The scope of that work will be revealed in a comprehensive annual report which is in the final stages of completion and will be presented to county commissioners as well as published online and on social media, she said.
The rebranding came about because of a change in public health, she said. “It's more a cultural change. Public health is changing and the county had to keep up. We had to reinvent ourselves. Our motto is public health matters. Public health is the reason we have safe drinking water, it's the reason food we eat in restaurants is safe, it's the reason we've seen a decline in infant mortality, and longer lifespans.”
Public health, she said, is something everyone uses, even if they don't step foot in the clinic in Halifax.
The rebranding has worked, she said. “We're in a very good place. We're hearing more of a buzz, we're making more of an impact, more of a presence. We're making the invisible visible. We're reinvesting in the community.”
Under the umbrella of the public health system are a myriad of services and programs, many with new initiatives for 2015.
The services provided by the system include environmental health, animal control, the health department and clinical services and home health and hospice.
Environmental health includes restaurant inspections, matters related to well and septic systems, childhood lead investigations and public health preparedness and the bioterrorism program.
The health department and clinical services has close to 40 programs it oversees in addition to home health and hospice.
“It runs from infancy to adulthood,” she said, with focuses on immunization, nutrition, social work, and preventive services.
One of the programs, Coordinated Approach to Child Health, is incorporated in all three school systems to emphasize good nutrition and increase physical activity. The system hopes to see that trickle over to family members. “We're building on the Roanoke Valley Health Initiative,” she said.
Another program started last February is the Promoting Positive Parenting Program, which is commonly called Triple P. It is a program that is in partnership with Northampton and Hertford counties. “We're trying to help parents build their skills.”
Burns said she is seeking grant funding, specifically a CDC grant, to start a teen pregnancy prevention program modeled after a successful endeavor in Gaston County. “We need more efforts, more parental involvement, more comprehensive sex education programs in the school systems as well as community engagement and awareness.”
The program comes on the heels of community input given through five teen pregnancy community forums
Halifax currently ranks 13th in the state teen pregnancy rate. Northampton is seventh and Edgecombe is third. “It's something that affects all of us, our taxes, our unemployment and education. Teen pregnancy is directly correlated to health, poverty the unemployment rate, the retention rate and dropout rate. It puts more of a burden on everyone. It's not just a teen issue, it's a community issue,” Burns said.
Upcoming in March is a Cooking Matters in the Store program to help focus on the obesity problem and better nutrition among low-income families. “It teaches them to shop healthier on a budget. “It's going to focus on cooking and shopping healthy on a budget,” Burns said. “It's about buying in-season, weighing items with the weights in the store.”
Burns said the program will also focus on clipping coupons, reading and understanding food labels. In partnership with the Interfaith Food Shuttle and Food Lion, it will ultimately show how with a $10 gift card, a family of four can eat healthy.
The system will also be starting breastfeeding classes.
“I'm hoping by March to unveil the breastfeeding program,” Burns said, the program targeting high-risk populations. “Not breastfeeding is correlated to chronic diseases.”
She said not breastfeeding can reduce the chances of having a healthier baby. “Breast-fed have babies have less chances of childhood obesity and adult obesity.”
The system has a breastfeeding pier counselor and Rural Health has a counselor. “We are working together to promote breastfeeding with Halifax Regional as well as the breastfeeding task force.”
This program is in conjunction with Northampton and Warren counties as well as various partners, she said.
In animal control, the health system has just entered into a contract with Rainbow Rescue to open an animal rescue and adoption center using the auxiliary shelter on Dog Pound Road off Highway 903 near the Rural Life Center. An official event announcing the partnership is planned in March.
Home Health and Hospice has on average 300 patients a monthly and with unduplicated patients the number is 650 “We provide end of life of care. We want them to be as comfortable as they can be.”
Home health is offered for every age, not just the elderly. It could be someone who has had surgery and is in need of home health.”
Before the rebranding, Burns said there was a disconnect between healthcare providers in the county. Now there is a partnership. “We're working with Halifax Regional and Rural Health. No one can do it by themselves. We are a team.”
