Agenda - 03-19-1985 - Laserfiche WebLink

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2 7. Environmental Health: Services to promote public health and protect the environment through enforcement of State and local regulations, Services include: inspections, consultatons, evaluations, educationsand enforcement I ' measures in the areas of Milk Quality, Private Water Supplies/Wells, Indivi- dual Sewage Disposal, Food, Lodging and Institutional Sanitation, Public Swimming Pools, and Solid Waste and Rodent Control. Fees are charged for services in well installations and individual sewage disposal system installa- tions. 8. Animal Control/Rabies Prevention: Enforces State and local regulations re- - garding animal control and rabies prevention. Services include: organization of rabies vaccination clinics for dogs and cats with the cooperation of local veterinarians, investigation of animal nuisance complaints; picking-up stray, unwanted, sick or injured animals; investigation and follow-up of all reported animal bites; quarantine of suspect rabid animals; and public education. 9. Health Education; Services provided by all staff in all public health program areas to promote health and enable patients and individuals in the community to make informed health-related decisions and adopt healthier lifestyles. Services include: patient education/counseling, printed health education ma- terials, mass media/public service announcements, health information, school and community health education programs, public speaking, and technical assis- tance in identifying public health problems, planning and implementing pro- grams to address public health/health needs. 10. Vital Records: Registers all births and deaths occurring in the County in accordance with State law. Issuance of certified copies as an outstation of the Register of Dees. Fee for certificates: $3.00. COMMUNITY CONDITIONS EFFECTING NEED FOR DEPARTMENT SERVICES: The primary public health concerns of Orange County forty-five years ago were communicable and vector-borne diseases and child health problems. Lack of immunizations, poor personal hygiene and sanitation, poor nutrition, contaminated food, milk and water, inadequate medical care, and public health ignorance contri- buted to the health problems of the day. The immunization clinics, sanitation inspections, public health/school health nursing services and other programs of the Health Department focused on the control of communicable diseases. • ' Conditions in Orange County today are much better than they were in 1939. • Improved individual nutrition and public sanitation, widespread immunization, and a better educated population have helped to improve the general health of the pop- ulace of Orange County and control many of the dangerous outbreaks of communicable disease. Economic and commercial growth around Orange County, as well as growth of the University of North Carolina at Chapel contributed to a growing population in the county. The traditional concerns of public health (communicable disease control, environmental health/sanitation, and maternal and child health) have con- tinued as a focus of the Health Department. Periodic incidences of communicable diseases, such as Hepatitis A or meningitis, have served as a reminder of the need to continue efforts to prevent and control communicable diseases. Concern about the health, economic and social consequences of teenage pregnancies, devel- opmentally delayed children, premature births, and chronic diseases with their sequelae has led, in recent years, to the development of new public health programs for health promotion and prevention.