Agenda - 01-21-2010 - Information Item

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Project Homeless Connect The Orange County Ten-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness includes Orange County and the Towns of Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough. The intergovernmental Partnership to End Homelessness is a collaborative effort, to realize the goals of the plan through implementation of identified strategies. Orange County's Department of Housing and Community Development organizes Project Homeless Connect each year to offer a range of services to people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness in Orange County. The event brings together human service professionals and agencies from across the county. The third Annual Project Homeless Connect event was held on October 8, 2009. ~~ ~ ~ ~~ =, ~ ° _ ~"~~ . r ~- a ~ .~ ' j,~ ' .' ~ ~ ~ .s i' ,~~n..:~.:...~ c~lEt`~1•~r~`E ~,~~1NTY Project Homeless Connect events have proven13 to be successful one-stop resource links for the homeless population. The services offered include housing, employment, health care and dental screenings, mental health care, veteran and social service benefits, legal services,14 haircuts, food, clothing, and more. Partners for the event included the Town of Chapel Hill, local government/county services (including fifty Public Health Reserve Corps volunteers), UNC- Chapel Hill, Piedmont Health Service; medical and dental providers, faith based organizations, civic organizations, local businesses, Triangle United Way, among others. "Are we our Brother's Keeper?" United Voices of Efland-Cheeks, in collaboration with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Shaw University, and Orange County Health Department, continued a cardiovascular disease research study in African-American churches, entitled "Are we our Brother's Keeper?". An evaluation was conducted on the impact of scripture, sermon, prayer and song and African-American men's adherence to their cardiovascular care plan. The study is anticipated to continue through Fall 2010. Service Delivery Changes Due to the economic downturn this year, Medicaid reimbursement to medical providers was cut to help balance the State Budget. Particularly hard hit were case management services to high-risk pregnant women and children with developmental delays. A 19.4% reduction resulted in the Health Department needing to refocus services to maintain hands-and- eyes on populations at risk. Concentration will be on post-partum/newborn home visiting, skilled maternal home visits, and psycho-social counseling services. Case management services will continue at a reduced service level Current "Hot Topics" Seasonal and H1 N1 (Swine Flu) In April 2009, a new strain of influenza A virus subtype H1 N1 was first identified and began to spread globally. The outbreak reached pandemic proportions by June 2009.15 In September, the state expanded reporting for flu deaths and hospitalizations for flu-like symptoms. As the virus continued to circulate in the community, the Health Department geared up for an extra busy 2009- 2010flu season. In Fall 2009, the health department began a combination of traditional seasonal and novel H1 N1 flu vaccine initiatives, including walk-in and even mass vaccination clinics at various locations. Planning for the distribution of H1 N1 vaccine to priority groups identified by the Centers for Disease Control was particularly difficult as the amount of vaccine received varied from week to week. Nonetheless, procedures were developed and carried out to vaccinate prioritized groups. Vaccine availability is also coordinated with local medical providers to assure that practices are able to vaccinate their patients. Inf~cmation & Clinics To fully implement extensive public health initiatives such as mass vaccination clinics, acommunity-wide effort is required. For this, the Orange County Health Department works in collaboration with many partners -- such as the Orange County and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Emergency Services, the 6