8/4/21 @ 3:45 p.m. - The Florida Department of Health-Nassau will host a Back to School Vaccine Clinic on Saturday, August 7th.

During this event, students can obtain any vaccine needed for school. The COVID-19 vaccine will also be available for children ages 12 and over, as well as family members, if desired.

Note: No school or sports physicals will be offered.

WHAT: Back to School Vaccine Clinic
WHEN: Saturday, August 7th from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
WHERE: Yulee Health Clinic, 86014 Pages Dairy  Rd.

Call (904) 875-6100, Option 1 if you have any questions.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

8/4/21 @ 10:00 a.m. - Below is a Health Department issued by the Florida Department of Health-Nassau.

August 4th, 2021

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH RECOGNIZES WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEK

Contact: Amber Lee
amber.lee2@flhealth.gov
904-557-9164

Tallahassee, FL.— The Florida Department of Health (DOH) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) are celebrating World Breastfeeding Week 2021 during August 1-7, 2021. This year’s theme is Protect Breastfeeding: A Shared Responsibility.

The World Breastfeeding Week 2021 theme encourages everyone to support breastfeeding mothers, babies and their families through creating a breastfeeding-friendly environment.

Protecting breastfeeding ensures:

• Good health and prevents malnutrition, including under and over nutrition. Breastfeeding has positive lifelong health effects on infants, children, and mothers such as lower incidence of respiratory infections and ear infections for infants and children and reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancer for mothers. Breastfeeding also reduces the risk of childhood overweight and obesity compared to formula feeding.
• Food security even in times of crisis. Breastfeeding provides food security to infants from the very beginning of life, contributes to food security for the whole family, and ensures food security for babies even in times of household or widespread disasters, such as hurricanes.
• Improved Economics and Reduced Inequalities. Breastfeeding can help break the cycle of poverty for families, which impacts hunger and malnutrition. Breastfeeding provides an equal start for everyone. With no additional burden on household income, breastfeeding is a low-cost way of feeding babies and contributes to poverty reduction. Breastfeeding can also reduce costs to the health care system and employers by decreasing costs of hospitalizations, medications, and reduced absenteeism.
• A positive impact on the health of the planet in several ways:

      ✓ Breastmilk is a sustainable and environmentally friendly resource.
      ✓ Breastfeeding is readily available without needing other supplies.
      ✓ Breastmilk production does not require the use of energy for manufacturing and does not create
        waste or air pollution.

To protect breastfeeding:

• Promote the implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative.
• Provide access to skilled breastfeeding counseling. Studies have shown that breastfeeding promotion interventions increases exclusive and any breastfeeding rates at 4-6 weeks and at 6 months.
• Encourage employers and communities to promote and protect breastfeeding, through posting signs “Breastfeeding Welcome Here” and providing private areas for breastfeeding if that is a breastfeeding family’s preference.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for infants for the first year of life and beyond, with the addition of appropriate complimentary foods when the infant is developmentally ready, around 6 months of age. For more information about the Florida WIC program, call 1-800-342-3556 or visit www.FloridaWIC.org. To learn more about breastfeeding initiatives in Florida, visit www.flbreastfeeding.org.

About the Florida Department of Health
The Florida department of Health, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

Follow us on Twitter at @HealthyFla and on Facebook.

For more information about the Florida Department of Health please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

8/3/21 @ 3:30 p.m. - Nassau County Animal Services currently has limited staff. As a result, they have implemented a few temporary changes.

Beginning this morning, Animal Services will be operating BY APPOINTMENT ONLY until further notice. Please give them a call at (9040 530-6150 to schedule a date/time to visit the shelter. Animal Control Officers will still be available to help with public safety related issues.

Thank you in advance for your understanding.

If you are interested in filling one of their vacant positions, please click here to view the job description, salary range or to apply online or contact Human Resources at (904) 530-6075.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

8/3/21 @ 1:15 p.m. - As COVID-19 cases in Nassau County continue to rise, the Florida Department of Health-Nassau, has provided the below reminders to help slow the spread.

Let's get back to the basics. To prevent infection and slow the transmission of COVID-19, do the following:

• Wash your hands regularly with soap and water or clean them with alcohol-based hand rub
• Cover your mouth and nose with a mask when in public settings or around others
• Maintain at least six feet of distance between you and people coughing or sneezing
• Avoid touching your face
• Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing
• Stay home if you feel unwell
• Practice social distancing by avoiding unnecessary travel and staying away from large groups

Vaccines help. We are fortunate to have vaccines locally that can prevent one from COVID-19 infections/symptoms. Get vaccinated to protect yourself and others. To find a location: Know Before You Go       

Trust your doctors. The Nassau Medical Society has endorsed COVID-19 vaccines and is encouraging all persons eligible to get vaccinated. Trusting your doctors will help us move towards a healthier community.

As a reminder, the Florida Department of Health-Nassau (FDOH-N) is the lead agency on all COVID-19 related matters in Nassau County. As such, questions should be directed to their office at (904) 875-6100. You can also find updates and other information on the OneNassau website. This page is managed by Nassau County Emergency Management, however they work directly with FDOH-N to disseminate information to the public through the OneNassau Joint Partnership to ensure accurate and consistent messaging.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

8/3/21 @ 11:15 a.m. - For the July 2021 Proudly Serving Nassau Series, we highlighted our Assistant Facilities Director, Jeff Little. Jeff has worked for Nassau County in different capacities for nearly 33 years and is a great asset with a lot of knowledge about County operations. Watch this video and learn more about what makes him an outstanding employee.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

8/3/21 @ 11:00 a.m. - Below is a COVID-19 testing and vaccine schedule for the month of August. The Florida Department of Health-Nassau is the lead agency in COVID-19 matters in Nassau County. If you have any questions about testing or vaccines, please contact them directly at (904) 875-6100. Information can also be located on the OneNassau website.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

8/2/21 @ 9:50 a.m.

It is with great sadness that we announce the decision to cancel the Back-2-School Event scheduled for this Saturday, August 7, 2021.

The health and safety of our residents is our number one priority. With the recent rise of COVID cases in the County, we do not feel it would be responsible to host an event that promotes gathering of crowds and interaction of large groups of children prior to sending them back to school.

We are very disappointed about this situation but we feel that cancelling is the right thing to do at this time. We appreciate the sponsors and community organizations who agreed to be part of what was going to be a great event. We look forward to hosting special events at a time in the future when it is safer to do so.

If you have any questions, please contact Parks & Recreation Director, Jay Robertson, at (904) 530-6120 or via email at jrobertson@nassaucountyfl.com.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

8/2/21 @ 9:35 a.m. - Shown to the left of public meetings scheduled for this week. Agendas can be located on our website.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

7/30/21 @ 9:45 a.m. - The Florida Department of Revenue's Sales Tax Holiday begins at 12:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 31st and ends at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, August 9th. During this time, Florida law directs that sales tax or local option tax shall NOT be collected on:

• Purchase of clothing, footwear, and certain accessories selling for $60 or less per item; 
• Purchase of certain school supplies selling for $15 or less per item; and
• the first $1,000 of the sales price of personal computers and certain computer-related accessories, when purchased for non-commercial home or personal use.
  

The sales tax holiday does not apply to:

• Any item of clothing selling for more than $60;
• Any school supply item selling for more than $15;
• Books that are not otherwise exempt;
• Computers and computer-related accessories purchased for commercial uses;
• Rental or leases of any eligible items;
• Repairs or alterations of any eligible item;
• Sales of any eligible items in a theme park, entertainment complex, public lodging establishments, or airport

For a complete list of exempt clothing and accessories, please click here.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

7/29/21 @ 5:10 p.m. - On July 12th, we announced that the Florida Association of Counties' 9th Annual Calendar Photo Contest had opened. During this event, FAC will collect photos that showcase individual community's exclusive beauty and attractions to be featured in their 2022 calendar. This year's theme is "Let's Get Active".

"One of the best things about living in Florida is the ability to enjoy the outdoors all year long. Florida is an international treasure when it comes to outdoor activities and after a year of quarantine, we're ready to see how people get active in your county. Is it fishing? Football? Kayaking? Tennis? Cycling? Hiking or Running? The sky is the limit, so let's get active, Florida". -Florida Association of Counties.

FAC announced today that 14 out of 67 counties have submitted photos already, including Nassau County. If you haven't submitted photos yet, it's not too late! Entries will be accepted until Friday, September 3rd.

The contest is open to photographers of all levels and there are no limits on the number of photos you can submit. Photos must be at least 3,000 pixels/300 DPI and in JPEG Format. Submit photos directly to FAC by clicking here.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer