Jessica Wall-Public Health Trends in the Atlanta and Metro-Atlanta areas

        After doing continuous research and speaking with my old Young Woman's president, who is an employee for the CDC, I have learned a lot about public health trends in the Atlanta and Metro-Atlanta area.

1. According to my old Young Woman's president (Nikki), the biggest issue concerning public health in Georgia this year has been the flu epidemic. In December of 2012, the Georgia Department of Public Health released a notice telling Georgia residents that the flu virus would possibly be the worst that its ever been in 2013. On January 11th of this year, the Georgia Department of Public Health released another notice regarding the rising flu epidemic. Two cases of adult flu related deaths had already happened and more and more people had begun showing symptoms  Although flu season is passing in places like Georgia, Nikki's biggest warning to me and the general population was to never forget that it is NEVER too late to receive a flu vaccination.  
2. Having close relatives in Georgia who are struggling with cancer, I also decided to look into what the Georgia Department of Public Health is doing for cancer research. The GCCR is the department in charge of this research and is a "statewide population based cancer registry that collects all cancer cases diagnosed among Georgia residents since 1995 furthering our understanding of cancer." Along with the collection of cancer cases, the GCCR is also used to develop strategies for prevention, control, and treatment. According to my grandma's doctor, the GCCR (and their backing from the GCCS), has greatly decreased the amount of progressed cancer and greatly increased the amount of early detection cases and lives saved.
3. Nikki told me about another big issue regarding the Metro-Atlanta area, STDs.  Part og the rold the Georgia Department of Public Health is to provide STD epidemiology and collaborate with the CDC and local entities for public health purposes. According to Nikki, counties such as Dekalb, Fulton and even Gwinnett (the county I lived in) has an STD epidemic, especially in regards to chlamydia and gonorrhea. The numbers of these STDs used to be declining but its been on the rise again even with sexual education and public knowledge of prevention. 
4. Also having family members with diabetes, I wanted to look into the Georgia Department of Public Health's role in prevention, control and treatment of diabetes. Nikki, who works at a local and federal level, stated that the obesity rates in not only the south but in all the U.S. have a great deal to do with diabetes. But, being backed and funded by the CDC and the DDT, the Georgia Department of Public Health is making constant efforts to move forward in the prevention and treatment of diabetes.
5. Lastly, Nikki informed me of the changing trends in the Georgia Latino community. She directed me to the Latino Health Summit of 2012. Four changing trends in the Latino community caused the Georgia Department of Public Health to look in to it: Cancer, maternal child health, cardiovascular obesity and diabetes, and behavioral health. These changing trends were caused by two major environmental changes, the economic recession as well as the new strict immigration laws that Georgia has implemented. These changes have affected the way the Latino community has been able to access and utilize healthcare.