2015 Annual Report

Your interest in this year’s Fulton County Health Department Annual Report is greatly appreciated. In the past, we have sent paper copies to each household. In an effort to use the available funds wisely, we have initiated this online version. It is our hope that you find it informative and will consider sharing the link with friends and family. There are many services and programs available at your Health Department that are evidence-based. Evidence-based can be explained through a car shopping analogy. When shopping for a car, you look for something that is within your budget and one that will work. You need a car that will transport you from point A to point B. You go to the person selling the vehicle with the intention of receiving a vehicle that fulfills your needs.

Now, you know you cannot buy a vehicle at your Health Department, but we are in the business of offering services and programs that produce the intended outcomes. These programs are known as evidence-based. The programs have been and continue to be studied, data is collected, and assurance is provided that if the program is used as intended; the expected outcome of improved health and safety will be achieved.

Inside this year’s Annual Report, we are highlighting several of the evidence-based programs available from your Fulton County Health Department such as: encouraging breastfeeding through our WIC program; helping you to know when a child is in a properly sized and secured car seat to prevent injury through the Car Seat Program; obtaining important cancer screenings through the Breast and Cervical Cancer Project to decrease loss of life to cancer; providing nutritional education using Serving Up My Plate; changing habits through Motivational Interviewing by Reproductive Health and Wellness. There are many

more, please take the time to read and learn about the many services offered.

As we move forward in 2016, we are thankful to the residents of Fulton County for your continued support of your local Health Department and the role you play in improving public health.

We wish you all good health.

BCCP helps women over 40 gain access to mammograms, pap, pelvic and clinical breast exams at no cost.* Click here for more information.

Drug Free Communities (DFC) is a grant based program that

created Healthy Choices Caring Communities (HC3). HC3 is a Fulton County coalition working together to reduce underage substance use. They also have a youth affiliate YAC (Youth Advisory Council). Click here for more information.

The Environmental Health Division actively engaged in public health inspections, investigations and trainings in 2015. The purpose of this division is to educate citizens, and protect public health and our environmental resources. Click here for more information.

Vaccines are a vital part of our lives. They allow our bodies to form antibodies to fight diseases such as measles, chicken pox, influenza and pertussis; diseases that still claim lives every year. Click here for more information.

The ROX program is equipping girls with the knowledge and skills necessary to live healthy, independent, productive, and violence-free lives. Click here to see how we do it!

Healthy ideas, and exciting new changes have been happening all year.
Click here to find out what's new!

Safe Communities works to establish a partnership of individuals from many different areas within the community, creating awareness and prevention of death and injuries caused by traffic crashes. See what we are working on now! Click here for more information.

The Health Department is the local source to purchase certified birth certificates. Fulton County Health Department can provide a birth certificate for anyone born in the State of Ohio. Click here for more information.

The Reproductive Health and Wellness clinic has been a part of the Fulton County Health Dept for 20+ years. It is a federally funded program that allows staff to provide reproductive health & wellness services to men and women. This includes life planning counseling to men and women of childbearing age. A best practice technique is motivational interviewing to determine what the client’s needs are and how we can help. It may be that the client presents for a pap exam and/or sexually transmitted disease screening, but after talking, several other needs are found that we may be able to help with. A common one we hear from both young men and women is that they are not looking to be pregnant in the next year, so in this case we can provide proper education and birth control options. For many women a concern may be achieving a healthy weight in preparation for getting pregnant or help with losing weight after being pregnant. For these women we may be able to help provide financial access to one of the local gyms in the area, along with health coaching, incentives and monthly weigh-ins for participants. Being overweight or obese puts women at risk for developing serious health conditions, such as fertility issues, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. The purpose of this part of the program is to help women obtain a healthy weight.

The Bureau for Children with Medical Handicaps (BCMH) is a program funded by the Ohio Department of Health that allows for financial assistance with children who have, or are being tested for qualifying medical conditions. Public health nurses assist families with the application process, health education, case management and referrals to local resources.

Data collected from the 2012 Fulton County Health Assessment determined that Childhood Obesity is a concern for our county. To address this issue your Fulton County Health Department and United Way of Fulton County partnered up to bring Serving Up MyPlate to Wauseon Elementary. Serving Up MyPlate, an evidence-based program, is a collection of classroom materials that helps integrate nutrition education into Math, Science, English Language Arts, and Health. This yummy curriculum introduces the importance of eating from all five food groups using the MyPlate icon and a variety of hands–on activities. Students also learn the

importance of physical activity to staying healthy. Wauseon 3rd graders were introduced to new fruits and vegetables with a taste test, determined how much sugar is in their favorite drink and learned how portions have changed over the years.