Amador County - The Board of Supervisors heard a presentation Tuesday from the county’s health director and public health officer on the state of public health services. Health Director Kristin Bengyel opened by saying that despite cuts across the board and increases in certain medical needs, the health department has stretched its resources to successfully meet demand. She referenced various figures like a 44 percent cut in staff over the last year that has led to 305 extra staff hours, as well as a 100 percent increase in rattlesnake bites. She said the department goes largely unnoticed in the county. “When the public health department is noticed, it means that things aren’t done right,” she said. “We want to be the department that doesn’t get noticed.” Dr. Bob Hartmann, Amador County’s Public Health Officer, said that overall the county is doing very well in providing public health services as compared to other counties in the state. He cited a survey conducted in February by the University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation which ranks Amador County as the 20th healthiest county in California. The County is ranked 4th best in morbidity (a broad measure that represents health-related quality of life),18th in health outcomes and 22nd in health factors. Hartmann said we also have “great prenatal results…and a low number of births to adolescent moms.” However, he said health factors can be improved. Statewide, 13.3 percent of people smoke, but 17.3 percent of people smoke in the foothills region. In Amador County, men meet the smoking average, but the number of women smoking is closer to 18 percent. In a different category, he said “suicide and drug-related deaths at Mule Creek throw things off…but overall we have higher suicide rates than we should among the elderly.” Other areas of improvement include motor vehicle accident rates, which improved slightly last year from 54th to 49th in the rankings. “At public health we’re eternal optimists and we think we can take the poor rankings and do better,” he said. His department has gone through some recent levels of high activity where staff have treated patients with ailments including lyme disease, interaction with rabid animals, possible tuberculosis, shigella and many sick prisoners at Mule Creek State prison. He stressed the importance of getting vaccinations, and praised Supervisor Richard Forster for setting an example by being the first to get a particular vaccine last year. Over the last year, Public Health had 887 client visits to its immunization department, 451 tuberculosis tests placed and 671 active patients in its women’s clinics. The supervisors asked questions about the current prevalence of H1N1 and whether that should be a cause for future concern. Hartmann said the epidemic started fifteen months ago and has since decreased, but they can’t measure accurately without looking at trends over a longer period of time. The supervisors thanked him for his service to the county. Hartmann said it was his pleasure. “I love what I do,” he said. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Wednesday, 14 July 2010 06:23
Public Health Officials Outline Activities, Accomplishments
Amador County - The Board of Supervisors heard a presentation Tuesday from the county’s health director and public health officer on the state of public health services. Health Director Kristin Bengyel opened by saying that despite cuts across the board and increases in certain medical needs, the health department has stretched its resources to successfully meet demand. She referenced various figures like a 44 percent cut in staff over the last year that has led to 305 extra staff hours, as well as a 100 percent increase in rattlesnake bites. She said the department goes largely unnoticed in the county. “When the public health department is noticed, it means that things aren’t done right,” she said. “We want to be the department that doesn’t get noticed.” Dr. Bob Hartmann, Amador County’s Public Health Officer, said that overall the county is doing very well in providing public health services as compared to other counties in the state. He cited a survey conducted in February by the University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation which ranks Amador County as the 20th healthiest county in California. The County is ranked 4th best in morbidity (a broad measure that represents health-related quality of life),18th in health outcomes and 22nd in health factors. Hartmann said we also have “great prenatal results…and a low number of births to adolescent moms.” However, he said health factors can be improved. Statewide, 13.3 percent of people smoke, but 17.3 percent of people smoke in the foothills region. In Amador County, men meet the smoking average, but the number of women smoking is closer to 18 percent. In a different category, he said “suicide and drug-related deaths at Mule Creek throw things off…but overall we have higher suicide rates than we should among the elderly.” Other areas of improvement include motor vehicle accident rates, which improved slightly last year from 54th to 49th in the rankings. “At public health we’re eternal optimists and we think we can take the poor rankings and do better,” he said. His department has gone through some recent levels of high activity where staff have treated patients with ailments including lyme disease, interaction with rabid animals, possible tuberculosis, shigella and many sick prisoners at Mule Creek State prison. He stressed the importance of getting vaccinations, and praised Supervisor Richard Forster for setting an example by being the first to get a particular vaccine last year. Over the last year, Public Health had 887 client visits to its immunization department, 451 tuberculosis tests placed and 671 active patients in its women’s clinics. The supervisors asked questions about the current prevalence of H1N1 and whether that should be a cause for future concern. Hartmann said the epidemic started fifteen months ago and has since decreased, but they can’t measure accurately without looking at trends over a longer period of time. The supervisors thanked him for his service to the county. Hartmann said it was his pleasure. “I love what I do,” he said. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Latest from
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