Agenda 04-01-2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Attachment 5: BOMBOH Joint 04/01/04 FINAL DRAFT that there are significant health disparities between minority populations and the white population. While Orange County boasts one of the highest median incomes in the state, we also have one of the highest rates of poverty in the Triangle area. The issue of health disparities is not unique to this county, however in a county with health statistics that present a picture of good health overall, it is of heightened, concern. (include graph comparing quality of life indicators by race ?) This summary will provide a brief snapshot of ten areas of celebration and ten areas of concern for Orange County. The areas of concern will require a total community commitment to affect change. They tend to be complex issues that have deep tendrils in many facets of our lives. To find out how you can become involved in the change, please contact the Coordinator of Healthy Carolinians of Orange County at 968 -2022 ext 291. Committees and work groups are currently being formed to address the top ten areas of concern. Healthy Carolinians needs community participation to find creative solutions so that all Orange County residents can choose health as their first priority. Areas of celebration: • Low heart disease death rates. Orange County already has a lower death rate than the Healthy Carolinians heart disease objective for 2010. The death rate in Orange County is 190.7 per 100,000 and the statewide objective for 2010 is 219.8 deaths per 100,000. This can, in large part, be attributed to an excellent health care system that has active screening, treatment, and aftercare programs. UNC Hospital's Cardiac Rehabilitation program has been very successful in providing aftercare and secondary prevention measures for those with heart conditions. Heart disease is still the leading cause of hospitalization in the county. While this data is clear cause for celebration, there are disparities even in this success as minorities experience higher death rates than whites do. • Extremely low teen pregnancy rates. The 2002 rate of teen pregnancy in Orange County for young women ages 15 -19 was 23.1 per 1000 compared to the state rate of 64.1. Only one other county in North Carolina reported a lower rate. Despite this good news, there were still 114 pregnancies among women 18 or younger in the year 2002, including 6 pregnancies to girls ages 12- 14. Again, there are significant disparities between whites and minorities with a four- fold difference in pregnancy rates. Several area programs are working to prevent teen pregnancy such as Teens Climb High at the Women's Center and the Teen Talk peer education program through Planned Parenthood. The Adolescent Parenting Program through DSS works with teen mothers to help them stay in school and avoid second pregnancies. • Excellent educational systems. Nearly half of Orange County residents possess a bachelor's degree or higher compared to a 20% national average. This is in large part due to the presence of UNC at Chapel