Georgia Coastal Health District

Your blood pressure and blood glucose numbers can tell you a lot about your health. Knowing your numbers is especially important if you are at risk for diabetes.

That’s why the Coastal Health District’s Chronic Disease Prevention Team is offering free blood pressure and blood glucose screening events in November during National Diabetes Awareness Month. These free, simple tests can give you vital information about your health, and we can give you resources and support to live a longer, healthier life.

Visit our team at one of these events, and check out our Diabetes Prevention Program page for more information about how we can be your health partner!

Free Blood Pressure and Blood Glucose Screenings

As Hurricane Idalia makes its way across southern and coastal Georgia, the Coastal Health District encourages all residents and visitors to stay informed about the changing conditions and any recommendations from emergency managers. Here are some of the available emergency messaging services in our area:

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Bryan County – Code Red

Bryan County Emergency Management Agency uses CodeRED to send emergency notifications by phone, email, text and social media to keep citizens informed of emergencies such as an evacuation notices, utility outages, water main breaks, fire or floods, chemical spills, or other emergency situations.

Sign up: https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/en-US/BFAE755A2AFA

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Camden County – Code Red

The Camden County Emergency Management Agency utilizes the CodeRED Emergency Notification System – an ultra high-speed telephone communication service.

Sign up: https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/en-US/44E1E5C14827 or text CamdenCodeRED to 99411

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Chatham County – CEMA Alerts

The Chatham Emergency Management Agency uses CEMA Alerts to send text messages and/or emails directly to your phone during severe weather and other emergency events.

Sign up: https://chathamemergency.org/ or sign up by texting CEMA to 77295.

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Effingham County – WENS

Effingham County Emergency Management offers a Wireless Emergency Notification System, also known as WENS. This service allows you to sign up to get emergency and community alerts on your cell phone, work phone, text message, email, home phone, and more.

Sign up: https://entry.inspironlogistics.com/effingham_ga/wens.cfm

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Glynn County – Code Red

Glynn County Emergency Management utilizes the CodeRED Emergency Notification System. This system is an opt-in database of resident and citizen information for use only in critical and emergency situations.

Sign up: https://glynncounty.org/671/CodeRED

Liberty County – Alert Liberty

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In Liberty County, you can opt-in to Alert Liberty for emergency notifications. You can enter up to five different addresses (within Liberty County) that you wish to include in your profile.

Sign up: https://member.everbridge.net/1772417038942494/login

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McIntosh County – Code Red

McIntosh County Emergency Management utilizes the CodeRED Emergency Notification System – an ultra high-speed telephone communication service.

Sign up: https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/en-US/3CC907D212DC

Other Notification Resources

There are many additional options for staying informed of changing weather conditions:

• NOAA Weather Radio: Watches and Warnings issued by National Weather Service (NWS) air on these radios.
• Television Stations: Local or national news stations monitor and broadcast weather alerts.
• AM/FM Radio: Radio stations are required to air Emergency Alert System (EAS) messages.
• Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA): WEA are emergency messages sent by authorized government alerting authorities through your mobile carrier. The alert system requires no need to download an app nor subscribe to a service. The WEA message will usually provide the category and time, the agency issuing the alert and what action you should take.

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The Coastal Health District’s top emergency preparedness official has achieved top status within FEMA’s Emergency Management Professional Program. Todd Wyckoff, the District’s emergency preparedness director, recently graduated from FEMA’s National Emergency Management Executive Academy, one of only 380 individuals to receive this recognition in the past decade.

The Executive Academy is for senior emergency management executives at the pinnacle of their careers. Students enroll in four resident courses at the Emergency Management Institute in Emmitsburg, MD. The challenging curriculum provides an opportunity to sharpen decision-making skills, work collaboratively, and participate in exercises with other senior leaders facing similar challenges.

Wyckoff has more than 15 years of public health emergency preparedness experience with over 200 certifications from FEMA, Homeland Security, and emergency management agencies. Throughout his career, Wyckoff has managed multiple tropical events on the Georgia coast, helping coordinate evacuation of vulnerable populations residing in six counties on three different occasions. He previously worked in the private sector industry of Disaster Response and Restoration for over six years and responded to the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, as well as the Floods of 2008 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Most recently, Wyckoff led the 8-county Coastal Health District through the emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including coordination of the district-wide COVID testing program. He continues to work with community partners around the district and throughout the state to facilitate emergency exercises, refine and coordinate emergency plans, and ensure the district is well prepared to protect the health of its residents in a future emergency response. 

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 With temperatures expected to be in the high 90’s throughout the state for the next several days, and at times feeling like more than 100 degrees with the humidity, the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is urging Georgians to avoid prolonged exposure to the heat and sun, and to limit strenuous outdoor activity to prevent heat related illnesses.

To protect your health when temperatures are extremely high, remember to stay cool, stay hydrated and stay informed.

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Stay Cool

Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing. 

Stay in an air-conditioned place. If your home does not have air conditioning, go to the shopping mall or public library or a friend or relative’s home – even a few hours spent in air conditioning can help your body stay cooler when you go back into the heat.

Electric fans may provide comfort, but when the temperature is in the high 90s, fans will not prevent heat-related illness. Taking a cool shower or bath is a much better way to cool off. 

NEVER leave infants, children, adults, or pets in a parked car, even if the windows are cracked open. If you see anyone locked in a hot vehicle, call 911. 

Avoid using heat-generating appliances like your stove and oven. Avoid hot and heavy meals which will only add heat to your body.  

Limit your outdoor activity to morning and evening hours. Cut down on exercise. If you must exercise, take short breaks, and stay hydrated.    

When you are outdoors, protect yourself from the sun with a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher (the most effective products say “broad spectrum” or “UVA/UVB protection” on their labels). 

Stay Hydrated

Drink plenty of water even before you are thirsty. Don’t wait until you are already thirsty. Avoid sugary or alcoholic beverages which can cause you to lose even more body fluid. Beware that very cold drinks can cause stomach cramps. As you lose salt and minerals from your body while sweating, replace them. A sports drink will help with this.

Stay Informed

Prepare for extreme heat ahead of time by keeping an eye on local weather forecasts.  

Use the buddy system to check on each other at least twice a day while working in extreme heat. Heat-related illness can cause confusion or loss of consciousness.

Keep a close eye on those at greater risk for heat-related illness:  

• Infants and young children
• People 65 years of age or older
• People who are overweight
• People who overexert during work or exercise
• People who are physically ill, especially with heart disease or high blood pressure, or who take certain medications, such as for depression, insomnia, or poor circulation

If you are at greater risk for heat-related illness, have a friend or relative call to check on you twice a day during a heat wave. If you know someone in this group, check on them at least twice a day. Learn the signs and symptoms of heat-related illnesses and how to treat them.

And don’t forget your pets! Any time your pet is outside, make sure they have protection from heat and sun, and that they have plenty of fresh, cold water. In heat waves, add ice to water when possible. Tree shade and tarps are ideal because they don’t obstruct air flow. A doghouse does not provide relief from heat—in fact, it makes it worse.

For more information about extreme heat and precautions to take to prevent heat-related illnesses, log on to https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/index.html.

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The Coastal Health District invites breastfeeding moms, their families and friends, and breastfeeding advocates to join in a World Breastfeeding Week celebration on August 5 from 9-11 a.m. in Savannah. This family-friendly event will be held in Forsyth Park and will include a walk for breastfeeding awareness, information on the benefits of breastfeeding, raffle prizes, and free swag bags while supplies last.

World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated during the first week in August every year in more than 170 countries to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world. This year’s theme is “Let’s make breastfeeding and work, work!” because women shouldn’t have to choose between breastfeeding their children and their jobs.

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Employers are encouraged to support breastfeeding employees by providing adequate maternity leave and providing time and space for breastfeeding or expressing and storing breastmilk. Flexible work schedules, on-site childcare, teleworking, and part-time work are also best practices for workplace breastfeeding support.

The Coastal Health District is committed to helping mothers breastfeed their babies because breastfeeding is so important for good health. Breast milk is easy to digest, with just the right amount of fat, sugar, water, and protein for a baby’s growth and development. Breastfed babies usually get sick less often because breast milk contains antibodies that can protect infants from bacterial and viral infections. For more information about our breastfeeding support services or to register for the World Breastfeeding Week event, visit our breastfeeding webpage.