The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) awarded GNR Public Health (GNR) a 2023 Model Practice Award for our HIV prevention integration with Mpox vaccination efforts in Gwinnett County. NACCHO awards Model Practices to programs “demonstrating exemplary and replicable qualities in response to a critical local public health need.” GNR Public Health was one of only 23 local health departments in the nation to earn this recognition this year.  This is GNR’s second Model Practice award.

Dorian Freeman (center right), clinical infectious disease program director, and Andre Castro (center left), community engagement director, accept the 2023 NACCHO Model Practice Award for GNR Public Health.

During the Mpox epidemic in 2022, GNR mobilized to provide vaccinations for at-risk communities. At the time, national data showed that 38% of Mpox cases were reported as having an HIV diagnosis. GNR worked quickly with long-standing partner Positive Impact Health Centers to make vaccines available at a trusted HIV clinical care home. As vaccine availability increased, GNR expanded efforts by setting up additional vaccine clinics to serve the populations most at risk for Mpox infection. Eighty-five percent of the Mpox vaccine recipients vaccinated by GNR were among residents of Gwinnett, DeKalb, Fulton, and Cobb counties – four of 57 jurisdictions designated by CDC as having the highest HIV infection rates in the country. To ensure HIV prevention was included in all Mpox vaccination efforts, GNR provided on-site rapid HIV testing, take-home HIV test kits, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) referrals, and STI, HIV, and Mpox education. The agency even found a way to incorporate these services in drive-through vaccination events.

“We knew this was an opportunity to provide more comprehensive service to our community,” said Dorian Freeman, clinical infectious disease program director at GNR Public Health. “We have worked hard to earn the trust of individuals and communities at-risk for HIV, so when we saw the same community being affected by Mpox, we knew we could protect their health by providing more than just vaccines. Our collaborative vaccine events with Positive Impact Health Centers also allowed for rapid entry into HIV care for individuals testing positive for HIV.”

Winning a Model Practice Award allows GNR Public Health to share and inspire other health departments. Winning practices, as determined through a competitive, peer-reviewed process, are added to NACCHO’s Model Practice searchable online database, where other local health departments can review these best practices and adopt them for use in their community.

“Public health is such a team effort,” said Freeman. “Our model practice submission is no different. With the full support of our Boards of Health and under the leadership of our CEO, Dr. Audrey Arona, GNR focuses on serving in innovative and collaborative ways to protect the health of our communities.”

More information about GNR’s winning submission is available on NACCHO’s site. Awards were presented during the 2023 NACCHO360 Annual Conference on July 12, 2023.

• School-required vaccines
  “In Georgia, all children born on or after January 1, 2002, who are attending seventh grade, and children who are new entrants into a Georgia school in grades eight through twelve, must have received one dose of Tdap vaccine and one dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine to fulfill immunization requirements.”

Source: School Vaccines and Updates | Georgia Department of Public Health

• • Meningococcal ACWY
  • Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis)

Vaccine Schedule for Children, 7 to 18 Years Old | CDC

• Covid-19 Vaccine
  Staying current on COVID-19 vaccines lowers the risk of getting very sick, hospitalized, or dying from COVID-19. You are best protected from COVID-19 when you are current with the recommended vaccinations.
• Heart Health Screenings
• Diabetes Screenings
• Discreet HIV Screening
• Opioid epidemic education
• Free naloxone nasal spray (Narcan ) kits for the prevention of an opioid overdose
• STI (STD) Information and Prevention Education
• Women’s Health Education

All GNR Public Health offices and health centers are closed on Monday, June 19, 2023, for the state holiday. Regular hours will resume on Tuesday, June 20, 2023.

May 22 – 28, 2023 is Healthy and Safe Swimming Week, and as the summer approaches, it is important to be aware of water-related illnesses that can affect children in your care. Swallowing contaminated water from pools, hot tubs, splash pads, water tables, oceans, lakes, or rivers can lead to diarrhea, the most common illness associated with water outbreaks. Although pool chemicals, like chlorine or bromine, help kill germs in the water and keep it safe for swimming, some diarrheal-causing germs such as Cryptosporidium (Crypto), Giardia, Shigella, Norovirus and E. coli O157, can survive in chlorinated water for varying periods.

Follow these and other healthy swimming steps to help protect you and those you care about from getting sick:

1. Keep children out of water activities if they have diarrhea. Children should not swim or return to childcare until at least 24 hours after diarrhea resolves, without the use of anti-diarrheal medications.
2. Children diagnosed with Crypto should wait to swim for 2 weeks after recovering. Diarrhea must be completely resolved.
3. Remind children not to swallow recreational water.
4. Encourage children to take frequent bathroom breaks. Change diapers away from the water. Remember to follow bathroom breaks and diaper changes with hand washing.
5. Have children rinse off before entering pools, splash pads, or hot tubs and wash or sanitize hands before playing with water tables.

For additional information on Cryptosporidium and Giardia check out the see the attached following factsheets in both English and Spanish:

Cryptosporidium English Spanish

Giardia English Spanish

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to GNR’s Epidemiology Team. As a reminder, all outbreaks of illness are reportable to the health department by law. If you need to report any outbreak of illness at your center, please dial 770-339-4260, pressing 0, and asking to speak with the Epi on call.

Thank you for helping create a safe swimming environment for children in your care this summer.

GNR Public Health’s offices and health centers are closed Friday, April 7 for the state holiday. Regular hours will be resumed on Monday, April 10, 2023.

We’re here to help address the opioid crisis in our communities. We need to flood our community with Narcan (naloxone). Our health centers have life-saving kits available to anyone over 18 at no cost. Walk in and ask our staff how you can get one.

Kits come with two doses of naloxone, a pouch to carry the doses in a bag safely, a CPR face shield, and education about administering naloxone, the medical amnesty law, and information about recovery and treatment.

Do I need to carry naloxone?
Think of carrying naloxone similar to knowing how to do CPR. You may not expect that anyone around you will suddenly need CPR, but the skill can be lifesaving. Similarly, you may not think you’re around individuals who are at risk of an overdose, but having naloxone on hand can save a life should you encounter an overdose situation.

How will I know what to do?
Our staff is trained to teach you what to look for and how to administer naloxone properly. When providing you with your kit, they will review the instructions for giving naloxone doses, which are printed inside the kit.

What does naloxone do?
Naloxone reverses an opioid overdose, buying precious minutes for first responders to arrive to administer medical aid. It is still paramount to call 911 when administering naloxone.

Where can I get one of the kits?
Currently, these kits are available at our health centers:

Lawrenceville Health Center – 455 Grayson Hwy, Suite 300, Lawrenceville, GA 30046

Norcross Health Center – 5030 Georgia Belle Court, Norcross, GA 30093

Newton Health Center – 8203 Hazelbrand Rd, Covington, GA 30014

Rockdale Health Center – 985 Taylor St, Conyers, GA 30012

In the news …

Check out the news story from 11Alive.

Check out the news story from Gwinnett Daily Post.

Check out the news story from AJC.

GNR Public Health’s offices and health centers are closed Monday, January 16 for the state holiday. Regular hours will be resumed on Tuesday, January 17, 2023.

GNR Public Health mobile team will be providing vaccines, health department education, and free, at-home COVID-19 test kits to the community at three area high schools on January 10, 11, and 12.

Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) and meningococcal conjugate vaccines will be available for children born on or after January 1, 2002, who are attending 7^th grade this year, and children who are new entrants into a Georgia school in grades eight through twelve to help ensure students meet Georgia immunization requirements.¹

COVID-19 primary series vaccine, COVID-19 bivalent booster, and flu vaccine will be available for adults and children 5 and older.

No appointment is required. Quantities are limited to supplies on hand and offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

View recommended vaccination schedules for adults and children

Come see us:

Tuesday, January 10 from 3:30-6:00 p.m.
Norcross High School – Gwinnett
The high school is located at 5300 Spalding Drive in Norcross.

Wednesday, January 11 from 3:30-6:00 p.m.
Heritage High School – Rockdale
The school is located at 2400 Granada Road in Conyers.

Thursday, January 12 from 3:30-6:00 p.m.
Salem High School – Rockdale
The school is located at 3551 Underwood Road SE in Conyers.

Getting vaccinated helps keep you and your loved ones healthy! Mobile events are just one way to get vaccinated. GNR Public Health offers adult and child vaccines at four of our five health centers, Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Appointments are required at Lawrenceville and Newton health centers. Norcross and Rockdale health centers do not require an appointment at this time.

For more information about our mobile team or to plan an event at your school, give us a call at 770-339-4260.

GNR Public Health provides public health services to all people at reduced or no cost, regardless of insurance or immigration status at five health centers. In addition to health-related services, the health department provides essential community services that include environmental health inspections, infectious disease monitoring and prevention, support for children with special needs, healthy lifestyle promotion and chronic disease prevention, opioid overdose awareness and prevention, and prepares for and responds to community disasters and emergencies.

GNR Public Health keeps Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale healthy, protected and prepared.

Source

1 Georgia Department of Public Health – School Vaccines. Accessed January 6, 2023. Last updated June 14, 2022.

GNR Public Health’s offices and health centers are closed Friday, December 23, and Monday, December 26. Regular hours will be resumed Tuesday, December 27-29.

All locations are closing at noon on Friday, December 30.

Health centers and offices are closed on Monday, January 2, 2023, in observance of New Year’s Day. Regular hours will be resumed on Tuesday, January 3, 2023.

COVID-19 cases are on the rise this holiday season. Remember, the best way to know if you are sick with COVID-19 is to get a test. PCR tests are an excellent way to ensure that you are not sick with the virus, and PCR testing is available through convenient kiosks at three of our locations: Norcross, Conyers, and Covington.

The kiosk is simple to use and will walk you through the steps to complete your test. Results are typically available within 48 hours. You can use the kiosks at any time, even on the weekends when the health center is closed. Tests are at no cost to you!

Locations:

Norcross Health Center – 5030 Georgia Belle Court, Norcross, GA 30093

Rockdale Health Center – 985 Taylor Street, Conyers, GA 30012

Newton Health Center – 8203 Hazelbrand Road, Covington, GA 30014