Rockingham County sets priorities in the push for better health

Rockingham County is preparing its community health assessment, and health officials recently met with members of the community to establish priorities.

The county’s Healthy Carolinians Partnership and Department of Public Health are preparing the assessment, which has five areas of focus: obesity, access to health care, mental health, substance abuse and cancer prevention and care.

“The two that are staying the same are obesity and access to health care,“ said Blake Baird, health education program manager.

Obesity and access to health care were part of the most recent community health assessment, which is released every four years. The new assessment will be released in December.

“We really are trying to work on obesity,“ Baird said. “The schools have a huge BMI (body mass index) project going, so there are steps in place.“

Amy Nalley, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Eden, is taking steps to address the problem of obesity among children.

Nalley has applied for a $14,500 state grant to address obesity through increasing exercise, providing nutrition education, extending the Boys & Girls Club’s herb gardens and having an “Eat Smart/Move More Healthy Family Day” for the community.

“We’re collecting BMIs and recording it,“ Nalley said. “We’re doing a Summer Olympics program and doing exercises in the morning.“ The Annie Penn Community Trust has provided money for the Boys & Girls Club’s new playground, weight room and Playstation2 exercise bikes, all of which help promote physical activity.

Gail Evans-Jones, executive director of the Rockingham Pregnancy Care Center, said access to health care is a major issue for patients.

“A lot of our patients don’t have reliable transportation, so we have tried to find ways to meet them where they are,“ said Evans-Jones. Once a week, staff members from the Pregnancy Care Center meet clients at the Free Clinic in Reidsville. During the school year, a nurse from the Pregnancy Care Center visits the schools in Rockingham County and provides services to clients on site.

“We hope this will help with the dropout prevention as well,“ Evans-Jones said.

The mental health system in Rockingham County has undergone numerous changes since state mental health reform in 2001.

“The safety net level of services has all but disappeared,“ said Robert Middleton, area director for the Department of Mental Health. “That’s even with the county trying to maintain the best level of services it can.“

Middleton sees a lot of concern about the overall direction of mental health. With the new mental health system, Middleton said, services tend to be more “fragmented.“

Patients, for example, might see a doctor at the mental health center and see a therapist somewhere else. He said the ability to offer a “cohesive service plan” for people in need of multiple mental health services is more difficult.

Another issue is that many adults with mental health problems who don’t qualify for Medicaid coverage aren’t covered by the state, so they aren’t receiving needed services.

“They (the state) made a conscious decision to pay for services for only the most needy,“ said Middleton.

Another problem cited by Middleton involves staff retention. He said many staff members are leaving the mental health department to pursue other work, and the pool of applicants to fill the jobs has shrunk because of the increase in the qualifications for mental-health providers.

Still, Middleton is aware of the county’s continued efforts to make mental health a priority.

“They have made a commitment to it,“ said Middleton. Because of that, he said, Rockingham County offers “at least an average number of services” in comparison with other N.C. counties.

Cancer is on the list partly because it affects such a high percentage of people. The estimated new number of cancer cases in North Carolina so far this year is 40,420, according to the American Cancer Society.

“Someone you know will be affected by cancer in your lifetime,“ said Bree Myers, community representative for the American Cancer Society. Community support of cancer patients and awareness of the disease are also on the rise.

“People are becoming more comfortable with talking about it and more aggressive about doing something about it,“ she said. Myers said 56 teams and 1,300 people took part in Rockingham County’s Relay for Life 2008, the ACS’s largest fundraiser for cancer research.

Creating the community health assessment involved research and study of health-based statistics to identify the primary health concerns of county residents, according to the Healthy Carolinians. County residents completed 241 community health surveys, and community focus groups have offered input as well.

• Staff writer Miranda Baines can be reached at or 349-4331, ext. 35.