Staff members of the Gilmer County Health Department were recently recognized for their vaccination efforts in the community during 2023.
The local public health facility was among two Georgia health departments that received the Walt Orenstein Champions for Immunization Award.
The award, which was presented at the Georgia Department of Public Health’s Immunize Georgia Conference in Atlanta, is named for the former director of the U.S. National Immunization Program, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at Emory University.
“I’m very proud of my staff for that accomplishment,” nurse manager Krystal Sumner told members of the Gilmer County Board of Health at the board’s quarterly meeting last week.
Last year, the health department’s staff gave 3,753 different immunizations, held 21 off-site vaccination clinics at local businesses, schools and long-term care facilities and assisted other counties with immunizations for homebound patients, Sumner said.
“Despite being short staffed at times, the staff faithfully continued providing all health department services, such as family planning support, STI (sexually transmitted infection) assistance, travel clinic needs and walk-in immunizations,” the award commendation said.
Since this year began, the health department has conducted various offsite vaccination programs at locations including the Pilgrims poultry plant and Parkside Skilled Nursing Care. Scoliosis testing was also recently done for 471 sixth and eighth grade students at Clear Creek Middle School, Sumner noted.
“This time of year, we really start gearing up with school entry requirements, providing hearing, vision and dental exams and immunizations for students, whether they are new to the community or enrolling in pre-K or kindergarten,” she added.
Although the demand for COVID vaccination at the health department was down in 2023, there was a big increase in the facility’s travel clinic services, which includes vaccination needed for overseas travel, noted Amber Coley in her financial report.
Also on the topic of immunization, Dr. Zachary Taylor, North Georgia Health District director, said a second COVID booster shot for the older population was recently authorized by the CDC. There will probably be a different COVID booster shot available in the fall, he added.
Franklin County’s health department was also recognized for its immunization efforts, Taylor said.
In other news ...
﹣ An overview of the six county North Georgia Health District’s lead poisoning management program was given by Caroline Hernandez, the district’s lead program coordinator, who handles lead poisoning cases in children age 6 and under.
“Almost two years ago, the state decided to (follow the CDC and) lower the threshold to 3.5. It used to be 10 when there was an elevated blood level,” Hernandez said. “Lead is an environmental hazard and a heavy metal, and it’s very much still around. The main ways that children get poisoned are through ingestion and inhalation. There is no safe level of lead. If it’s 3.5 or above, we’re out there inspecting and investigating.”
Aside from old house paint with lead in it, Hernandez said today’s main sources of lead poisoning include industrial paints, soil around homes, clay cooking pots usually brought from Mexico and central America and non-federally-inspected spices and cosmetics brought directly into America from other countries. Cases also result from fishing lures and even homemade ammunition, she noted.
“We’ve run into a lot of people wanting to make ammunition at home. That has been a big case, especially in the Rome district. A majority of their cases has been from fishing lures or leaded ammunition,” Hernandez said. “A lot of the cases in our area are not from lead-based paint, but these cultural things people are bringing in from other countries. We’re trying to bring more awareness to that.”
﹣ The public health board approved its officers for the 2024 fiscal year. In a reversal of roles, previous vice chairman Dr. Brian Ridley was named chairman, while previous chairman Charlie Paris was named vice chairman.