Agenda - 01-21-2010 - Information Item

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Sheriff's Office, the Red Cross, Orange County Public Health Reserve Corps and CERT volunteers, and various County Government offices. See the website for the latest vaccination information http://www.co.orange. nc.us/health/ Pertussis Pertussis, also known as `whooping cough' is a bacterial disease characterized by uncontrollable coughing. Local Pertussis cases, particularly in school settings, required intense investigation and follow-up this past year. From November 2008 through June 2009, 26 confirmed Pertussis cases were reported, and 900 contacts were notified to receive recommended or required antibiotic treatment. Emergency Preparedness Public Health Reserve Corp (PHRC) and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Large-scale public health emergencies, like the 2009 flu pandemic, may quickly overwhelm the Health Department's primary health and medical responders. Hence, it is important to have a reserve of volunteers who can help meet local health needs after a disaster, either natural or man-made. The Public Health Reserve Corps (PHRC) is one of the Orange County Health Department's community-based volunteer programs. The PHRC consists of health professionals and other community members with specialized skills that strengthen the Health Department's ability to respond to local public health emergencies. Currently, there are 323 PHRC volunteers and 176 CERT volunteers. The volunteer program is constantly being expanded by offering more training opportunities for volunteers and outreach to community members. Various preparedness efforts are underway. The CERT program is another volunteer based program sponsored by the Health Dept and Orange County Emergency Services which provides training to community members to prepare them for an emergency if first responders are delayed or unavailable. CERT volunteers learn basic preparedness skills to help out their family and neighbors. CERT training was provided to various teams in Orange County including Sports Endeavors, which was the first Business CERT in Orange County. The CERT program also became involved with several Cub Scout and Boy Scout troops to teach emergency preparedness and first aid. PHRC nurses and other volunteers assisted with various vaccination clinics; and the PHRC and CERT programs participated in multiple community outreach projects, such as the Safety Saturday event in September sponsored by Lowe's Home Improvement to distribute emergency preparedness information to families and community members. Diabetes Self Management Education Local data show that many Orange County residents with type 2 diabetes are not receiving the necessary care and education to effectively manage their disease. The 2006 Orange County Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) estimated that only 55% of those diagnosed with type 2 diabetes had taken a program in diabetes management. This equates to 2,305 county residents who have been diagnosed but not received education on how to manage their disease. To address this issue, the Health Department received atwo-year grant from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust to start a Diabetes Self Management Education (DSME) program. This award came after the Health Department's acceptance to provide DSME as a multisite under the `umbrella' of the N.C. Division of Public Health's American Diabetes Association Recognition Program. In September the Health Department began offering the DSME program to Orange County adults who have type 2 diabetes. Research shows that DSME improves diabetes knowledge and self-care behavior, as well blood glucose numbers, weight loss, and overall quality of life. The DSME program's goal is to achieve better self management of diabetes, increase access to care through an active treatment and referral network, improve health outcomes, and reduce healthcare costs. The program consists of four elements: 7