breast exams."
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Douglas County Employees Lose Weight, Adopt Healthier Lifestyle
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Employees at the Douglasville-Douglas County
Water & Sewer Authority are enjoying a healthier
lifestyle because of the new worksite wellness
program and incentives. They weigh in twice a
month to record their weight loss. |
Employees at the Douglasville-Douglas County Water & Sewer
Authority (DDCWSA) are seeing measurable results through the
Worksite Wellness Program, which began in May. "A few things inspired us to start a wellness program," said
Pete Frost, DDCWSA's executive director. "The annual
increase in healthcare costs, results of employee screenings
during a company health fair, a cardiologist's explanation
of obesity and related health problems, and the Douglas
County Health Department's report that 74 percent of Douglas
County residents are overweight." Many employees showed early signs and risk factors for
cardiovascular disease. Employees were exercising very
little and had limited knowledge on healthy eating. According to the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH),
cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in
Georgia. This disease includes all diseases of the heart and
blood vessels, including ischemic heart disease, stroke,
congestive heart failure, hypertension and atherosclerosis.
The modifiable risk factors are smoking, lack of physical
activity, poor eating habits, obesity, high blood pressure,
high cholesterol and diabetes. Once employees showed a strong interest in improving their
health and losing weight, the organization implemented a
policy to change the work environment for the better. The
program focuses on addressing three major areas:
hypertension, diabetes and obesity.
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West Central Health District Hosts Faith-Based Disaster Preparedness
and Response Conference
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From left, Darrell Enfinger, West Central Health
District emergency preparedness coordinator; Alex
Balkcum, Muscogee County America Red Cross disaster
chair; Riley Land, Muscogee County Emergency Association
deputy director; and Ryan Deal, director of
communications, Georgia Department of Public Health
(DPH). |
A community comes together in many ways to support one another
in times of crisis.
As seen during previous disasters, sometimes official emergency
outreach efforts can be delayed due to a wide variety of
circumstances. It is during these times the faith community
steps up and provides much needed support to the public.
Recognizing the value of the faith community in assisting in a
disaster, The Columbus Metropolitan Medical Response System
(MMRS) recently hosted a Faith Based Disaster Preparedness and
Response Conference for community pastors, congregation leaders,
disaster workers and outreach ministry. Conference topics
included lessons learned from the EF-5 tornado that struck
Tuscaloosa, Ala., in April 2011, presented by Billy Gray of the
Tuscaloosa Baptist Association, and a chaplain's point of view
of the tornado, presented by Bill McDonald, chaplain for North
Star EMS.
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 If weight loss (or just not gaining weight!) during the holidays
is your goal, join the DPH Holiday Survivor Competition! Teams
of four will compete to lose weight between Nov. 5 and Jan. 11.
The competition is open to state DPH employees at 2 Peachtree,
Skyland Drive, Clairmont Lab and 40 Pryor.
Initial weigh-ins will be Nov. 1 from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at 2
Peachtree and Nov. 2 from 2:30-4 p.m. at Clairmont Lab. Biweekly
weigh-ins will be held at each location. Prizes for the highest
percent weight loss for the top three individuals and teams will
be awarded. Team registration forms are available at
http://www.health.state.ga.us/wellness/wellnessevents.asp under
Worksite Wellness Happenings.
The program is self-directed and teams are responsible for
supporting and encouraging each other by forming walking or
exercise groups and participating in healthier eating habits.
"Some of the easiest and most effective changes people can make
are as simple as eating breakfast every morning, cutting out the
white hazards (white sugar, flour, rice and potatoes),
increasing your vegetable and fruit intake everyday to six or
more servings and bringing lunch to work instead of eating out,"
said Susanne Koch, DPH's worksite wellness coordinator.
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Free App Offers Daily Health Tips
 The free app Health Tip of the Day offers easy-to-follow, daily
tips on how to be just a little bit healthier. Following one of
these tips every day can help you live a healthier lifestyle and
feel better too!
Health Tip of the Day offers the ability to schedule a daily
alarm to remind you of when a new tip is available. And, the app
does not require an Internet connection to get tips. There are
currently 338 days worth of daily tips and pending future
updates.
Click
here to download
-Story by DPH Communications
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Safely Surfing the 'Net
October is National
Cyber
Security Awareness Month
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Gov. Nathan Deal has proclaimed October 2012 Cyber
Security Awareness Month. The goal of Cyber Security
Awareness Month is to encourage citizens to do their
part to make their online lives safe and secure.
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Cybersecurity begins with STOP. THINK. CONNECT.
These three simple words are the starting point for staying
safer and more secure online.
STOP: Before you use the Internet, take time to
understand the risks and learn how to spot potential problems.
THINK: Take a moment to be certain the path
ahead is clear. Watch for warning signs and consider how your
online actions could impact your safety or your family's.
CONNECT: Enjoy the Internet with greater
confidence, knowing you've taken the right steps to safeguard
yourself and your computer.
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Home
|
Rare Meningitis Outbreak |
BreastCancerSurvivor |
Employees Lose Weight |
Faith-Based Disaster Conference |
Are You A Survivor? |
Free App Offers Daily Health Tips |
Safely Surfing the 'Net |
PHBRIEFS |
PHNEWS |
PHRECIPE |
PHTRAINING |
PHEVENTS
|
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