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Klickitat County Health Department The mission of the Klickitat County Health Department is to preserve, promote and protect the health of all people residing in or visiting Klickitat County. Klickitat County Health Department 228 W Main MS CH-14 501 NE Washington PO Box 159 Goldendale, Washington 98620 White Salmon, Washington 98672 (509)773-4565 Fax (509)773-5991 (509)493-1558 Fax (509)493-4025 www.klickitatcounty.org/health ---PAGE BREAK--- Medical science develops new skills and equipment every year to treat human health conditions, and these things become progressively more miraculous, as well as expensive. However, it’s not the glamorous new machines and techniques that are primarily responsible for our increased health status and longevity. It is the simple things: hygiene, sanitation, immunizations, healthy behaviors, nutrition, safe food and drinking water, control of environmental risks, etc. These are the things that public health does. This document reports some of the activities of the Klickitat County Health Department during 2007. It is by no means a complete description of everything we do, but a glimpse at a few activities. We are very proud of the work we do, are fully committed to providing services second to none in the world, and believe we accomplish that. No local health department can be successful performing these functions in isolation; we are very dependent on many community partners, to the extent that everyone is somehow involved in public health. The mother bringing her children in for shots, the citizen notifying us of unhealthy conditions in a food establishment, the person we are help- ing with smoking cessation, the contractor working with us to assure successful operation of a septic tank drainfield, these people are all practicing public health, and we all benefit by their involvement. We’re all in this together, and the Klickitat County Health Department mission is to continue to work with you to continue to improve the health of all. We hope this report is useful to you in furtherance of that mission. Kevin Barry, Director Klickitat County Health Department PROTECTING THE HEALTH OF KLICKITAT COUNTY Communicable Disease • The Klickitat County Health Department offered a number of new vaccinations in 2007: Hepatitis A and B combination, HPV, varicella (chickenpox), rotavirus, and Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis). • Following a meningitis fatality in the community of Lyle, the Health Department screened 113 individuals for the disease and treated 64 of these preventatively. • 230 people were screened for tuberculosis, with three of these testing positive. There were 43 other cases of reportable diseases, the largest being 20 cases of chronic Hepatitis C. Environmental Health • The Health Department conducted 291 on-site sewage inspections, and completed 26 water availability reports in 2007. There were also 1,077 water samples tested for bacteria, and 123 for the presence of nitrates. • There were 133 food establishment inspections in 2007. These were unscheduled visits to restaurants to ensure that proper food handling procedures were being followed. An additional 65 inspections were conducted on food vendors who had applied for temporary food serving permits. • The Health Department continued to monitor for signs of West Nile Virus, trapping 476 mosquitoes and sending them for testing. None were positive for the disease. Additionally, 6 bird carcasses were also sent in for testing and none had West Nile Virus. Emergency Preparedness • 1,000 copies of the Emergency Resource Guide were distributed through public schools, food banks, flu clinics and county employees through the county payroll. (The Guide presents information for dealing with natural disasters, terrorist incidents and many other emergencies.) • The Health Department has partnered with state and national agencies to provide emergency preparedness information. This includes detailed information on the Department’s website on avian influenza. ---PAGE BREAK--- PROMOTING THE HEALTH OF KLICKITAT COUNTY Family Planning and Reproductive Health • Births to teens in Klickitat County were down in 2007 while an opposite trend is occurring in Washington State and the nation as a whole. Comparing 2005 data to 2006 Teen births were down about a third in Klickitat County while nationally they were up 3% and Washington State had its first increase in teen births since 1982. • In 2007, Family Planning efforts by the Klickitat County Health Department averted an estimated 87 unintended pregnancies in women 19 years of age and younger. These efforts reduced overall unintended pregnancies for all women by an estimated 172. • Regarding Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD), Chlamydia cases were down significantly: from 41 in 2004 to 16 in 2007. This was the result of our partnering with the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) and their Expedited Partner Treatment program and the Chlamydia Infertility Project. Child and Family Health • As a partner in DOH’s Maternity Support Services (MSS) Health Department Nurses served 104 clients in 2007. The majority of these were office visits in Goldendale and White Salmon and MSS Nurses also conducted home visits throughout Klickitat County. Total office and home visits numbered nearly 350 and included advice on pregnancy and childbirth concerns, as well as infant care and feeding and general parenting information. • The Klickitat County Health Department served 790 infants and children under the age of five through Washington State’s WIC (Women, Infants and Children) program. WIC also served 330 pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women. Typically WIC is utilized by more rural women than women in urban areas and WIC serves 60% of infants born in Klickitat County while the state average is 49%. • The Health Department also provided 2,513 WIC nutrition education sessions within the county, and a commendable 83% of WIC mothers gave their babies a healthy start by breastfeeding. The national average for breastfeeding is 53%. • The White Salmon Infant and Toddler Playgroup continued to meet weekly and provided an opportunity to socialize (both parents and children) and share information about child rearing, including breastfeeding. • The ongoing Car Seat Safety Program offered one-hour community education classes that include a new car or booster seat for the very reasonable price of $25. These same classes are also available on an individual basis. In addition, general information on car seats is provided on an as-requested basis to various groups such as Head Start. Over 20 families were served in 2007 by these combined efforts. Prior to forgoing the annual • The Health Department continued its involvement in oral health issues, including sponsoring the Oral Health Coalition, which meets quarterly. The Department has also taken over local oversight of the Access to Baby and Child Dentistry (ABCD) program and there were 66 children enrolled in 2007 with prospects for 2008 looking very good. The local DSHS offices are also assisting the Health Department in these enrollments. • Oral Health efforts also include fluoride varnish clinics which are held annually at the Head Start programs in Goldendale and White Salmon. Fluoride clinics are also scheduled at the Health Department offices in both White Salmon and Goldendale and can be arranged by appointment also. ---PAGE BREAK--- Health Education and Community Outreach • The Health Department supports a variety of educational and outreach efforts including Community Mobilization Against Substance Abuse (CMASA). The Health Department employs a Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist with primary responsibility to interact with CMASA and work on related issues. • The Health Department also contracts for a Parent Program Coordinator for the Skamania Klickitat Community Network (SKCN). SKCN is affiliated with CMASA and the Washington State Family Policy Council and supports efforts to reduce teen substance abuse, domestic violence, and child abuse and neglect. • The Health Department employs two Health Educators to support community outreach in areas including tobacco prevention and many other health issues. • An Assessment Coordinator is also employed by the Health Department to provide support for community partners and other department staff. This support includes data gathering and statistical research to spot and respond to trends and issues of public health significance. • The Health Department provides staff support for three Interagency groups that meet in Goldendale, White Salmon and Stevenson (in neighboring Skamania County). These informal groups gather on a regular basis to share information between local and regional agencies, and service groups. PROMOTING HEALTH AND BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS KLICKITAT COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH Rex Johnston – Klickitat County Board of Commissioners, District 1 David Sauter – Klickitat County Board of Commissioners, District 2 Ray Thayer – Klickitat County Board of Commissioners, District 3 Pat Scarola – Representative from the City of Goldendale Jorjan Plimmer – Representative from the Cities of White Salmon & Bingen Cover Photo: Mt. Adams—Kevin Barry ,Photographer