Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 6F
; FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS Sundiy, UtarctiM, 1999
Health department: Meeting citizens’ needs
By Therese Allen
StBH Writer
«•»
for the second time in 11 years, the Forsyth
County Health Department has remodeled its
facilities to accommodate growth.
remember when we had two clerks and
two nurses,” office manager Phyllis Bailey
siyd. The Health Department now has eight
employees in the clerical department alone.
“We do a lot more than just give shots to kids,”
said Bailey.
With the move of the
mental health division to
altew facility down the
stleet, the Health
Department completed a
remodeling project that
made use of the vacant
space. The health depart-
ment provides services in a wide range of
fields, including child and adolescent health,
Women's health, adult health, infectious dis
eases and environmental health among various
other services.
At the health department of the fastest-grow
ing county in the United States, officials have
worked diligently to keep up with growth.
Bpiley said she could foresee the health
department eventually establishing satellite
dffices in various parts of the county, rather
than building a new facility.
Mental health center
managing client influx
By Therese Allen
Staff Writer
'Lori Puckett, area manager
flor Georgia Mountains
Community Services, said the
Forsyth County Mental Health
Center is gaining approximate
ly 10 new cases a week.
The new facility that opened
in 1997 is much larger than the
cramped quarters they once
occupied in the Forsyth
County Health Department.
Even so, Puckett said it is a
struggle to keep up with the
influx of clients.
Forsyth County Mental
Health and GMCS provide
mental health services that
range from substance abuse
counseling to treatment for
manic depression.
The new enlarged facility off
Hwy. 20 west has filled to
capacity in under two years.
Staff members have resorted
to sharing office space and
computers.
•Puckett said that after two
years of Georgia red clay for a
front yard, the busy building
has finally gotten some grass
and a few shrubs in front of it .
“I think I heard a lawnmower
the other day,” said Puckett.
.One staff member works
yithin the Forsyth County
School System and is a certi
fied addiction counselor. This
service is unique to Forsyth
County. Commissioners saw
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Factors that limit the health department are
diverse but Bailey says the main culprit is that
residents are just unaware of the variety of ser- <
i vices provided. Also, according to Bailey, the <
> feeling that the health department is just for a <
certain socioeconomic group keeps potential
I patients away. She says the health department, .
like many public healthcare facilities, operates
on a sliding fee schedule. Those with less
income pay less; those with more, pay more.
’ Each year, the health department campaigns
to increase the number of flu shots given. This
We do a lot
more than
just give shots
to kids. gg
are the vaccinations given to thousands of chil
dren each year. i
Services for children have been expanded to
include dental care for Head Start students and
those enrolled in the reduced school lunch
program in the public school system. Also <
promoted through the health department is the
Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, i
in which qualifying enrollees are given supple- <
mental food, especially dairy products, as well
as nutrition and breast-feeding education and
counseling.
the need for an addiction coun
selor and set aside funds to
help pay the salary. Experts
say that one of the biggest
; obstacles to face in dealing
with substance abuse is admit
i ting there is a problem. With
the addition of this special
counselor, Forsyth County has
I taken a step toward bettering
the future of its children.
Each day many clients come
i through the Mental Health
Center, some seeking family
i counseling and others involved
in what is known as day thera
py-
Day therapy is for clients
who are so affected by their
disorders that they have diffi
culty completing everyday
tasks, such as grocery shop
ping. Day therapy is a group
session that teaches socializa
i tion skills, as well as basic
cooking skills and grocery list
preparation.
According to Puckett, clients
respond well to treatment and
often are placed in prearranged
jobs in the community where
they are periodically moni
tored for progress.
GMCS and Forsyth County
Mental Health work together
to better the lives of Forsyth
County residents afflicted with
or affected by mental health
disorders.
“As the county continues to
grow, so will our needs,” said
Puckett.
HEALTH & SAFETY
past year, nurses went out into
the business community to i
inoculate residents, and the i
number of shots given climbed
dramatically. Although now
able to provide a variety of ser
vices to the community, a sta
ple for the health department i
Emphasis on immunization against diseases
By Therese Allen
Staff Writer
A statewide initiative to
“Immunize Georgia’s Little
Guys” will launch April 19. The
program is a spinoff of a National
immunization program that began
in 1991. The national campaign,
called Every Child By Two was
founded by former first lady
Rosalynn Carter. The goal of both
programs is to promote the need
for immunizations in infants and
children.
Based on public health patients,
89 percent of Georgia’s 2-year
olds have up-to-date immuniza
tions. The goal is to achieve the
Centers for Disease Control stan
dard of 90 percent compliance for
preschoolers as soon as possible.
Many children receive immuniza
tions from private healthcare
sources, and are not represented
in the state averages.
Scottish Rite hospital officials
say, “A substantial number of
preschoolers still lack the proper
immunizations necessary to pro
tect them from preventable child
hood diseases.”
Locally, immunizations are
available at the Forsyth County
Health Department or a pediatri
cian’s office.
Georgia law requires that chil
dren have up-to-date vaccinations
before entering school. Dr.
Joseph E. Simon, medical director
of Care Delivery at Scottish Rite
Children’s Medical Center said,
“Vaccines are the safest and most
effective way to protect children
from dangerous diseases that can
be crippling and even fatal.” He
The women’s health division includes family
planning services that cover education, physi
cal fitness counseling, treatment and birth
control methods. Medicaid-eligible women are
offered prenatal case management. Pap
smears, breast exams and mammograms are
available for all women.
The health department performs blood tests
for marriages, blood pressure checks,
therapeutic injections, diabetes screening,
nutrition education and immunizations for
adults. The department also will test for infec
tious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, sexually
transmitted diseases and tuberculosis. The
health department performs investigations into
meningitis outbreaks, as well as foodborne
and other infectious diseases.
The environmental health division performs
restaurant inspections, school cafeteria inspec
tions and inspections for catering companies,
fairs and carnivals. Environmental health spe
cialists are also responsible for issuing subdi
vision reviews and approval, septic tank per
mits, inspections and commercial site
approvals. Environmental health officials con
duct well water sampling and well inspection,
tourist accommodations inspections, health
education and food service training, rabies
control and bite investigation and animal quar
antine and animal testing.
For information, call (770) 781-6900 or visit
the health department at 428 Canton Hwy.
says there are seven diseases that
are preventable with proper vac
cines:
•Diphtheria - Can cause suffo
cation, paralysis or heart failure.
Caused by bacteria in the mouth,
throat and nose, the disease caus
es a membrane that interferes
with breathing and swallowing. It
also produces a poison that can
affect major organs. Diphtheria is
spread by sneezing or coughing.
•Tetanus - Also called lockjaw,
the disease affects the nervous
system. The bacteria that cause
tetanus are found in dirt, dust,
manure, and digestive tracts of
humans and animals. Not conta-
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month at Tara Plantation, 440
Tribble Gap Road, at 7 p.m. For
more information, contact Sharon
Suter, at (770) 888-1114.
Trauma Survivors Group
The Office of the District
Attorney, in partnership with
New Day Counseling and
Assessments, is offering a free
support group to survivors of
crime and their family members.
The group meets every Monday,
from 5-6:30 p.m. For informa
tion, call (770) 781-2125.
Breast Cancer Support
Group
Bosom Buddies of Georgia Inc.
meets the second Monday of
each month at 7 p.m. at North
Fulton Regional Hospital on
Roswell Road in Alpharetta and
the fourth Monday of each
month at First Christian Church
in the building behind the sanc
tuary. For more information, call
(770) 887-3467.
Osteoporosis Support Group
...meets the last Wednesday of
every month at noon The Emory
Clinic, Building B, in the fifth
floor conference room. For infor
mation, call (404) 778-4335.
Al-Anon
Word to thoBK
For Good Adult Health
gious, tetanus bacteria enter the
body through a wound or cut. The
bacteria produces a poison that
attacks the nervous system, result
ing in stiffness of the jaw, neck,
limbs and abdomen.
•Pertussis or whooping cough
This disease causes spells of
severe coughing and
choking that can interfere with
eating, drink and breathing. It is
...a fellowship of relatives and'
friends of alcoholics meets
Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays
from 8-9 p.m., in the basement df
the First Baptist Church. For
information, call (770) 781-8251
or (770)889-5125.
Prostate Cancer Group
...meets the first Wednesday of'
every month at 11:30 a.m. at The
Emory Clinic, building B, in the
fifth floor conference room.
Light lunch is served. For reser-‘
vations, call (404) 778-4335. ;■ ’>
Epilepsy Support Group
...is held the second Thursday
of every month for parents and *•
family members of children with ■
seizure disorders. A teen group is
also held. For information, call'
(404) 250-2662.
Mothers of Children
...with special needs. If you Art
a parent of a child with Special
Needs, you are invited to be a
part of this support system. For
information, call Suzanne-
Campbell at (770) 889-7938. '■
Asthma Partners
...meet the third Tuesday of
every month for parents of chil-'
dren with asthma. For informa
tion, call (404) 250-2654.
spread through coughing or
sneezing. This disease is most
serious for children under 1 year
old.
Diphtheria, Tetanus and
Pertussis can be prevented with
one vaccine called DTP
or DTaP. This shot is available at
the local health department for
$lO.
•Polio - Common years ago,
polio affects the nerves and mus
cles and is caused by
a contagious virus that is har
bored in the nose, throat and
intestinal tract. Mild cases cause a
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