- April 19, 2024
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The Flagler County Health Department was created decades ago to cope with diseases, but these days its big challenges are different.
“If you look around at what's killing people today, it's tobacco and obesity,” said Flagler County Health Department Administrator Patrick Johnson in a Sept. 4 presentation to the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners.
According to a report by the Health Department, in Flagler County more than 70% of children in grades K-12 (71% elementary, 74% middle and high school) are at a healthy weight, but only 34% of their parents are. That's a statistic the Health Department hopes to change through a new initiative called Healthiest Weight, which is designed to educate people about nutrition and to partner with businesses, schools and community organizations to get Flagler County residents moving.
“The future of public health is going to be treating people when they're healthy, and not after they're sick,” Johnson said.
Primary care down
The Health Department’s role in providing primary care and immunizations has dropped in recent years.
“Six years ago, we gave 9,000 flu shots,” Johnson said. “This year, we only ordered 300.”
The number of Medicaid recipients using the Health Department for primary care has decreased as more move into managed care, Johnson said.
The department now sees about 123 people daily for clinical services. Of those, about 50 people per day come in for infant and youth nutrition services, and about 25 a day come in for dental care. About 20 people a day come in for primary care, another 20 or so show up for immunizations, and eight come in for nurse visits.
Last year, the department treated patients with whooping cough, hand foot and mouth disease, chickenpox and one case of tuberculosis.
About 300 people showed up with animal bites — including one monkey bite — and the department recommended rabies shots for 21 of them.
Although the department provides less primary care than it did when it opened in the 1940s, Johnson said, it isn’t slashing its services.
“We’re going to remain in the primary care business as long as we’re needed,” he said.
