Newsletter2 May 2007 - Intranet - East Central Public Health District

News & Updates
Asthma—Local educators, area hospital staff, respiratory therapist, and
local school staff recently formed an Asthma Coalition to evaluate gaps in education,
policy, and the general knowledge and understanding of asthma. For additional information,
please contact Sadie Stockton, ECHD Chronic Disease Prevention Program at 706-729-2055.
Blood Pressure Checking Campaign—You feel fine, but you may be walking around with a condition known as the “Silent Killer”----High
Blood Pressure or Hypertension! You can’t physically see high blood pressure and don’t always have symptoms.
But, high blood pressure is a serious health problem. If untreated, it can lead to heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure along
with other serious health conditions.
The East Central Public Health District VI partnered with local Wal-Mart stores located in Waynesboro, Thomson, Swainsboro,
Augusta, and Evans and conducted free blood pressure checks on Saturday, June 23. The following blood pressure checks
were given: Burke: 72; McDuffie: 66; Richmond: 99; Emanuel: 107; Columbia County, Bobby Jones: 75;
Evans: 65; total 484. Lincoln County held a similar event on June 30 at the local grocery store; 73 blood
pressure checks were given. Dr. Page and Preston Harpe visited all Wal-Mart locations.
Along with free blood pressure checks, educational information was provided to assist individuals to
understand high blood pressure, the risk factors, how it affects body functions, and how to prevent, reduce
and control high blood pressure. Individuals received education on the Live Healthy Georgia Campaign and
how adopting the healthy lifestyles outlined in the Campaign will increase their quality and quantity of life.
Thank you to all staff and MRC volunteers that participated in this event. (Sadie Stockton)
“Communicating Before A Crisis” Pilot Project—still continues with various subcommittees addressing their particular functional
area of educating “Hard To Reach” populations. Though we are very close to the pilot project ending, many objectives have
been met, as prescribed via the state. Nearly all $74,000 that was allocated for the East Central Health District has been used.
These funds have, for the majority of the project, purchased supplies, developed and reproduced pandemic materials, purchased
other amenities for meetings of stakeholders, training and presentations. The remainder of the “Communicating Before A Crisis”
dollars will be used to expand this project in counties that were not a part of the selected counties for this pilot project, and will be
a part of a combined immunization and pandemic flu promotion. Presentations are planned for the Spanish community.
• Jerry Harden planned ECHD’s participation in a Joint Services, National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) with the Army,
Air Force and ECHD Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) Volunteers. The volunteers triaged patients at Augusta Regional Airport,
through the use of the ECHD Secondary Triaging, Treatment and Transportation Center (ST3C). (Gary Zgutowicz)
Tuberculosis-One of man’s oldest diseases—A deadly new strain of extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR TB) was discovered
in Atlanta. Extensively drug-resistant TB is a relatively rare type of multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). It is
resistant to almost all drugs used to treat TB, including the two best first-line drugs: isoniazid and rifampin.
XDR-TB is also resistant to second-line medications: fluoroquinolones and at least one of three injectable
drugs (i.e., amikacin, kanamycin, or capreomycin).
No one (regardless of race, sex, religion, national origin or net worth) has ever been completely protected
from the possibility of contracting the tubercle bacillus, the bacterium or germ, Mycobacterium tuberculosis
(MTB). TB is spread person-to-person through the air by coughing, sneezing, shouting, and singing. You
must inhale the infectious droplet to become infected.
District Six worked diligently with the State Office and CDC to complete the contact investigation in this area for the XDR-TB
case. The Richmond County TB staff, Phyllis Roland, and the Columbia County TB staff are to be commended for their outstanding,
timely, and professional response to this potentially explosive situation. (Linda Graves, RN)
Stroke & Heart Attack Prevention Program (SHAPP) Update—We would like to welcome Dr. W. Joseph Hillson to our
SHAPP Team. Dr. Hillson became the SHAPP Medical Director on May 1, 2007.
SHAPP services are being provided in Burke, McDuffie, and Richmond Counties. The District control rate for the third quarter
was 72%. We EXCEEDED our goal of 60 %! Congratulations to the SHAPP Team for a job well done!
School Immunization Round-Up—The East Central Health District will conduct a Back-to-School Campaign in all counties, the
week of July 23 through July 27. Each county will be asked to post two evenings with a two-hour extended day of their
choice. The new Rules and Regulations will be the focus of the Roundup. Effective July 1, 2007, all children attending child care
facilities are required to meet the following new vaccine requirements:
If under five (5), the child must have protection against pneumococcal disease. For other vaccines, the number of doses will be
determined by the age of the child. If born on or after January 1, 2006, the child must have two doses of Hepatitis A vaccine or
laboratory proof of immunity. Children currently enrolled in child care facilities will need to update their certificates. Every child
entering 5-year-old kindergarten must have two doses of varicella and mumps vaccine or documentation of disease to be complete
for school. Additional doses of mumps and varicella are also required for sixth grade entry, as well as all new entrants into the
Georgia School System (k-12). This would include children who have left the Georgia School System for 1 year or longer and
then return. Children presently enrolled in the school system with a current certificate, except for the above situations, will not
need a new certificate.
There will be announcements/notifications from District staff through radio and television appearances, as well as public service
announcements in local newspaper outlets. All health departments and satellite clinics will be providing immunization vaccines
to school-aged kids and adults.
Pandemic Influenza Anti Viral Exercise—The District will conduct a Pandemic Influenza Anti Viral exercise October 15-19,
2007. This drill will evaluate the District’s capacity to administer anti-virals to a large number of people during a possible pandemic
influenza event. This event will occur during flu season and seasonal flu immunization promotions.
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