Columbus Georgia Department of Public Health

 On November 17, 2011, to heighten community awareness and promote lead safety and prevention, Lead Safe Columbus will be conducting door to door home lead screenings in a Columbus neighborhood. 

Nearly a quarter of a million children living in the United States have blood lead levels high enough to cause significant damage to their health, estimates the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), based on data from a national survey. If high blood lead levels are not detected early, children with such high levels of lead in their bodies can suffer from damage to the brain and nervous system. They can develop behavior and learning problems (such as hyperactivity), slowed growth, hearing problems, and aggressive patterns of behavior.

The Columbus Department of Public Health will host a “Roll Up Your Sleeve Flu Vaccination Press Conference.”  Community Leaders will set the example by Rolling up their sleeve and getting a flu shot.

Date:  Monday, Oct 17, 2011

Time:  10 A.M., Arrive early to set up, because it will be over in a pinch!

Location:  Health & Human Service Building
 2100 Comer Avenue, Columbus, 2nd Floor LDR Classroom.

In observance of National Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, Lead Safe Columbus, a project sponsored by the Columbus Department of Public Health, is offering free lead dust testing kits during the month of October, to Georgia residents who live in older homes. To qualify for a free lead dust kit, the resident must live in pre-1978 housing. Test kits are available to qualifying homes while supplies last.

WIC OFFICE IN COLUMBUS AND FORT BENNING WILL BE OPEN ON OCTOBER 7th *

The Columbus (Muscogee), Clay, Crisp, Macon, Marion, Quitman and Schley County Health Departments in the West Central Health District will be closed on Friday, October 7th and employees required to take a day off without pay due to budget cuts and on Monday, October 10th in observance of Columbus Day.  Please note - the Women, Infant and Children (WIC) office will be open in Columbus and Ft. Benning on Friday, October 7th.  

The Columbus (Muscogee), Macon, Marion, Quitman and Schley County Health Departments in the West Central Health District will be closed on Friday, September 2nd and employees required to take a day off without pay due to budget cuts.  However, the Women, Infant and Children (WIC) office will remain open in Columbus and Ft. Benning and continue to serve the public.  The Health Department and WIC will be closed on September 5th in observance of Labor Day.

The Columbus Department of Public Health and the West Central Health District have received the first shipments of seasonal influenza vaccine for the sixteen counties they serve.  “The Center for Disease Control recommends individuals get their flu vaccination as soon as it becomes available.  Our vaccine supply will not arrive all at once, therefore, we encourage you to vaccinate early and call your health department to check on vaccine availability,” says Dr. Beverley Townsend, District Health Director.

Columbus – The West Central Health District of the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is calling on area residents to guard against exposure to mosquitoes.  DPH has identified one confirmed case and one probable case of the West Nile Virus (WNV) in the state and more than 100 mosquito sampling batches have tested positive for the virus that can lead to brain or spinal cord swelling, even death. 

The Columbus (Muscogee), Macon, Marion, Quitman and Schley County Health Departments in the West Central Health District will be closed on Friday, August 12th and employees required to take a day off without pay due to budget cuts.  However, the Women, Infant and Children (WIC) office will remain open in Columbus and Ft. Benning and continue to serve the public.

The Columbus Health Department urges parents not to wait until the registration rush to get their children vaccinated for the new school year.  Muscogee County Schools begin on August 8, 2011.  Parents are encouraged to avoid the rush and come in now  to the health department for Vaccinations, Eye, Ear and Dental Certificates.