ASHLAND — COVID-19 is still one of the Ashland County Health Department’s top public health concerns this year, according to an analysis provided to. ashland source,
The health department examined 24 different types of communicable diseases in 2023.
“87% of these cases are associated with COVID-19,” said Jill Hartson, the health department’s public information officer.
But Hartson said, the true burden can’t actually be determined.
“First, an unknown number of positive tests at home are not reported,” she said. “Second, some symptomatic residents choose not to get tested for COVID-19.”
Hartson said COVID-19 remains the primary cause of infectious disease spread among congregate living settings with high concentrations of at-risk populations in the county.
“Therefore, COVID-19 will remain a primary concern in the near future,” he said, adding that other respiratory diseases – flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) – will also be a concern.
vaccines
The health department plans 1,355 vaccines for multiple diseases in 2023 – hepatitis A and B, influenza, chicken pox etc. That number includes 258 vaccinations for COVID-19.
The number of COVID-19 vaccines administered last year is a sharp contrast to the figures for 2022.
Health department records show that 1,320 Covid-19 vaccines were administered in 2022, of which 39 vaccines were given to infants and children.
other concerns
But Covid-19 is not the health department’s only concern.
The agency zooms in on communicable diseases – including infectious diseases, sexually transmitted diseases, bloodborne, foodborne, waterborne, zoonotic and vector-borne diseases – because they have the potential to impact the public at large.
The Ashland County Health Department is required to identify which disease caused the most illness, outbreak and/or death.
“For 2023, that was COVID-19,” Hartson said.
The agency also tracks individual threats to health – diseases such as cancer, and various heart diseases.
In 2022, the agency completed a community health assessment It identified cancer, access to health care, mental health and substance abuse as four main areas of concern.
Ohio Department of Health report Shows the average cancer death rate in Ashland County between 2016-2020, the latest available data, was 160, higher than the U.S. rate of 149.4.
Between 2016 and 2020, an average of 121 people died of cancer every year.
Although the COVID-19 mortality rate in Ashland County is low, it is still a public health threat because it causes the most illness, outbreaks and/or deaths among infectious diseases, Hartson said.
Data from ODE Reveals six Ashland County residents died of COVID-19 in 2023. There were 1,624 cases and 112 hospitalizations. The state believes 1,604 of those confirmed cases have recovered.
“Heart disease and cancer, the leading causes of death in the country, will likely always remain a threat to personal health… Cancer is a growing concern in Ashland County, which is why it is highlighted in our Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) ,” Hartson said.
The county’s Health and Wellness Goals Action Group (TAG) “is developing initiatives to address the objectives in CHIP. Since Ashland County has many community partners who play a role in cancer prevention, detection, and care, we It took a focused collaborative effort that we are leading,” Hartson said.
The health department is sponsoring the Ashland County Cancer Association. A free information session at UH Samaritan on March 8 For the purpose of colorectal cancer.
According to the Ohio Department of Health, the incidence rate of colorectal cancer in Ashland County outpaced Ohio and the U.S. from 2016-2020.
“There are many threats that impact the health of our community, from public health threats to personal health threats. “All threats must be addressed,” Hartson said.
Narcan and overdose
The health department is concerned about the increase in overdose deaths in Ashland County.
Data from the Ashland Police Department and the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office show there were 18 fatal overdoses across the county in 2022.
As of Oct. 10, the number of fatal overdoses across the county increased to 25 for 2023, according to information provided by Rick Ford, director of the Ashland County Council on Drug and Alcohol Abuse.
“These individuals are not always from Ashland County, but they are counted where overdoses occur,” Ford said in an email.
Data on fatal overdoses are collected annually in February and March by the Opioid Death Review Committee. The committee is made up of representatives from the Department of Health, the Mental Health and Recovery Board, a physician, law enforcement and the coroner.
The Department of Health became a Project DAWN (Deaths Avoided with Naloxone) site around 2017.
The Ohio Department of Health program began in 2012 and has grown into a network of sites across the state aimed at providing opioid overdose education and a distribution point for naloxone, which can be used to reverse overdoses. It is a medicine.
According to ODH, since 2012, Project DAWN has grown to include more than 420 naloxone distribution sites, covering 82 of the state’s 88 counties, and 182 programs are registered.
The health department purchased 463 doses of a drug called Narcan, which contains naloxone. It distributed 246 doses to partner agencies and first responders in 2023.
mobile health clinic
Health Department uses leftover COVID-19 funds to make $230,000 purchase Mobile Health Clinic in April 2023,
According to Health Department Director Vicki Taylor, the aim is to deliver vaccinations and other health services to Amish and “discrete populations” throughout the county.
Between June and November 2023, the clinic hosted 13 events.
During those events, nurses performed 119 health checks and 63 vaccinations.
The screening included blood pressure and sugar readings, a hemoglobin A1C test, a cholesterol check and a height and weight check, Hartson said.
The screening was given to 28 men and 14 women aged 19 to 65+, with the majority falling between the ages of 19-64.
20 men and 22 women in the age group 0 to 65+ were vaccinated. According to the information given by the Health Department, most of the vaccines were given to the 17, 19-64 age group.
Seven events are planned for 2024, and the health department “is currently in the process of planning additional events with other community partners.” Below is a list:
- February 28, 4:30 – 6:30pm at Parisville Community Center, in partnership with Associated Charities Food Bank
- April 16, 4:30 – 6:30 pm at the United Methodist Church of Polk, in partnership with Associated Charities Food Bank
- May 22, 4:30 – 6:30pm at Parisville Community Center, in partnership with Associated Charities Food Bank
- July 16, 4:30 – 6:30 pm at the United Methodist Church in Polk, in partnership with Associated Charities Food Bank
- August – Amish Health and Safety Day (private event)
- August 28, 4:30 – 6:30pm at Parisville Community Center, in partnership with Associated Charities Food Bank
- October 15, 4:30 – 6:30 pm at the United Methodist Church in Polk, in partnership with Associated Charities Food Bank
birth and death
The health department also tracks births and deaths in Ashland County.
Last year, there were 98 hospital births and 78 home births in Ashland County, although those numbers have not yet been finalized.
The number of hospital births in 2023 is also down significantly from 2022, when there were 262 hospital births in the county. That’s because University Hospitals Samaritan Medical Center Labor and delivery services were discontinued On 8th August.
“Starting August 8, 2023, home births and emergency department births will be the only documented births in Ashland County,” Hartson said. “Therefore, caution should be exercised when comparing birth records of previous years.”
There were 102 more deaths in Ashland County in 2023 than the previous year.
Health department data shows that a total of 620 deaths were reported in 2023, while 518 deaths were reported in 2022.