Orange County NC Website
March 13, 2017 <br />2017 Public Health Dashboards: Executive Summary <br />The following is a summary of the key take-away findings from this year’s public health dashboards. There are <br />10 completed dashboards, available as separate documents. For FAQs on dashboard development, visit our <br />dashboard companion document at http://www.orangecountync.gov/Public_Health_Dashboards_FAQ.pdf <br />Substance Abuse and Mental Health <br />Drug use has emerged as an issue of concern in Orange County. The drug overdose mortality rate has increased <br />from 5.7 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2014 to 7.1 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2015. Opioid overdose <br />deaths are concentrated in Hillsborough, which has a higher opioid overdose mortality rate than the county and <br />the US. Orange County ranks first (best) in the state when it comes to the number of opioid prescriptions <br />prescribed per 100 residents (52, compared to 93 for NC), putting our county on par with the best state <br />averages in the US. Opioid and benzodiazepine prescribing rates have been stable over the past 6 years. <br />However, the stimulant prescribing rate has increased from 24 prescriptions per 100 residents to 30, placing <br />Orange County 96th out of 100 counties. Stimulant prescribing rates in NC only range from 10 to 40 per 100 <br />residents, making this increasing trend significant. <br /> Smoking prevalence in Orange County is lower than peers, NC, and the US, and teens who have smoked in the <br />past 30 days decreased in Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) from 2013 to 2015. However, new <br />indicators at the county level show higher rates of e-vapor use than smoking trends overall. In 2015, nearly half <br />of all NC high school students (49%) reported having tried an electronic vapor product, while more than a <br />quarter reported using these products currently (30%). In Orange County, more than a third of HS students <br />(CHCCS) have tried e-vapor products (37%), and nearly 1 in 5 students is a current user of e-vapor products <br />(18%). <br /> Access to mental health services is reported as a priority concern by residents and subject matter experts alike. <br />In Orange County, hospitalization records from 2009-2015 demonstrate the percentage of visits due to mental <br />health for youth 0-24 years is increasing as a proportion of all mental health visits (an increase from around 18% <br />to 24% of all mental health visits). <br />Chronic Disease and Physical Activity, Nutrition <br /> Orange County performs well on most chronic disease indicators compared to NC, the US, peers, and available <br />target values. However, prevalence of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes has <br />increased in the last decade. While death rates appear to be stable for deaths due to diseases of the heart from <br />2013-2015, the death rate due to diabetes has increased from 11.4 deaths per 100,000 people in 2013 to nearly <br />15 deaths per 100,000 people in 2015. Breast cancer mortality has been on a declining trend from 2013-2015; <br />however, breast cancer incidence has been steadily rising from around 160 new cases/100k in 2013-2014, to 180 <br />new cases per 100,000 in 2015. Lung cancer and prostate cancer incidence rates have also been declining <br />during this time period, while mortality for each remains the same. <br /> Hospital discharge rates for asthma increased significantly from 2013 to 2014, for both adults and children. The <br />overall discharge rate increased from 45 patients per 100,000 to 80 patients per 100,000. Similarly, child <br />discharge rates (0-14) for asthma increased from 76 patients per 100,000 to 115 patients per 100,000. While <br />this represents a significant increase, discharge data alone does not illustrate the full picture on if patients are <br />receiving quality preventative care and continuation of care to decrease re-admittance rates. More data are <br />needed on re-admittance rates for hospitals. <br />