Orange County NC Website
MINUTES <br />ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH <br /> May 23, 2018 <br />S:\Managers Working Files\BOH\Agenda & Abstracts\2018 Agenda & Abstracts/ May Page 4 <br />The dashboards are published yearly and posted on the website. Some of the highlights from <br />the topics they presented on are as follows: <br /> <br />• Drug and High School substance use decreased from 2015 to 2017 <br />• Orange County saw more than 400 ED visits related to Medication/Drug poisoning in <br />2017. More than a quarter of these were related to opioids, heroin, or benzodiazepines <br />(25.4%). <br />• Orange County is ranked #1 (best) in the state when it comes to the number of Opioid <br />prescriptions (.52) or pills prescribed per resident (34.5) in 2016, which represents an <br />average. This puts Orange County on par with the lowest quartile state averages in the <br />US in 2014 (.52‐.71). <br />• While Orange County performs well compared to peers and NC when it comes to <br />chronic disease, the county has vast health disparities, particularly regarding chronic <br />diseases. Black (Non‐Hispanic) residents in Orange County die from avoidable chronic <br />diseases such as Heart Disease and Stroke at more than two times the rate of their <br />White (Non‐Hispanic) peers (77.1 vs 31.5 deaths per 100,000). <br />• Orange County consistently falls short of the nation, state, and/or peers when it comes <br />to Social Determinants of Health. In particular, affordable housing, food insecurity, and <br />income inequality are key and pressing issues for our County. 14% of children in Orange <br />County live in poverty, and 36% of students are eligible for free or reduced lunch. In <br />addition, 1 in 5 residents are experiencing serious housing problems such as <br />overcrowding or a need for repairs. Half of Orange County renters pay unaffordable <br />rates for housing at 30% or more of their income. And of those facing food insecurity, <br />40% are ineligible for SNAP benefits. <br />• The incidence of most STIs increased in 2016 for Orange County. Gonorrhea, <br />Chlamydia and HIV Infection Rates in particular are higher for Orange County than our <br />peers, and increasing at a significant rate. <br />• Alcohol related vehicle indicators showed improvement from 2015 to 2016, which was <br />identified as an area of concern on previous dashboards. Both alcohol related crash <br />rates and reported drinking and driving behaviors among youth saw a decrease. <br />However, texting and driving is rising among youth (21% in 2017, compared to 17% in <br />2015). <br />• Orange County performs well on most indicators of Maternal and Infant Health, however <br />many disparities exist for these indicators by race and ethnicity. In 2016, Orange County <br />also saw an increase in the teen pregnancy rate and % of teen pregnancies that are <br />repeat. <br /> <br />The BOH members had questions that were addressed by Ms. Young. <br /> <br /> <br />VI. Reports and Discussion with Possible Action <br /> <br />A. Strategic Plan 2018-2020 Review <br /> <br />Beverly Scurry, BOH Strategic Plan Manager, presented an overview of the updates and <br />revisions that occurred as a result of the three subcommittee (Social Determinants of Health, <br />Physical Activity & Nutrition and Substance Abuse & Mental Health) meetings. At those <br />meetings, the subcommittees provided their recommended focus areas and action steps for <br />inclusion in the 2018-2020 Board of Health Strategic Plan. The Board will vote on its approval <br />at next month’s meeting.