For more information, contact the Health Officer, Dr. Virginia Bailey, at 410-996-5550.
On October 25, 2006, Kenneth Collins joined the Health Department as the Director of the Division of Addictions. Mr. Collins has over 17 years of experience in the substance abuse services field. His most recent position had been as Executive Director of SODAT-Delaware, a private non-profit agency in Wilmington that offers an array of substance abuse services similar to those of the Health Department.
In October, the Alcohol and Drug Center's adolescent team resumed its participation in the Maryland Student Assistance Program (MSAP) by providing substance abuse screenings within Cecil County Public Schools for referred students. Screening helps identify potential substance abuse problems as close to onset as possible. MSAP counselors then recommend appropriate services for the students. In addition, staff counselors resumed the Life Skills Program for at-risk children at Elkton and Rising Sun Middle Schools.
Between October and December 2006, 493 patients were active in Alcohol and Drug Center programs. The Center provided 2,791 visits during the quarter, including 215 assessments. During this quarter, 54 patients received a satisfactory discharge.
The Medical Transportation Program provided 2,180 trips, 247 wheelchair trips, and 52 ambulance transports during the quarter. Coordinated transports between the County Transit Office and the Health Department began in October. During the quarter, the Health Department transported 28 County Transit clients and County Transit transported 14 Health Department clients. The coordinated transports have eliminated the need to dispatch vehicles from both agencies to the same locale simultaneously.
Birth and death certificates may be ordered on-line at www.cecilcountyhealth.org. The vital records unit issued 599 birth certificates and 713 death certificates during the quarter.
The Maryland Children's Health Insurance Program (MCHP) completed 418 new applications for children, 109 new applications for pregnant women, and 479 redeterminations during the quarter. A new Federal law requiring MCHP applicants to submit proof of identity and citizenship was implemented September 1, 2006. All new applicants are required to provide this documentation to receive MCHP health insurance benefits. Current recipients will be required to provide the proof of identity and citizenship with their annual renewal application. This change has resulted in a 7% decrease in approved applications from the same period last year, due to clients' difficulty in providing documentation within the required time. As of December 31, 2006, program staff were working to assist fifty-six applicants, who have either lost existing coverage or been denied coverage for not providing citizenship and identity documents, to obtain this documentation. As documentation is obtained, caseworkers reprocess the applications.
On November 16, 2006 (Great American Smokeout Day) the Health Department implemented a smoke free campus policy. Smoking is prohibited on the entire Health Department campus.
The Children with Special Health Care Needs Program supports families of children and young adults ages birth to 21 who have diagnoses ranging from asthma to cerebral palsy that require on-going medical care and specialized services. The program's primary goal is to assist these families with access to care and to ensure that children have a medical home - a primary care provider who coordinates the child's total health care and is aware of the full range of services needed by and provided to the child and family. Transportation, locating specialty care, and navigating a complicated health care system are just a few of the issues that program staff helps families resolve. Home visits, connections to multiple resources, and representation and support during school Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings are offered if needed.
All parents of infants born at Union Hospital are sent educational materials and a questionnaire to help identify and provide outreach to families of children with special needs. Children may also be referred by physicians and other nearby hospitals. The Children with Special Health Care Needs Program works closely with both the Infants and Toddlers and the Developmental Disabilities Programs to provide continuity of care and prevent duplication of services. A resource list, on the Health Department web site, contains information about a variety of organizations that offer services for children with special health care needs.
During the quarter, 24 children received advocacy or case management, 53 children that failed hearing tests at Union Hospital were referred to the program for follow up, and 108 families of newborns received educational materials and questionnaires.
During calendar year 2006, a total of 91 animal specimens were submitted to the State Health Department Laboratory for rabies testing, including 45 cats, 16 dogs, 12 raccoons, 9 bats, 2 foxes, 2 groundhogs, 2 opossums, 2 squirrels and 1 skunk. Of these, 7 tested positive for rabies - 5 raccoons, 1 skunk and 1 cat. This compares to 81 specimens submitted for testing in 2005, of which 11 tested positive for rabies.
There were 234 reported animal bites in 2006, compared to 264 in 2005. Post-exposure rabies treatment was administered to 12 people in 2006, mainly due to bites by stray dogs or cats which were unavailable for quarantine or testing.
By late November, the Department's water table monitoring wells indicated that shallow groundwater tables were in the normal wet season range. Those citizens who had applied for seasonal soil testing last year and were unable to have their properties tested when wet season testing was cancelled at the end of March due to dry conditions, were contacted and allowed to test in early December. Shallow groundwater tables remained in the normal wet season range at the end of December and seasonal soil testing will continue after January 1, 2007.
Twenty-three School Tobacco Use Prevention Coordinators have been trained to implement four school-wide tobacco prevention activities in each public school. The training reviewed the Cigarette Restitution Fund Program Grant and outlined several effective tobacco use prevention activities. The Division of Health Promotion also conducted trainings for preschool programs, which included 14 Public Preschool teachers and 15 at-home daycare providers. Training participants were educated about the importance of tobacco use prevention, the dangers of secondhand smoke exposure, and cessation resources available in Cecil County. Each preschool teacher will implement the new preschool tobacco use prevention curriculum "We Wonder; We Don't Smoke" in the next six months.
In honor of the "Great American SmokeOut" on November 16, 2006, activities were conducted to raise awareness of the dangers of tobacco use and promote tobacco use prevention and cessation. The "Great American SmokeOut" banner was displayed on the Health Department's building to encourage staff and visitors to be smoke free for the day or to encourage someone in their quitting attempt. A stop smoking program entitled "Learn to Be Tobacco Free" was held for the general public on November 2, 9 and 16, 2006 at the Health Department. The Health Department also collaborated with all six Cecil County Public Libraries and Union Hospital to present a Great American SmokeOut display with educational materials and pledge cards, reaching library and hospital visitors with a message of tobacco use prevention and cessation.
The Sixth Annual Highway Safety and Drug Enforcement Conference was held on November 15, 2006, for elected officials, local businesses, community organizations, and law enforcement agencies. The conference provided essential information about strategies and funding to address the two topics of highway safety and tobacco use prevention in Cecil County. The conference included presentations on the Cecil County highway safety areas that enforcement and educational efforts will focus on for the up-coming year, and on traffic safety concerns at train crossings.
The HIV Counseling, Testing and Referral Program, established by the Maryland AIDS Administration, offers anonymous and confidential HIV testing in all Maryland counties and Baltimore City. The program provides education and risk reduction counseling as well as HIV testing and post test counseling. Clients may also receive screening for Hepatitis B and C and syphilis. During this quarter 133 clients were tested at the Health Department.
As of December 31st, 2951 doses of injectable flu vaccine and 3285 doses of intranasal flu vaccine (FluMistŪ) were administered.
The Office of Epidemiology and Emergency Preparedness (OEEP) coordinated the Health Department's participation in the Maryland Elementary School Influenza Vaccination Project. By December 2006, the first round of influenza vaccinations were completed in all Cecil County Public Elementary Schools and two private schools. Two thousand two hundred and seventy-six first round doses of FluMistŪ were given.
OEEP continued to further emergency preparedness efforts by conducting pandemic influenza planning meetings to create a county pandemic flu response plan. Coordinating with the Cecil County Homeland Emergency Response Committee (HERC), the Health Department hosted a total of 13 pandemic influenza subcommittee planning meetings. Included in the subcommittee meetings were representatives from private business, healthcare, education, government, legal and law enforcement.
The Division coordinated and provided nursing staff for four outreach flu clinics serving two high risk populations. Two clinics were at Cecil County senior centers and two clinics took place at centers for individuals with developmental disabilities.
The Mental Health Core Service Agency (CSA) conducted a presentation related to child and adolescent mental health services for the Pupil Personnel Workers employed by the Cecil County Public Schools. The Mentoring Program has fourteen (14) children actively meeting with their mentors and three (3) are on the wait list. CSA staff worked with the Department of Social Services to plan and implement Cecil County's first Homeless Summit held in October. The Residential Rehabilitation Program (RRP) has thirty-seven (37) beds occupied and twenty-five (25) consumers on the wait list.
The Developmental Disabilities Program received twenty-two (22) new referrals and now has 397 active clients. Program staff collaborated with Cecil County Public Schools to plan and conduct a successful Transition Night educational session to give special education students and their families an opportunity to talk with staff from agencies they may need to work with as they age out of public schools and into adult life.
The Adult Evaluation and Review Services (AERS) conducted seventy-nine (79) visits this quarter to assist health impaired adults develop plans of care to provide needed services in the least restrictive care setting.