The Gwinnett, Newton, & Rockdale County Environmental Health Departments will be offering several opportunities for food service owners and managers to attend a food training seminar to better prepare a facility for a health inspection.

The seminars are free and open to anyone who wants to attend. Please see the list of facilities below where the seminars will be held.

All seminars will be from 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM. If you have any questions, please contact our front office staff or Jason Reagan at 770-963-5132.

Gwinnett County

Grayson Room – August 7

J. Alvin Wilbanks Instructional Support Center

437 Old Peachtree Road

Suwanee, GA 30024

Newton County

Newton County Administrative Building – July 25

1^St Floor Training Room

1113 Usher Street

Covington, GA 30014

Rockdale County

J.P. Carr Community Room – July 27

981 Taylor Street

Conyers, GA 30012

July is Bioterrorism, Disaster Education & Awareness Month

This month, here at Gwinnett, Newton, & Rockdale Health Departments (GNR), we aim to educate individuals about being prepared for acts of bioterrorism. Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 local health departments, health professionals and others have received questions from the public about the possibility of bioterrorism and ways to protect themselves. The following “frequently asked questions” were developed to answer some of those inquiries. For more information feel free to contact the GNR Emergency Preparedness Department.

What is Bioterrorism?
Bioterrorism is a form of terrorism that involves the intentional release of germs (biological agents such as a bacteria or virus) into the environment. Some examples of biological agents are anthrax and smallpox. In the fall of 2001, an outbreak of anthrx occurred in the United States.

What is GNR’s role in bioterrorism preparedness and response?
GNR has been preparing for potential bioterrorism and continues to improve its ability to detect a bioterrorism event. GNR has been working with health care providers, public safety officials, and others throughout the region to develop effective plans. These plans includes steps to prevent further illness in an actual bioterrorist attack. GNR also conducts bioterrorism training for the local medical and public health community. Investigation and surveillance for bioterrorism events will be directed by GNR in cooperation with the Georgia Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Is there treatment if I am exposed to a biological agent?
For many biological agents, treatment is available. Different drugs must be used to treat different diseases. Therefore, if you think you may have been exposed to one of these germs, call 911 or your health care provider as soon as possible. Do not attempt to diagnose or medicate yourself.
How can I tell if a letter or package is suspicious?
According to the FBI, you should look for certain indicators. For ex-ample, check the postmark to see if it was mailed from a foreign country. Also check for no return address and for restrictive mark-ings such as “personal” or “confidential.” Look for misspelled words or incorrect title. Suspect letters or packages may be rigid or bulky and have excessive tape or string around them. They may exhibit a strange odor.

Helpful Links 

• CDC’s Strategic National Stockpile
• CDC: Emergency – Bioterrorism
• FBI Advisory Poster

Information provided on behalf of Antonia Williams, Emergency Preparedness Training & Exercise Coordinator at Gwinnett, Newton, & Rockdale County Health Departments. 

Stay safe this 4th of July! Follow these recommendations from the National Council on FireWorks Safety

Recommended Safety Tips

• Obey all local laws regarding the use of fireworks.
• Know your fireworks; read the cautionary labels and performance descriptions before igniting.
• A responsible adult SHOULD supervise all firework activities.  Never give fireworks to children.
• Alcohol and fireworks do not mix.  Save your alcohol for after the show.
• Wear safety glasses when shooting fireworks.
• Light one firework at a time and then quickly move away.
• Use fireworks OUTDOORS in a clear area; away from buildings and vehicles.
• Never relight a “dud” firework.  Wait 20 minutes and then soak it in a bucket of water.
• Always have a bucket of water and charged water hose nearby.
• Never carry fireworks in your POCKET or shoot them into METAL or GLASS containers.
• Do not experiment with homemade fireworks.
• Dispose of spent fireworks by wetting them down and place in a metal trash can away from any building or combustible materials until the next day.
• FAA regulations PROHIBIT the possession and transportation of fireworks in your checked baggage or carry-on luggage.
• Report illegal explosives, like M-80s and quarter sticks, to the fire or police department.

And let’s not forget the safety of our pets!

• Don’t bring your pets to a fireworks display, even a small one.
• If fireworks are being used near your home, put your pet in a safe, interior room to avoid exposure to the sound.
• Make sure your pet has an identification tag, in case it runs off during a fireworks display.
• Never shoot fireworks of any kind (consumer fireworks, sparklers, fountains, etc.) near pets.

Helpful Links

• National Council on Fireworks Safety
• Fireworks Safety Tips From Safe Kids
• Fireworks Infographic: National Fire Protection Association

In honor of National HIV Testing Day, the Gwinnett Health Departments encourage you to get tested for HIV. HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is the virus that causes AIDS.

The only way to know if you have HIV is to get tested, as many people with HIV don’t have any symptoms. In the United States, 1 in 8 people living with HIV don’t know they have it. According to a recent report, there were 76 new cases of HIV in Gwinnett last year.

Even if you don’t feel sick, getting early treatment for HIV is important. Early treatment can help you live a longer, healthier life. Treatment can also make it less likely that you will pass HIV on to other people.

In conjunction with National HIV Testing Day, free HIV testing is available at select testing centers and health clinics. The Gwinnett Health Department is promoting HIV awareness and testing at the following places:

June 27^th at Lawrenceville Health Center        

•  455 Grayson Hwy, Suite 300 Lawrenceville, GA, GA 30046 
•  1:00 PM – 5:00 PM

June 28^th at Goodwill (education only, no testing)

• 5450 Peachtree Pkwy Norcross, Ga 30092
• 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM     

June 28^th at Norcross Health Center                                            

• 5030 Georgia Belle Court Norcross, GA 30093              
• 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

HIV is spread through some of the body’s fluids, like blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk. HIV is passed from one person to another by:

• Having sex (vaginal, anal, or oral) without a condom or dental dam with a person who has HIV
• Sharing needles with someone who has HIV
• Breastfeeding, pregnancy, or childbirth if the mother has HIV
• Getting a transfusion of blood that’s infected with HIV (very rare in the United States)

Helpful Links

• Flyer
• HIV Risk Reduction Tool  
• Positive Spin 
• HIV Fact Sheet

What’s Being Done for World Blood Donor Day?

World Health Organization (WHO) is working hard to make sure that there is universal access to safe blood and blood products. The risk of transmission of serious infections, including HIV and hepatitis, through unsafe blood and chronic blood shortages brought global attention to the importance of blood safety and availability. WHO recommends the following integrated strategy for blood safety and availability for stakeholders, decision makers, and partners:

• Establishment of a national blood system with well-organized and coordinated blood transfusion services, effective evidence-based and ethical national blood policies, and legislation and regulation, that can provide sufficient and timely supplies of safe blood and blood products to meet the transfusion needs of all patients.

• A collection of blood, plasma and other blood components from low-risk, regular, voluntary unpaid donors through the strengthening of donation systems, and effective donor management, including care and counseling.

• Quality-assured screening of all donated blood for transfusion-transmissible infections, including HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis, confirmatory testing of the results of all donors screen-reactive for infection markers, blood grouping and compatibility testing, and systems for processing blood into blood products (blood components for transfusion and plasma derived-medicinal products), as appropriate, to meet health care needs.

• Rational use of blood and blood products to reduce unnecessary transfusions and minimize the risks associated with transfusion, the use of alternatives to transfusion where possible, and safe and good clinical transfusion practices, including patient blood management.

• Step-wise implementation of effective quality systems, including quality management, standards, good manufacturing practices, documentation, training of all staff, and quality assessment.

WHO supports countries in developing national blood systems to ensure timely access to safe and sufficient supplies of blood and blood products and good transfusion practices to meet the patients’ needs. The program provides policy guidance and technical assistance to countries for ensuring universal access to safe blood and blood products and work towards self-sufficiency in safe blood and blood products based on voluntary unpaid blood donation to achieve universal health coverage

Helpful Links

• Blood Safety & Donor Info
• 10 Facts On Blood Safety
• Blood Donor: Quiz
• Why Should I Donate Blood?

Information provided by World Health Organization

June Is Men’s Health Month…& Week!—Get Involved

Did you know there was a month entirely dedicated to raising awareness for issues impacting the health and wellness of men and boys? June will honor the 23rd annual Men’s Health Month. The month also coincides with Men’s Health Week (June 12-18), a special awareness period created by Congress, and the #ShowUsYourBlue campaign on June 16 where men and women are encouraged to wear blue to work that day to show their support for the health and wellbeing of men boys and men. See our easy list of things to do to be active, aware, all month long.

1. June is Men’s Health Month – spread the word and make sure every loved male in your life is living well.
2. Early screenings! They will not only save money in the long run but also save your life and/or make life easier to manage if diseases are caught early on.
3. Exercise, it’s summertime! Why do you think most TV shows and football are off? So men can finally go out and move around. (Note: there is no true correlation between summer broadcast schedule and reason to exercise) You shouldn’t need a reason to get at least 30 minutes of exercising in, just help your heart and just do it like Nike says.
4. Father’s Day is coming up! Why not give your father figure in your life the gift of knowledge along with your gift. There are many resources at www.menshealthnetwork.net that help educate you and your father about risks of prostate cancer and other diseases that may be prevalent to you.
5. Remember that anyone can assist in the men’s health movement, and help is not limited by gender basis. Anyone can be supportive and help men make that first step towards a better life. Everyone should be an ally!

Helpful Links

• Men’s Health Month
• CDC: Cheatsheet for Cancer Screening & Good Health 
• Men’s Health Videos

Information Provided by Mens Health Month

Emergencies come in many forms, and they may require anything from a brief absence from your home to permanent evacuation. Each type of disaster requires different measures to keep your pets safe, so the best thing you can do for yourself and your pet is to be prepared. June is National Pet Preparedness Month and it’s the perfect time to make sure that pets have an emergency plan and an emergency kit, just like families. Disaster plans aren’t only essential for the safety of pets. If you’re responsible for other kinds of animals during natural disasters, disaster plans for horses and animals on farms can be lifesavers.

Include your pets in your emergency plans

• Make sure your pet(s) wear collars and tags with up-to-date contact information and other identification.
• Microchip your pet(s)
• Keep a sticker on your home’s windows and doors to tell emergency workers or neighbors if there are pets inside.

Build an emergency kit for your pets

• Keep your pet’s essential supplies in sturdy containers that can be easily accessed and carried
• Some items that you can keep in a toolkit include: first aid supplies, a leash and/or carrier, your pet’s medical records, and food and water.

Keep digital pictures of your pet(s)

• Pictures will help to identify your pet after a disaster in case you become separated

Create a list of places that accept pets in an emergency  

• Research hotels and motels outside your local area that allow for pets, ask any nearby family members if they are able to help board a pet, or ask your local shelter if they can help foster your pet in case of an emergency

Helpful links

• Ready.gov
• ASPCA
• American Humane Association
• American Red Cross

Information provided on behalf of Antonia Williams, Emergency Preparedness Training & Exercise Coordinator at Gwinnett, Newton, & Rockdale County Health Departments. 

The World Health Organization is highlighting how tobacco threatens the development of nations worldwide, and is calling on governments to implement strong tobacco control measures. These include banning marketing and advertising of tobacco, promoting plain packaging of tobacco products, raising excise taxes, and making indoor public places and workplaces smoke-free.

Tobacco’s health and economic costs

• Tobacco use kills more than 7 million people every year and costs households and governments over 1.4 trillion US dollars through healthcare cost and lost productivity.
• All countries have committed to the2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which aims to strengthen universal peace and eradicate poverty. Key elements of this agenda include implementing the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and by 2030 reducing by one third premature death from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) related to tobacco use, including heart and lung diseases, cancer, and diabetes.

Tobacco scars the environment

• Tobacco waste contains over 7000 toxic chemicals that poison the environment, including human carcinogens.
• Tobacco smoke emissions contribute thousands of tons of human carcinogens, toxicants, and greenhouse gases to the environment. And tobacco waste is the largest type of litter by count globally.
• Up to 10 billion of the 15 billion cigarettes sold daily are disposed into the environment.
• Cigarette butts account for 30–40% of all items collected in coastal and urban clean-ups.

Tobacco threatens women, children, and livelihood

• Many studies have shown that in the poorest households, spending on tobacco products often represents more than 10% of total household expenditure – meaning less money for food, education, and healthcare.
• Women: 60%–70% of tobacco farm workers are women, putting them in close contact with often hazardous chemicals.
• Children and education: Tobacco farming stops children attending school. 10%–14% of children from tobacco-growing families miss class because of working in tobacco fields.
• Health: Tobacco contributes to 16% of all noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) deaths.

Taxation: a powerful tobacco control tool                           

• Governments collect nearly US$ 270 billion in tobacco excise tax revenues each year, but this could increase by over 50%, generating an additional US$ 141 billion, simply from raising taxes on cigarettes by just US$ 0.80 per pack (equivalent to one international dollar) in all countries.
• Increased tobacco taxation revenues will strengthen domestic resource mobilization, creating the fiscal space needed for countries to meet development priorities under the 2030 Agenda.

Helpful Links:

• News Release World No Tobacco Day
• Tobacco FactSheet
• Take the quiz! How much do you know about Tobacco’s impact?

Information provided by World Health Organization

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay informed about World NO Tobacco Day!

Reason One:  Illnesses caused by the germs we carry

CDC reports the microscopic parasite known as Cryptospoidum or “Crypto” has caused an increasing number of healthy adults and children to become incredibly sick in recent years. While chlorine can kill most germs within minutes, crypto can survive for more than 1 week at the recommended chlorine concentrations typically required by state and local health departments. Crypto comes from diarrheal incidents in the water we share. Which is why precautions should be taken when swimming in pools or playing in water parks.

Strokes to Take:

• Stay out of water if you have diarrhea
• Shower before and after using the pool
• Don’t pee or poop in the water
• Don’t swallow the water
• Every Hour-everyone out
  • Take kids on bathroom breaks
  • Check diapers and change them in a bathroom or diaper changing area — not pool side–to keep germs away from the pool

Reason Two: Drowning

Every day, two children less than 14 years old die from drowning. Drowning is a leading cause of injury death for children ages 1-4 years old. More than half of drowning victims treated in Emergency Departments need further hospitalization or care. In some cases, drowning can cause severe brain damage that could result in memory problems, learning disabilities, and permanent loss of basic functioning.

Strokes to Take:

• Make sure everyone knows how to swim
• Use life jackets appropriately
• Provide continuous, attentive supervision close to swimmers
• Know CPR
• Prevent access to water when pools are not in use
  • Install and maintain barriers like 4-sided fencing and weight bearing pool covers
  • Use locks/alarms for windows and doors

Continue reading →

GNR Health takes social media to a whole new level. Ever heard of thunderclap? It’s a new crowdsourcing platform that’s been used by United Nations, the White House, and Beyoncé. It’s an online tool that posts a social media message on behalf of you or your organization on a specific time and day—think hundreds of different individuals or organizations posting a similar message at the exact same time— that’s a lot of people seeing the message.

This year the Centers of Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) is using Thunderclap to spread awareness and increase testing for Hepatitis. Join us on May 19^th, 2017 at 12:00 PM EDT/9:00 AM PDT to support Hepatitis Awareness Month and Hepatitis Testing Day. Supporters can sign up in advance using their Twitter, Facebook or Tumblr accounts for a one time post that will automatically be sent on May 19^th. Visit http://thndr.me/UtWAFY to sign up and help spread the word to your members and followers.

And more importantly, if you think that you or someone you love could have Hepatitis, please visit one of our centers to get tested. We also offer Hepatitis A or Hepatitis B vaccine to prevent it!

To learn more about Hepatitis and the populations it affects, check out the CDC’s Hepatitis Resources website, follow GNR Health on Twitter and Facebook to see how we’re supporting the CDC’s Know More Hepatitis and Know Hepatitis B campaigns.

Helpful Links

• #HepAware Thunderclap
• GNR Health Centers
• Know More Hepatitis
• Know Hepatitis B