Community Health Education/Promotion

The mission of the Community Health Promotion program is to assist in developing, organizing and implementing community-based health promotion/risk reduction programs. Health promotion contributes to the health of the community by enabling individuals and groups to gain greater control over the determinants of health, prevent unnecessary death, disability, and disease, and increase the span of healthy life.

The Opioid Epidemic

To improve local public health approaches for addressing Georgia’s opioid crisis by supporting high quality, comprehensive, and timelier data obtainment on overdose morbidity and mortality and using that data to inform and implement prevention and response efforts. SCHD assists  with the development and implementation of local/district opioid, stimulant, and polysubstance overdose prevention and response strategies, including enrollment in the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP) created by  High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA).

The Georgia Medical Amnesty 911 Law 

CALL 911, DO NOT HESITATE 

  • Georgia’s Medical Amnesty Law protects victims and callers seeking medical assistance at drug or alcohol overdose scenes.
  •  Limited liability for possession of small amounts of drugs and/or alcohol- this applies to the victim as well as the caller.
  • Limited liability for breaches of parole, restraining order, probation and other violations.

SIGNS OF AN OPIOID OVERDOSE

CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY IF THESE SYMPTOMS OCCUR

  •  Unresponsiveness
  •  Awake, but unable to talk
  •  Limp posture
  •  Face is pale or clammy
  •  Blue fingernails or lips
  •  Slow, shallow breathing
  •  Not breathing
  •  Pulse is slow, erratic, or absent
  •  Choking sounds or gurgling sounds
  •  For lighter skinned people, the skin tone turns bluish purple; for darker skinned people, the skin tone turns grayish or ashen.

 

Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States and in Georgia. The South Central Health District is committed to preventing initiation of tobacco use and helping our smokers to quit.  At the South Central  Health District we understand that tobacco is addictive and that quitting is difficult. Our goals are to help those who want to quit, quit for good; discourage tobacco usage among those who don’t currently use tobacco; and to help all of our citizens lead healthy, tobacco-free lives.

Ready to quit? Call the Georgia Tobacco Quit Line:

  • English: 1-877-270-STOP (7867)
  • Spanish: 1-877-2NO-FUME
  • Hearing Impaired: 1-877-777-6534.

Hours of Operation: Available every day, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (including holidays)