This is a description of Public health concerns in Onondaga County, New York.
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The Vector Control program conducts bird and mosquito surveillance and mosquito control activities in order to prevent transmission of vector-borne diseases. In 2009, West Nile virus (WNV) detected in mosquitoes and birds in Onondaga County. In addition, Eastern equine encephalitis virus(EEE) virus was detected in mosquitoes. There were no reported human cases of WNV or EEE virus infection in Onondaga County in 2009.
The Vector Control program performed mosquito control activities from May through September. Program staff treated 8,300 catch basins throughout the county with Altosid XR, a single application, long lasting, briquette larvicide. Nearly 1,000 known breeding sites were checked and treated, as necessary, with granular larvicide or larviciding oil. The number of treated catch basins was reduced due to the decline in WNV activity in recent years.
On June 11, 2009 the World Health Organization declared that this virus represented the emergence of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. Unprecedented levels of influenza activity were documented in Onondaga County. Over the summer and early fall, Onondaga County Health Department, in close partnership with the New York State Department of Health, worked to respond to and prepare for more influenza activity. The OCHD maintained regular communication about the pandemic with health care providers, schools, governmental and community based organizations, and the public throughout the summer and fall. Public health preparedness staff focused efforts on developing a mass vaccination plan, targeting school age children who were both most likely to get the disease and spread the disease. By September 2009, influenza cases started to increase again, ultimately peaking the last week of October. The vaccine started arriving in October and Onondaga County was prepared to deliver it. This was in large part because of the partnership with Onondaga-Madison-Cortland Counties Board of Cooperative Educational Services and every school superintendent in our community. By mid December, over 19,000 school age children were vaccinated in school based clinics across the County. In addition, by the end of the year, the OCHD redistributed approximately 7,500 doses of vaccine to health care providers in the community.
The mission of Correctional Health is to provide urgent and necessary medical care to inmates in the custody of Onondaga County. Services provided to inmates include: medical and mental health assessments at booking; history and physical exam within 14 days of admission; sick call visits with physicians, nurses, physician assistants and dentists; health education and psychological education; emergency medical and psychiatric services; medical housing; case management and discharge planning; medication administration; clinic appointments; and hospitalization as necessary. The Correctional Medical and Behavioral Health Unit is part of a multidisciplinary team, working with the Departments of Health, Mental Health, Correction, and the Sheriff’s Office to coordinate care for inmates. Provision of health care through these County agencies also serves a wider public interest. Correctional Health continued to experience high volume in the inmate population in 2009, presenting an ongoing challenge to system. Correctional Health staff provided care to 12,019 persons at the Justice Center and 2,164 persons at the Department of Correction in 2009. Correctional Health Services worked with several health care organizations to develop solutions to the high volume of inmates that needed health care. To identify the best solutions to the problem studies were initiated to identify ways to improve patient care. Six key studies were conducted that encompassed medical records, nursing care, medical care, psychiatric care and security issues. See Onondaga County Department of Correction
Increase the number of smoke-free campuses. The program would support, through practical organizational consultation and carefully developed policy, all health care organizations in Onondaga County in becoming smoke-free. The plan is to establish a workgroup – consisting of the four hospitals and the Onondaga Health Department convened by Tobacco Free Onondaga County – to develop an action plan that will encourage and assist county health care organizations in creating smoke free campuses. This project will leverage existing community activities, building on Tobacco Free Onondaga County initiatives. Preliminary goals will be to have 50 percent of providers without a smoke-free campus launch a tobacco-free campaign each year, with 10 percent of providers without a smoke-free campus achieving a tobacco-free campus each year (2010–2012).
The number of clients served at the clinic in 2009 increased 11% over 2008. !!Tuberculosis Control The Onond Onondaga County in collaboration with the Refugee Assistance Program continued to work with its clients and encourage they get tested for Tuberculosis. The partnership includes provision of on-site tuberculin skin testing, assessment, diagnosis, and provision of preventive treatment for individuals who are at risk for developing active TB. Additionally, staff members continue to monitor the homeless population through collaborative targeted testing activities. Working together the Onondaga County Health department and the Refugee Assistance Program increased the number of individuals who were assessed by 13% between 2008 and 2009. Historical data show that from 2006 to 2009 the number of clients seen in this program has increased by 67.8%. By identifying early those who are infected the spread of TB can be better controlled.
2009 Annual Report showed The Tuberculosis (TB) Control program provides comprehensive testing, diagnosis, and treatment of latent and active tuberculosis cases in Onondaga County. The TB Control program minimizes the public health threat posed by cases of active tuberculosis in our community through careful evaluation, closely monitored treatment regimes, directly observed therapy (DOT), and promotion of preventive therapy.
Active tuberculosis rates in Onondaga County decreased slightly in 2009. 23 cases of active disease were reported in 2008 and 20 cases of active disease were reported in 2009. The highest rates of TB are found in foreign-born populations. Central New York continues to see an increase in the arrival of new refugees primarily from Myanmar (Burma), Bhutan, Burundi, Iraq, Somalia, and Cuba. The TB Control program utilizes various targeted testing strategies to identify county residents at greatest risk of TB infection.
Other organizations that concern this public health problem include the Rescue Mission and Oxford Inn staff. They provide initial tuberculin skin testing allowing identification, diagnosis, and preventative treatment for individuals identified as being at-risk for Tuberculosis Control The Tuberculosis (TB) Control program provides comprehensive testing, diagnosis, and treatment of latent and active tuberculosis cases in Onondaga County. The TB Control program minimizes the public health threat posed by cases of active tuberculosis in our community through careful evaluation, closely monitored treatment regimes, directly observed therapy (DOT), and promotion of preventive therapy.
Active tuberculosis rates in Onondaga County decreased slightly in 2009. While 23 cases of active disease were reported in 2008; 20 cases of active disease were reported in 2009. The highest rates of TB are found in foreign-born populations (please see table). Central New York continues to see an increase in the arrival of new refugees primarily from Myanmar (Burma), Bhutan, Burundi, Iraq, Somalia, and Cuba. The TB Control program utilizes various targeted testing strategies to identify county residents at greatest risk of TB infection. For example, the
OCHD partners with the Refugee Assistance Program to provide on-site tuberculin skin testing, assessment, diagnosis, and provision of preventive treatment for individuals who are at 2006 2007 2008 2009*
Develop a systematic approach to identifying health insurance coverage among children within the Syracuse City School District and providing those uninsured children and their families with Facilitated Enrollment services. Initial steps will involve an increased level of involvement by the Health Department (through a facilitated enrollment grant) in the City of Syracuse school system, primarily working through the Health and Wellness Task Force of the Say Yes to Education program. In addition, local hospitals will be provided the opportunity to adopt a quadrant of the Syracuse City School District. Hospitals will commit to providing educational sessions and other interventions to schools in their designated quadrants.
Develop a systematic approach to the provision of care to refugee populations, with a particular focus on the maternal and child health services system. Convene a workgroup of the key players in refugee health together with other interested parties and potential funders (including the CHFWCNY and the New York State Department of Health) to reach consensus on the problems faced in the community and develop a plan to address those problems. This project also will build on current initiatives underway at the local hospitals and health department