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MINUTES <br />ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH <br />June 22, 2011 <br />Board of Health Minutes Transcription completed by Lisa Smith June 22, 2011 5 <br /> <br />some of the same data points contained in this report through its four year cycle of <br />community assessment. Orange County is currently gathering data for a new community <br />assessment that will be completed December 1. <br /> <br /> Most of the achievements in Orange County’s health rankings can be attributed to the <br />strong partnerships that exist between school systems, UNC Health Care System, UNC, <br />non-profit agencies, the business community, and governments. One place all of these <br />partners come together is through Healthy Carolinians of Orange County. These <br />partners collaborate to address high priority health issues for county residents. The <br />current focus issues are mental health services, prevention of child abuse and neglect, <br />reducing obesity in children, and improving access to health services. There will be an <br />opportunity for county residents to select new priorities this summer for the next four <br />years as a result of the community assessment data currently being gathered. <br /> <br /> Despite being higher in rankings overall, there are areas for improvement. The lowest <br />scores for Orange County were in physical environment factors that contribute to health. <br />These measures were ozone and particular matter days in 2006 and access to healthy <br />foods and access to recreational areas (2008). Work has already occurred in these <br />areas and this is an indicator that more work is needed. The availability of multiple <br />farmers’ markets across the county and the growing movement to start and foster <br />community gardens has continued to improve access to healthy foods. This also may <br />provide new opportunities for economic development of full service groceries in areas of <br />the county that have limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables. <br /> <br /> The Department will include the data from these rankings into the overall data collection <br />for the community health assessment and work with partners to develop a community <br />health improvement plan that will move Orange County toward meeting national <br />standards for health. <br /> <br />d. Media Clips <br /> <br /> Media clips of current events relating to the Health Department and its activities were <br />provided for information. <br /> <br />e. Pending and Recurring Items <br /> <br /> Pending and recurring items are regularly included to identify upcoming agenda items. T <br /> <br />VII. Board Comments/Announcements <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />