During April 4 through 8, the DeKalb County Board of Health is hosting a series of talks on staying safe and living injury-free. The public is invited to the free education sessions. The series is part of the Board of Health’s celebration of National County Government month with a special focus during National Public Health Week on ways public health helps to keep the community safe.
Injury is a significant, but often overlooked, health issue that affects many lives. In fact, from 2002 through 2006, almost 110,000 DeKalb County residents were treated in an emergency room or were hospitalized due to an injury.
The programs will feature a different topic each day:
- Monday, April 4: “Household Poison Prevention,” speaker: Rachel Gorodetsky, Pharm.D., a fellow from the Georgia Poison Center, time: noon until 1 p.m., location: Richardson Health Center, 445 Winn Way, Decatur
- Tuesday, April 5: “Traumatic Brain Injury in Children: Outcomes and Prevention Activities,” speaker: Julie Krupa-Haarbauer, Ph.D., from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s BRAIN (Bringing Rehabilitation and Injury Recovery to New Levels) program, time: noon until 1 p.m., location: Richardson Health Center, 445 Winn Way, Decatur
- Wednesday, April 6: “Child Passenger Safety Essentials: Reducing Motor Vehicle Crash Injuries,” speakers: Danika Lomax, DeKalb Safe Communities coordinator, and Janet Weisman, Injury Prevention coordinator, both from the Board of Health, time: 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m., location: Richardson Health Center, 445 Winn Way, Decatur
- Thursday, April 7: “Is Your Family Prepared for an Emergency?,” speaker: Veronda Griffin, risk communicator from the Board of Health, time: noon until 1 p.m., location: Vinson Health Center, 440 Winn Way, Decatur
- Friday, April 8: “Gang Awareness and Violence Prevention,” speaker: Sgt. Charles Lyda from the DeKalb County Police’s Gang Task Force, time: noon until 1 p.m., location: Richardson Health Center, 445 Winn Way, Decatur.
Attendees are welcome to bring a lunch to the noontime talks. To reserve a seat or for more information, call the DeKalb County Board of Health at 404-294-3719.