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About Us

About GNR Health

GNR Public Health serves the residents of Gwinnett, Newton, and Rockdale counties by promoting and protecting their health and well-being.

We proudly provide a wide range of services addressing all public health aspects. From health services to disease prevention and monitoring to health education and emergency response to community education and outreach, our dedicated team works tirelessly with healthcare providers, local partners, and the community to ensure the people who live and work in Gwinnett, Newton, and Rockdale counties stay healthy, protected, and prepared.

Here are just a few of the essential services GNR Public Health provides:

Our health centers provide necessary health services to adults and children, including immunizations, health screenings, lab testing, and more. Services are provided at an affordable cost or no cost to individuals who qualify, regardless of insurance or immigration status.

We offer comprehensive immunization services to adults and children, protecting individuals against vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, and influenza. In addition, we provide immunization records for school admission and offer vaccine services for individuals traveling outside of the country.

Our experienced epidemiologists and public health professionals monitor, investigate, and control the spread of infectious diseases. We work closely with healthcare providers, labs, and community partners to identify outbreaks, provide education, and implement interventions to prevent further transmission.

Our environmental health team protects the community’s health by ensuring thousands of community businesses and facilities meet required Federal, State, and Local health and safety regulations. Our department routinely inspects restaurants, swimming pools, septic systems, travel accommodations such as hotels and motels, and body art artists and studios in Gwinnett, Newton. and Rockdale counties.

We are committed to empowering residents with the knowledge and resources needed to make informed decisions about their health. Through community workshops, seminars, and health campaigns, we raise awareness on various topics, including nutrition, safe sex practices, smoking cessation, adolescent health, and more.

In addition to providing low- or no-cost health services at our health centers, our fleet of mobile vehicles brings health department services to places people live, work and play in Gwinnett, Newton, and Rockdale counties.

Find us in the community at health fairs, community festivals and events, employers, schools, places of worship, private events and more, year round.

Our experienced and knowledgeable public health professionals are available to educate the community on topics related to public health initiatives too.

If you are a business, school, event organizer or community leader, let us know which health department services we can deliver. Give us a call for more information or request the team today.

Our WIC program provides nutrition education, counseling, and support to pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and families with limited resources with children under five. We help eligible families access healthy foods, breastfeeding support, and health referrals to promote the well-being of our community and ensure healthy growth for children.

We play a critical role in emergency preparedness and response. We collaborate with local agencies, healthcare providers, and the community to create plans, conduct drills, and develop strategies for emergencies, safeguarding the health and safety of residents during natural disasters, outbreaks, and other emergencies.

We offer preventive dental services to children in specific age groups, including cleanings, sealants, and fluoride treatments. Our dental team also conducts oral health education programs to promote good oral hygiene practices and reduce dental diseases in our communities.

We play an essential role in supporting families with special needs children. From durable medical equipment to hearing screening, we get families timely services. If needed, we can help coordinate their child’s care up to age 21.

We are committed to improving our residents’ health through efficient and comprehensive public health initiatives. Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about what we do or our services. We are happy to help.

view the health of our community

We all want our communities to thrive and have good health, and we know we can be successful if we work collectively toward those goals. Collaboration and supporting our relationships with local leaders, organizations, and community members are crucial to that mission. With this dashboard, we hope to help you better navigate, understand, and communicate about public health so we can come together and make a positive impact across the district.

Community Health Assessment/Improvement

View health data intended to help shape  collaborative efforts to improve the health of residents and how agencies plan to work together to improve community health.

Public Health Accreditation Board

PHAB awards accreditation and reaccreditation to health departments demonstrating commitment to accountability and performance improvement.

Healthy People 2030 Champion 

Healthy People 2030 Champions are a diverse array of public and private organizations that impact health outcomes at the state, tribal, and local level. 

County boards of health

Health District 3-4, serving Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale counties, has three county Boards of Health. Board of Health meetings for each county are held on a regular basis and include representatives from the county and Health Department organization leadership. Board of Health meetings are open to the public. Though meetings occur on a routine basis, there are times that a date or time may need to change. If you are interested in attending a meeting, we recommend that you call us to confirm the date and time for the meeting you plan to attend.

Gwinnett Board of Health

Louis A. Radloff, Chairwoman

Gwinnett Board of Health Meetings are held on the first Monday of the month in February, April, June, August, October and December at the administrative office in Lawrenceville. Meeting time is determined a few weeks prior to each meeting.

Newton Board of Health

Newton Board of Health Meetings are held at 8:00 a.m. on the fourth Thursday of the month in January, April, July, and October at Newton Health Center in Covington. 

Rockdale  Board of Health

Rockdale Board of Health Meetings are held at 8:15 a.m. on the second Friday of the month in  February, May, August, and November at Rockdale Health Center in Conyers.

Georgia health District 3-4 organizational leadership

 

Lynn Paxton, MD, MPH
Interim District Health Director

 

Alana Sulka, MPH, RN, CPH, CIC
Chief Clinical Officer

Joseph Sternberg, MBA, REHS, RN, CPH
Chief Operating Officer

Jason Reagan, REHS, CP-FS, CSC
Director of Environmental Health

Mark Reiswig, GHEP, GA-CEM
Director of Emergency Preparedness

Dorian Freeman, MPH, MSN, NP

Director of Clinical Infectious Diseases

Dannah Burch, MPH, RD, LD, CLC
Natasha Kimsley, RD, LD
Co-Directors of Nutritional Services

Andre V. Castro, MPA
Director of Community Health &
Chronic Disease

Michele Kehler
Director of Communications

Josh Lazarus
Director of Information Technology

Thomas Gibson
Director of Human Resources

Emergency Banner

This is an emergency message. A button can be added for more information as well.

Community Health Assessment / Community Health Improvement Plans

Community Health Assessments (CHA) and Community Health Improvement Plans (CHIP) have been created for the three counties we serve.

The community-wide health assessment, which examines the county’s health status, is intended to help shape the collaborative efforts to improve the health of residents.

The community health improvement plan describes how the Health Department and a variety of community partners will work together to improve the health of the population through various projects and programs.

Access each county’s CHA and CHIP below:

Gwinnett County

Newton County

Rockdale County

To request previous versions of the CHA and CHIP, contact us.

What’s an epidemiologist?​

Epidemiologists are public health workers who investigate patterns and causes of disease and injury. They seek to reduce the risk and occurrence of negative health outcomes through research, community education and health policy.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics https://www.bls.gov/

Benefits

Full-time employees are eligible for an extensive and highly-competitive network of benefits.

Benefits package includes:

  • 13 paid holidays per year

  • Three weeks of Annual (Vacation) Leave per year

  • Three weeks of Sick Leave per year

  • Retirement plan through the State of Georgia Employee’s Retirement System which provides for a defined monthly pension upon retirement

  • 401(k) retirement savings plan to supplement pension plan, which includes an agency contribution based on the employee’s contribution amount

  • Life Insurance
    Payroll deductible health insurance and flexible benefits options including Dental, Vision, Long-term Care, Spouse Life, Dependent Life, AD&D, as well as Short-term and Long-term Disability

  • Medical and Childcare Spending Accounts available

  • Employees are eligible to become members of the Atlanta Postal Credit Union and/or the Georgia’s Own Credit Union.