Improving Camden County’s Health:

It’s Not Just About Health Care

Presentation to: Camden Roundtable

Presented by: Diane Z. Weems, M.D.

Cristina Gibson, MPH

Date: February 15, 2016

What is Public Health?

To protect the lives of all Georgians by:

1. Preventing disease

2. Promoting health and well-being

3. Preparing for and responding to disasters from

a health perspective

Georgia Department of

Public Health Mission

18 public health

districts

159 health

departments

159 county boards of

health

9.6 million Georgians

Georgia’s Public Health Districts

Public Health Programs

Environmental Health

Environmental health is the branch of public health that is

concerned with all aspects of the natural and built environment

that may affect human health.

Environmental Health is the practice of protecting humans from

the environment and protecting the environment from humans.

Major Environmental Health

Programs

• Food Service

• Tourist Accommodations

• Public Swimming Pools

• On-Site Sewage

• Rabies Control

Other EH Programs

• Body art

• Indoor air

• Mosquito-borne diseases

• Lead program

• Chemical hazards

• Well water

Emergency Preparedness &

Response The mission of public health emergency preparedness and

response is to assure the health and well being of the

individuals and communities by preparing for, responding to,

and recovering from events of public health significance.

Emergency Preparedness focuses on:

• Anticipating potential emergencies.

• Developing appropriate plans to address emergencies.

• Building needed relationships.

• Training and exercising established plans.

•Providing timely and accurate public information.

Emergency Preparedness &

Response

Thunderstorms • Hurricanes

Floods • Tornadoes

SARS • Avian Flu

2009 H1N1 • Ebola

Port Accidents • Wild Fire

Industrial Accidents

Biological Agents • Chemical Agents

Radiation Nuclear • Explosive

Weather

Accidents

Diseases

Intentional

Clinical Programs

• Women’s health

• Children’s Special Services

• STD and HIV

• TB program

• Immunizations and vaccinations

WIC

Infants and Children age 1 to 5 years

(including foster children)

• Pregnant Women

• Breastfeeding Mothers (up to 1 year)

• Postpartum Women (up to 6

months)

WIC Provides special checks to buy healthy foods from WIC-

authorized vendors (milk, eggs, bread, cereal, juice, peanut butter,

and more); information about nutrition and health to help families

eat well and be healthy; support and information about

breastfeeding; and help in finding health care and other community

services.

WIC is a federally-funded supplemental nutrition program

for:

Epidemiology

• Conducting active and passive surveillance to detect diseases and adverse

health conditions.

• Investigating reports of acute diseases and outbreaks.

• Recommending appropriate prevention measures, treatment, and control.

• Monitoring and investigating reports of unusual health conditions.

• Conducting data analyses and disseminating information from

surveillance systems.

• Providing guidance for healthcare professionals, facilities, and other

agencies and organizations regarding disease prevention and control.

• Responding to disease-related inquiries from residents, healthcare

providers, and others.

Epidemiology conducts surveillance for the occurrence of

diseases and other health conditions.

Epidemiological activities include:

The Adolescent Health and Youth

Development (AHYD) program is focused on

enhancing the skills and improve the health

status of adolescents. The program strives to

provide all youth ages 10 – 19 with the skills

to be healthy, safe, educated and

employable. AHYD programs and services

provide a network of support to help

adolescents build the skills to live healthier

lives and to reduce risky behaviors that will

last into adulthood.

Adolescent Health & Youth

Development

Chronic Disease Prevention:

Promoting Healthy Behaviors

• Smoke-Free

Living

• Healthy Eating

• Regular Physical

Activity

• Healthy

Communities

Leading* Causes of Death, Georgia Number of Deaths 2009-2013

7,167

7,204

8,361

9,877

10,210

17,928

18,055

19,375

77,740

79,083

0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000 80,000 90,000

Influenza and Pneumonia

Septicemia

Kidney Disease

Diabetes

Alzheimer's Disease

Unintentional Injury

Stroke

Chronic Lower Respiratory Diseases

Cancers

Diseases of Heart

Number of Deaths

* Cause categories are the National Centers for Health Statistics (NCHS), rankable causes of deaths applied to Georgia.

Source: Georgia Department of Public Health, Office of Health Indicators for Planning (OHIP), OASIS Dashboard http://oasis.state.ga.us

Leading Actual Causes of Death*, Georgia

470

537

805

1,207

1,543

2,079

2,348

10,196

12,141

0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 14,000

Illicit drug use

Sexual behavior

Firearms

Motor vehicle

Toxic agents

Microbial agents

Alcohol

Poor diet & physical inactivity

Tobacco

Number of deathsSource: Georgia Department of Public Health, Vital Records Death File, 2006 – Based on methodology by Foege

and McGinnis.

Deaths & Death Rates,

Major Cardiovascular Diseases 2014 Deaths Death Rates

Georgia 22,454 222.4

Bryan 56 165.2

Camden 108 207.6

Chatham 703 248.1

Effingham 108 194.9

Glynn 225 273.8

Liberty 97 148.8

Long 33 192.8

McIntosh 22 175.9

Deduplicated Hospital

Discharges & Rates, Diabetes 2014 Discharges Discharge Rate

Georgia 13,770 136.4

Bryan 41 120.9

Camden 40 76.9

Chatham 506 178.6

Effingham 78 140.7

Glynn 130 158.2

Liberty 79 121.2

Long 22 128.6

McIntosh 18 126.6

Diabetes Educators/DSMES Programs

by County Diabetes Educators DSMES Programs

Georgia - 92

Bryan 1 0

Camden 0 1

Chatham 15 2

Effingham 0 0

Glynn 2 1

Liberty 2 0

Long 0 0

McIntosh 0 0

Diabetes Challenges

• Neighborhood

environments not

encouraging of healthy

behaviors

• Lack of diabetes

education resources

• Lack of local diabetes

treatment and

management centers

Burden of Tobacco Use

Expenses

• $5 billion in direct &

indirect healthcare costs

(GA)

• Costs employers:

$5,800/tobacco-using

employee

• Cost to the pack-a-day

smoker (on cigarettes):

$1,825/year

Health Effects

• 11,500 deaths in

Georgia/year

• 30% of all cancer deaths –

associated with smoking

cigarettes or other

tobacco use

• Tobacco use – responsible

for 87% of lung cancer

deaths

Adult Smoking – Coastal Health District County Health Rankings 2015

State vs. CHD County Percentage of Adults

Georgia 18

Bryan 13

Camden 24

Chatham 19

Effingham 18

Glynn 18

Liberty 26

Long *

McIntosh 29

Tobacco Challenges

• Cigarette alternatives

• State spending for

tobacco prevention &

control, tobacco tax

• Scarcity of tobacco

quitters support group

• Expense of nicotine

replacement therapy

and/or cessation

programs

$0.37

Protective Factors vs. Tobacco

Policies & Cessation Support

• 100% Tobacco-Free Schools Policies

• 100% Tobacco-Free Campus Policies

• Smoke-Free Ordinances (City of Savannah, Chatham County, City of Pooler)

• Free smoking cessation classes offered at all CHD Health Departments

• Georgia Tobacco Quit Line: 2 weeks supply of NRT (patches or gum)

Opportunities for Physical Activity

Community Gardens

We Need YOU! Community Health Improvement Plan

• Health issues with

significant impact to

Camden identified through

a Community Health

Needs Assessment

• Health Priorities (Problem

Statements) & related

goals identified

• Vision for Camden County:

a community in which all

families lead happy,

healthy, productive lives

Problem Statements • Camden residents face barriers in access to

medical, dental & mental health care

• The high level of obesity in Camden increases risks to health

• Camden’s most vulnerable populations are at risk because of poverty and other social factors that affect their well-being

• Increase the proportion of Camden residents who have at least a high school diploma and both basic and health literacy skills

• According to County Health Rankings, 17% of Camden adults binge drink

• Safety issues and risk taking affect the health & well-being of Camden families

• County Health Rankings reports that 22% of Camden residents smoke.

More information about the Coastal Health District and

health departments within the district can be found at

gachd.org.

Twitter: @coastalhealth91

Instagram: @coastalhealth91

Facebook: coastalgeorgiapublichealth

You Tube: TheCOASTALHD

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