Today marks the kickoff of Scale Back Alabama, a statewide weight-loss contest designed to help Alabama fight obesity and to encourage participants to develop lifelong healthy habits. The program, now in its sixth year, has resulted in a total weight loss of nearly 760,000 pounds and healthier lifestyles for thousands of individuals.

Thanks to a generous $300,000 donation from the Joy to Life Foundation, the Alabama Department of Public Health can continue to fund breast cancer screenings through June 30, 2012, for underserved women ages 40-49 with symptoms of breast cancer.

The Alabama Comprehensive Cancer Control Coalition will unveil its 2011-2015 cancer control plan Jan. 20 at a meeting at the Bioethics Conference on Cancer Health Disparities Research at the Tuskegee University Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in Tuskegee.

As Alabamians continue recovering from the devastating tornadoes of April 27, public health authorities are exploring ways to lessen the overall destruction of lives and property in future disasters. Storm survivors from north and central Alabama are being asked to assist by volunteering for a telephone survey which will be conducted beginning Jan. 9, 2012.

Time is critical in saving lives after a patient suffers a heart attack, and many patients in Baldwin and Mobile counties now benefit from a coordinated system of life-saving treatment.

The Alabama Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourage all persons 6 months of age and older to reduce their risk of illness by getting immunized against influenza. The flu is a very contagious respiratory illness, and the CDC states the best way to prevent flu is to get vaccinated each year. Adequate supplies of vaccine are available.

Unique health care challenges face America’s 62 million rural citizens, including almost 2 million Alabamians. To highlight these important health care challenges and to showcase the importance of rural communities, the Alabama Department of Public Health’s Office of Primary Care and Rural Health joins other rural health advocates nationally and locally to celebrate the first National Rural Health Day on Thursday, Nov. 17.

On Nov. 4, Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) officials notified Troy University of plans to investigate a suspected case of pulmonary tuberculosis identified in a Troy University student enrolled on the Troy campus. ADPH and Troy University are working closely to ensure that university students and employees will be screened quickly.

To increase awareness of the need to prevent childhood lead poisoning, the Alabama Department of Public Health, Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, along with CDC, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, is participating in National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, Oct. 23–29.