NORTH GEORGIA HEALTH DISTRICT

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  • NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

    NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Case of Active Tuberculosis confirmed in Whitfield County

Written by: Jennifer King
Category: Media Releases
TB_image2.jpgDalton, GA – Officials of North Georgia Health District 1-2 of the Georgia Department of Public Health have identified a single case of active tuberculosis (TB) in a resident of Whitfield County. The individual identified is receiving medication to treat the illness.
 
Health officials have begun identifying contacts of the individual with active TB and are working hard to ensure that any additional contacts in the community are identified and treated. Letters of notification have been sent to those who may have been exposed and testing is underway, beginning with the closest contacts and those contacts that could be at a higher risk for infection due to underlying medical conditions.
 
At this point in the investigation, health officials have not detected any further spread of TB related to this particular case.
 
“The Whitfield County Health Department and District health officials have been working diligently to identify and test individuals at risk of exposure based on guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” said David Holland, M.D., medical consultant, Georgia Tuberculosis Program. TB disease progresses over the course of weeks or months, so there is no immediate risk to the public. The Georgia Tuberculosis Program has been monitoring the progress of the contact investigation and is confident that the county’s actions are guarding the health of the public.”
 
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Know these TB Facts from the CDC

Written by: Jennifer King based on information from the CDC
Category: Public Service Announcements

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Read More on Page 2. . .

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Measles Questions & Answers for Parents and Caregivers

Written by: Georgia Department of Public Health
Category: Public Service Announcements

50 years since the introduction of the measles vaccine, we are reminded that although measles was declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000, the disease is still commonly transmitted in many parts of the world. Because measles continues to be brought into the U.S. by unvaccinated people who get infected while overseas, high vaccine coverage is critical for preventing measles cases and outbreaks, and protecting infants who are too young to get vaccinated. Read more below, and check with your health care provider to make sure your child is up-to-date on his or her vaccinations!

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Read More on Page 2. . .

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Meet Cheri Holden, Pickens County Nurse Manager

Written by: Jennifer King
Category: Press Room

1_-_for_web.jpgNursing may seem simple to some – monitor a patient’s vital signs, check another’s symptoms and glide through the duties of the day. But, in fact, nursing is hard, skillful work that requires a deep sense of dedication.

 
For Cheri Holden, who has served as nurse manager of the Pickens County Health Department since last fall, the wealth of education, experience and energy she possesses is only surpassed by her dedicated desire to serve others.
 
Originally from Dalton, Holden had earned both a Registered Nursing degree and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee by 1984.
 
She then managed the infant unit at Northside Hospital in Atlanta; and, in 1986, she began her public health career at the Cobb County Health Department in Marietta.
 
“I was married by that time and ready to start a family,” said Holden, “So, it was my mother who had urged me to look for a job in public health. She felt I’d be able to focus more time on motherhood.”
 
Then, her children came – first a son, and a daughter, and later, a stepson and stepdaughter – and Holden raised them while progressing professionally, starting with the launch of the Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention (BCCP) program in Cobb County to becoming supervisor of the health department’s Acworth Health Center and the Breast Test and More coordinator.
 
“I loved my work in Cobb County,” she said, “But it grew too large and impersonal – too metropolitan – I wanted to get back to a smaller population with more of a hometown feel.”
 
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Vital Records now provided through Gilmer County Environmental Health

Written by: Jennifer King
Category: Media Releases

EVR_in_Gilmer_flyer_for_web.pngllijay, GA – Vital records are now being provided at the Gilmer County Environmental Health office in Ellijay, Georgia. Through this satellite office of Georgia Vital Records, residents may
obtain birth and death certificates. The Gilmer County Environmental Health office is located in Suite 3 on the ground floor level of the Gilmer County Courthouse at 1 Broad Street in Ellijay. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 8 A.M. to 12 P.M. and 1 P.M. to 4:30 P.M. For more information, please call (706) 635-6050.

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