Hancock County Health Department

#NPHW Program Spotlight: #COVID19 Vaccination NCHD began administering COVID-19 vaccines on Dec. 26, 2020. As of April 10, 2021, our 13 sites have administered over 70,000 doses of the vaccine. This monumental work would not be possible without the dedication of each county health department staff member, the district operations center team and support staff, the temp workers and volunteers, our partners and YOU, our community members! Public health is here to support you, and we thank you for your support! #NationalPublicHealthWeek

#NPHW Program Spotlight: Environmental Health Environmental Health as a whole responded to over 400 #COVID19 related complaints within EH permitted facilities. The complaints ranged from violation of occupancy to lack of masking as required. Environmental Health also found themselves filling-in wherever needed and that was almost everywhere: assisting with NCHD's PPE distribution (pictured), contact tracing, phone line operators, delivering guidance and isolation orders, se...rving as SPOC liaisons, helping the nurses during testing clinics, and the ever-popular traffic control among many other duties. One EH staff member even created almost all of the spreadsheets used during COVID-19 and for tracking supplies. While clinic numbers understandably declined as a result of the mandated response, EH on-site sewage numbers skyrocketed, and the team has seen an overall increase in fee collection. The program also learned innovative ways to conduct inspections in our high-risk population facilities that have outbreaks by using video chat. Kudos to our hard-working EH team! #NPHW See more

Today is National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day. Young people make up 5% of the 1.1 million people in the U.S. living with HIV. Help strengthen the fight against HIV in youth by supporting safe and supportive schools, health education, and HIV testing. http://ow.ly/87Aj50EjK5y #NYHAAD #NCHD52

#NPHW Program Spotlight: WIC The #COVID19 pandemic impacted our communities, but our WIC team adapted and continued to provide services to our clients. During the pandemic, the WIC program developed program flexibility to help individuals access program benefits. Curbside services help individuals access program benefits. The WIC program provided fresh fruits and vegetables during the summer amidst the pandemic to ensure WIC participants received Georgia-grown fruits a...nd vegetables. The WIC program partnered with a local church in Jasper County to ensure CDC guidelines were followed to protect clients and staff at the event. Kyeria Oyara prepared dragon fruit cherry smoothies for the employees at Baldwin County Health Department for National Nutrition Month. Kyeria focused on making a healthy beverage paired with physical activity to promote healthy eating and regular exercise. Thanks for helping to keep our area healthy! #NationalPublicHealthWeek See more

#NPHW Program Spotlight: Epidemiology NCHD Epidemiology program conducts surveillance for the occurrence of diseases and other health conditions that affect NCHD residents. During the past year, the epidemiology team led #COVID19 surveillance efforts through case Investigations, contact tracing, analysis and interpretation of data, and provided guidance and recommendations to control the spread of disease to community partners as well as the general population. In addition the team continued its regular public health duties and maintained regular TB, STD, and HIV surveillance and partner services. Great work! #NationalPublicHealthWeek #ThankAnEpi

Our district's newest #COVID19 operations summary is now available. We continue to see decreases in incidence rates for all 13 counties, but all counties are still experiencing substantial COVID-19 spread. Read more: http://ow.ly/mHJx30rwdeK

Arriving too early for your COVID-19 appointment creates delays for our staff and others in line. Do not arrive more than 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment. If you show up too early, you will be turned away until your scheduled appointment time.

While Georgians are getting vaccinated against COVID-19, it will take time before a majority of the community is vaccinated. During this time, it is essential to continue to do your part to slow the spread of COVID-19 by following public health's recommendations: Wear a face mask in public places. Practice social distancing by keeping 6 ft from others. Wash hands frequently.

CDC issued an order that requires face masks to be worn by travelers while on public transportation (which includes all passengers and all personnel operating conveyances). People must wear masks that completely cover both the mouth and nose. Read more: http://ow.ly/qwjm30rvr11

This week's NCHD #COVID19 Operations Summary is now available. We've recorded decreased incidence rates in all 13 counties, but these rates are still quite high. We continue to ask everyone to take steps to protect themselves and others from transmission. http://ow.ly/3fNn30rv9TQ