Georgia Coastal Health District

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Today, the Coastal Health District received its first shipment of Jynneos, a vaccine for prevention of monkeypox disease. Vaccinations will begin on Monday, August 1st, to qualifying individuals –appointments are required. Initially, appointments will only be available at the Chatham County Health Department’s main clinic at 1395 Eisenhower Drive, though additional locations will be added as vaccine supply increases.

Appointments can be self-scheduled online through a link at coastalhealthdistrict.org/monkeypox. You must have an appointment – there is no walk-up availability. Appointments are expected to fill quickly, and additional appointments will be added as more vaccine arrives.

To be eligible for monkeypox vaccination at this time, individuals must be at least 18 years of age and meet the following criteria:

• Individual is a gay male, a bisexual male, or a male that has sex with other males.
• Individual has had a sexual partner in the past 14 days who has received a monkeypox diagnosis OR had multiple sexual partners in the past 14 days in an area with known monkeypox.
• Individual currently does NOT have signs or symptoms consistent with a monkeypox infection (fever, headache, muscle ache, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion, or a rash/blisters on the face, inside of the mouth, or on other parts of the body).

Jynneos is given in a two-dose series, administered four weeks apart.

More information is available on the monkeypox page of our website and at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at cdc.gov/monkeypox.

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High blood pressure, also called hypertension, can greatly increase risk for heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Making certain lifestyle changes can help lower blood pressure and lead to a healthier lifestyle. The Coastal Health District Chronic Disease Prevention Program will host a free, virtual five-part Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) series in August to help residents who are hypertensive, pre-hypertensive, or at higher risk of becoming hypertensive learn how to adopt healthier habits.

The DASH series will begin on August 1 and continue August 8, 15, 22, and 29. Each session will be held twice a day – once at 1 p.m. and again at 5:30 p.m.    

“The great thing about this program is that it doesn’t require fancy foods or menus,” said Coastal Health District Chronic Disease Prevention Director, Cristina Gibson. “The DASH plan gives you the tools to make gradual changes that will result in positive long-term changes to your health.”

DASH was developed by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute as a flexible and balanced eating plan to create a heart-healthy eating style. For more information on DASH and the upcoming sessions, visit our website at coastalhealthdistrict.org/dash.

Atlanta – The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) has begun receiving limited doses of monkeypox vaccine. To date, Georgia has received approximately 3,000 doses of JYNNEOS vaccine – enough for 1,500 individuals since this is a two-dose vaccine series. The vaccine has been distributed upon request to health departments and for vaccination events in two counties. Allocations of monkeypox vaccine from the federal government will increase as production of the vaccine ramps up. 

To date, DPH has confirmed 93 monkeypox cases in Georgia, all among men living in metro Atlanta. The majority of these cases identify as men who have sex with men. As such we are prioritizing vaccine distribution in five metro counties – Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Cobb, and Clayton. There is no residency requirement; however, individuals must register for an appointment and meet certain eligibility requirements. JYNNEOS is a two-vaccine series with 28 days in between doses.

Because demand outweighs supply, DPH is following the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and prioritizing monkeypox vaccine for individuals at high risk of infection. Vaccination may be recommended for people who are close personal contacts of people with monkeypox, individuals who may have been exposed to monkeypox, or people who have increased risk of being exposed to the virus such as lab workers. Individuals are urged to speak with their healthcare provider if they are in one of these groups.

People with monkeypox in the current outbreak generally report having close, sustained physical contact with other people who have monkeypox. While many of those affected in the current global outbreaks are gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men, anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has monkeypox can get the illness.

While monkeypox does not spread like COVID-19, everyone should take steps to protect themselves from monkeypox.

• Avoid close, skin-to-skin contact with people who have a rash that looks like monkeypox.
• Do not touch the rash or scabs of a person with monkeypox.
• Do not kiss, hug, cuddle, or have close personal contact with someone with monkeypox.
• Do not share eating utensils or cups with a person with monkeypox.
• Do not handle or touch the bedding, towels, or clothing of a person with monkeypox.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

DPH is working to create online scheduling for monkeypox vaccine as our allocations increase. We will keep you updated on when that scheduling system will be ready and provide information on accessing it. Until then, we urge individuals who may have had contact with monkeypox or are high risk of exposure to contact their healthcare provider.

For more information on monkeypox, visit https://dph.georgia.gov/epidemiology/acute-disease-epidemiology/monkeypox or https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/index.html.

The Coastal Health District has been selected by the Georgia Department of Public Health to pilot eWIC, a new electronic system for issuing food benefits through the Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) program. Until now, WIC participants used paper vouchers to purchase approved foods. The new system allows participants to use an eWIC card, which functions like a debit card, to purchase WIC-approved foods.

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“Using cards rather than paper vouchers will make shopping much more convenient for our WIC participants,” said Coastal Health District Nutrition Services Director, Pat Mobley, RDN, LD. “We’re thrilled to be able to pilot this program in Georgia.”

A phased approach will be used to distribute the new cards. Participants can continue to use paper vouchers until they receive an eWIC card.

“We’re excited about this technology upgrade but it’s going to take some time to shift from vouchers to cards,” said Mobley. “We appreciate everyone’s patience and want to reassure our WIC participants that we are working diligently to make sure the transition goes as smoothly as possible.”

Georgia WIC is a special supplemental nutrition program that provides nutrition education, breastfeeding education and support, referrals, and nutritional supplements to thousands of income eligible families throughout Georgia.

Income-eligible families include pregnant women, breastfeeding woman, postpartum women, infants, and children up to age five. Custodial/single fathers, legal guardians, and foster parents of an infant or child can also receive WIC Benefits for the eligible infant or child.

For more information about WIC, including eligibility requirements, please visit our WIC webpage.