By: Erin Smith
The Bladen County Board of Commissioners heard from Bladen County Health Department Educators Marianne Valentiner and Berkleigh Pridgen regarding the 2016 Community Health Assessment. The board voted to approve the assessment.
Valentiner said that surveys were sent out using the hospital, social media, and other means. She said that the surveys revealed some interesting things about the county.
Valentiner said that respondents indicated the top disease concerns were obesity and weight-related problems, diabetes, chronic disease and substance abuse problems.
She said the health assessment also revealed the top three causes of death in Bladen County to be heart disease, cancer and other unintentional causes. Valentiner said that new issue has emerged in the health assessment–teenage pregnancy. She said that Bladen County’s rate was higher than the state rate but she also pointed out the data used is also a couple of years old.
Valentiner told the board that the health department is developing an action plan to address the issues revealed by the Community Health Assessment and will return to the board when the plan is completed.
Pridgen told the board that respondents were asked what they would like to see and the answer was greater access to physical activity among other things. She also added that respondents also said that there is difficulty in finding access to mental health programs.
Copies of the 2016 Community Health Assessment are available at all three libraries, the hospital, at the health department and online at the health department’s website.
The board voted to approve the assessment.
In other business:
* The board approved a professional services agreement with Bladen Health Care LLC, dba Cape Fear Valley-Bladen County Hospital.
*The board approved a new employee orientation policy and procedure and approved fees, eligibility and billing policy and procedure.
*The board approved agreements with Tucker Silver Recovery Services.
*The board approved an agreement with East Coast Migrant Head Start project and tabled a pharmacy services agreement with Anderson’s Drug Store.
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