Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
Colleen Bridger said this is going really well, and staff is excited about the progress <br /> there. She said there has been great participation from town staff and businesses in Chapel <br /> Hill. She said staff got a later start in Chapel Hill, so the awareness numbers are a little lower, <br /> but this will change. <br /> Chair Jacobs said there will be a National Mayors' conference in Chapel Hill in August, <br /> and he encouraged the BOH to have literature available for that conference. <br /> Commissioner Price asked how staff would rate Orange County's work in substance <br /> abuse and mental health. <br /> Corey Davis said it is a serious and complicated problem, and there is only so much <br /> that the health department can do with their limited resources. He said for the County, this is <br /> less about providing primary mental health services and more about ensuring that linkages are <br /> in place, and residents are aware of what is out there and are able to access it. <br /> Colleen Bridger said right now staff is trying to make sure there are as many available <br /> access points to services. She said the goal is to have a dynamic system that makes services <br /> available wherever you are located. <br /> Commissioner Price asked if there has been an increase in substance abuse in Orange <br /> County, or any increases in use at certain ages. <br /> Colleen Bridger said data on substance abuse is hard, but staff has asked questions of <br /> high school and middle students. She said there has been an increase in students who report <br /> having used illegal substances. She said this has to be used as a proxy for the County, <br /> because there is not a comprehensive database about this in Orange County. She said if <br /> more services were available there would be no shortage of people to serve. <br /> Paul Chelminski said he is the doctor on the BOH. He said the most ominous <br /> development nationally is an epidemic on heroin overdoses. He said this occurred at the same <br /> time as decrease in prescription drugs. He said if this begins to happen in Orange County, it <br /> would need to be addressed quickly. He does not want the community to be caught by <br /> surprise. <br /> Tony Whittaker said physical health and mental health are very integrated, but the care <br /> systems are not integrated, which creates a disparity in response. He said the BOH is trying to <br /> deal with this. <br /> 3. Addressinq Child Poverty in Oranqe County <br /> Colleen Bridger presented the following PowerPoint slides: <br /> Child Poverty in Orange County <br /> A Public Health Approach to Building a Pipeline to Success <br /> Orange County—A Snapshot (graph) <br /> Child Poverty Related Indicators (chart) <br /> Poverty Matters (chart) <br /> ACEs: Why childhood intervention matters <br /> • The Adverse Childhood Experiences Score is an aggregate measure of 10 early <br /> traumatic experiences. <br /> • These events are far more common than expected and many of these experiences are <br /> disproportionately experience by those in poverty. <br /> ABUSE <br /> NEGLECT <br /> HOUSEHOLD DYSFUNCTION <br />