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Effingham Co. to launch Planning for Healthy Babies
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The Effingham County Health Department is now participating in the Planning for Healthy Babies (P4HB) program initiated by the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH). P4HB will provide Family Planning services through the Georgia Medicaid program to women who previously did not qualify for Medicaid benefits. 
 
The focus of the program is to improve Georgia’s low birth weight (LBW) and very low birth weight (VLBW) rates.
 
According to DCH, implementation of the P4HB program will impact Georgia’s families by:
 
• Providing family planning-related services to eligible women who meet income requirements 
 
• Increasing child spacing intervals through effective contraceptive use 
 
• Reducing the number of LBW and VLBW births through access to prenatal planning, health education and vitamins 
 
• Providing access to inter-pregnancy care (IPC) services to women with a previous VLBW infant
 
“This is a wonderful program that will help provide services for the women who need it and simply cannot afford it,” said Cindy Grovenstein, R.N.,
Effingham County Health Department Nurse Manager.
 
Women must meet certain requirements in order to be eligible for the program. Applications for enrollment are available online at planning4healthybabies.org and can also be picked up at the Effingham County Health Department.
 
For more information, visit dch.georgia.gov/p4hb or call 1-877-P4H-B101 or 1-877-744-2101.

Reasons Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Should Honeymoon in Effingham County
Taylor Swift
Ebenezer Creek at Tommy Long Landing — one of Effingham County’s most peaceful spots. Imagine Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce trading paparazzi for a quiet honeymoon stroll beneath the cypress trees and Spanish moss. (Mark Lastinger / Effingham Herald)

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce could pick anywhere in the world to celebrate their engagement. Paris, the Alps, Tuscany — sure, those are nice. But if they want a honeymoon that blends small-town charm, Southern hospitality, and a dash of “Love Story,” Effingham County is the place. Here are five reasons why:

1. Romantic Strolls
Forget the Eiffel Tower. Picture Taylor and Travis walking hand-in-hand beneath the cypress trees at Ebenezer Creek or catching a Savannah River sunset. No paparazzi, no flashbulbs — just peace, Spanish moss and a soundtrack only she could write.

2. Dining Like Locals
No white tablecloths required. True love is sharing pulled pork at The Rusty Pig BBQ or passing sweet tea across the table at Ms. Jean’s Restaurant. It’s simple, it’s Southern, and it’s the kind of meal you remember more than any five-star feast.


Taylor Swift honeymoon
South Effingham High School students cheer on the Mustangs during a recent home game. A Friday night under the lights is one reason Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce would feel right at home honeymooning in Effingham County. (Birk Herrath / Effingham Herald)

3. Friday Night Lights
Travis knows stadiums, but there’s a different kind of magic under the lights at a South Effingham or Effingham County High football game. He’d feel right at home, while Taylor — guitar in hand at halftime — could turn the stands into her smallest (and loudest) stadium show yet.

4. A Swiftie Serenade
Every honeymoon needs a little surprise. For Effingham County, it would be Taylor stepping onto the stage at Springfield’s Mars Theater. The historic venue is intimate, charming and tailor-made for an “only in Effingham” concert that locals would talk about for decades.


Taylor Swift
The historic Mars Theater in Springfield would be a perfect stage for a Taylor Swift intimate concert. (File photo)

5. A Small-Town Hideaway
What do celebrities really crave after the limelight? Privacy. Effingham County offers it in spades. Here, Taylor and Travis could be just a couple in love — not a headline, not a paparazzi shot, but two newlyweds soaking up quiet moments in a place that feels like home.

Who needs the French Riviera when you’ve got fried chicken, live oaks and Friday night football? Effingham County — complete with sunsets, sweet tea and the Mars Theater — just might be the honeymoon destination America’s favorite couple didn’t know they needed.

Taylor Swift
Newly engaged Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce — do not adjust your GPS. Yes, the honeymoon hotspot we’re pitching really is Effingham County. (Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce photo)