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<br />Attachment 1
<br />Health Services/Treatment Trends
<br />During 2004-05 Orange County employees utilized a variety of hospital services in inpatient
<br />and outpatient settings. Services and treatment included:
<br />^ In the inpatient hospital setting, pregnancies were the most frequent cause of admission
<br />to the hospital, but still remained below NCACC averages, Excluding pregnancy, the
<br />most frequent cause of hospital admission was circulatory disease. The most common
<br />diagnosis was hardening of the arteries, The most common procedure performed was
<br />coronary artery dialation (i,e, angioplasty),
<br />^ In the outpatient hospital setting, the most frequent diagnoses included screenings for
<br />breast cancer, diabetes, respiratory system/other chest systems (chest pain), joint
<br />disorders (knees, shculders, etc,), and symptoms involving the head/neck. Services
<br />also included several types of diagnostic procedures such as pathology, CT Scans,
<br />MRIs and Colonoscopies.
<br />^ In the hospital emergency room the most frequent diagnoses included respiratory/chest
<br />symptoms (i,e, chest pain), abdominal symptoms, general symptoms (i,e. nausea,
<br />headache, fever, fatigue, etc.), soft tissue disorders (e.g. muscle spasms, limb pain),
<br />and neck/back sprains.
<br />^ In examining the types of prescriptions utilized by Orange County, cardiac drugs were
<br />the most widely prescribed, while psychotherapeutic drugs were the costliest (since
<br />largely there is no generic equivalent for these drugs).
<br />Employee Wellness Program Update
<br />During 2004-05, County staff initiated development of an employee wellness program
<br />through a collaboration among the Health Department, Personnel, Blue Cross and the
<br />NCACC, The mission is to offer a wellness program to all employees that will improve
<br />heath and productivity, establish an overall work environment that promotes good health
<br />and a positive work attitude and, over the long term, may help reduce absenteeism and
<br />health care costs.
<br />At the May 17, 2005, Board of Commissioners' meeting, the Board endorsed the County's
<br />grant application for funding from the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners
<br />(NCACC) Risk Management Pocl to help support the planned Employee Wellness
<br />Program. The County submitted the grant in May, 2005, The NCACC grant review board
<br />plans to review the County's application when it next meets on September 21. Since the
<br />grant status still is pending, the County decided to take initial steps to implement the
<br />employee wellness program working within the current funds available,
<br />In June 2005, the County appointed a wellness coordinator and formed the wellness
<br />implementation team made up of employees in key departments such as Health,
<br />Personnel, Aging and Recreation and Parks. Working in collaboration with representatives
<br />from the Blue Cross Employer Health Partnerships (EHP Blue) program, this team began
<br />designing and planning specific wellness program activities, Some of these planned
<br />
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