Tag Archive for: #franklincountyhealthdepartment

Franklin Health Dept. Gets Grant $ For Women’s Health Services

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-information courtesy of Franklin County Public Information Officer James F. Hicks, III

More grant money is coming to Franklin County to bolster women’s health services.

Franklin County Health Department is set to receive $460,000 in grant funding from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services over the next four years to provide women’s health services in a variety of ways. The health department will provide expanded clinical hours, home visits for post-natal assessment and integrate community health workers into department programs to bridge the gap in health care access, enhance cultural competence and provide essential support to our community.

The department will receive $115,000 annually over the course of four years.

“Receiving these funds from the state will allow us to enhance birth outcomes and reduce infant mortality by expanding our services beyond our current programs to pregnant and postpartum women,” Franklin County Health Director Scott LaVigne said.

Funding is expected to begin in February 2024.

For more information about this grant or the Health Department, contact LaVigne at 919.496.8111 or slavigne@franklincountync.gov.

Franklin Health Dept. Starting Programs For New Moms and Moms-To-Be

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– information courtesy of Franklin County Public Information Officer James Hicks

Franklin County Health Department is launching two new programs for new moms and moms-to-be.

“Ready, Set, BABY” and “Safe Sleep Baby” are new initiatives from Franklin County’s Health Department designed to help mothers prepare for the birth of their baby by offering free classes – taught by certified instructors — on infant safe sleep and breastfeeding basics. The programs are funded through a three-year Reducing Infant Mortality in Communities grant from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services that was awarded to Franklin County in December 2022.

Classes begin in July and will be conducted at multiple locations in Franklin County and are open to all women who are pregnant or postpartum and their support persons.

The Reducing Infant Mortality Program aims to educate and support mothers on how to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep-related causes of infant death. The program will also help mothers learn the basics and benefits of breastfeeding as well as overcoming common challenges. Participants will receive free items like Boppy pillows, Pack ‘n Plays, breast pumps and much more. The program also provides resources and referrals to other services that can help mothers and their babies.

Sign up at http://www.franklincobaby.as.me or call 919.496.2533. For more information about this grant or the health department, contact Allison Saad at 919.496.2533 or asaad@franklincountync.gov.

Visit www.franklincohealth.org to learn about all its programs and services.

Franklin Health Dept. Getting $631K To Reduce Infant Mortality Rate

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The Franklin County Health Department is getting more than half a million dollars from the state over the next three years to reduce infant mortality in the county.

The health department was notified that it will receive $631,914 in grant funds from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services – $210,638 each year, according to a press statement from public information officer James Hicks.

“We are thankful for the state of North Carolina making this significant investment toward reducing infant mortality in Franklin County,” said Franklin Health Director Scott Lavigne.

“We look forward to using these funds to implement evidence-based strategies designed to reduce this health inequity in Franklin County as it furthers our mission to prevent disease, provide care, promote health and protect our community.”

Funding is set to begin on June 1, 2023 and will continue for three years based on continued availability of funds and program performance.

For more information about his grant or the Health Department, contact Scott LaVigne at 919-496-8111 or slavigne@franklincountync.gov.

According to information from NCDHHS, Franklin County had eight infant deaths in 2020 per 1,000 live births, the most recent year for which data is available.

By comparison, Vance County reported five deaths per 1,000 live births, Granville and Warren counties each reported four. The two counties with the most infant deaths were Wake County with 69 and Cumberland County with 50.

Franklin County Has One Confirmed Monkeypox Case

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Courtesy of James F. Hicks, III, Franklin County public information officer

On Friday August 5, the Franklin County Health Department was contacted by the North Carolina Department of Public Health to report the first confirmed case of monkeypox in Franklin County.  The patient is currently isolating at home and Franklin County Health Department staff are working with the patient on contact tracing.  No additional information about this resident will be disclosed.

As of Thursday, August 4, there were 86 confirmed cases of monkeypox in North Carolina.  Franklin County will continue to work with state and other local health departments to ensure we do all we can to contain the spread of this virus in Franklin County.

Franklin County Health Director, Scott LaVigne, stated that “With monkeypox cases continuing to rise across North Carolina, we anticipated a case would eventually be detected inside Franklin County.  The good news is that this is not a new virus, and there are already treatments for those with the virus, and approved vaccines for close-contacts (which we did not have for COVID-19 when it began).  Having available treatments and vaccines on ‘day-one’ can help curtail the spread of this virus in the early stages of this outbreak in Franklin County.”

Testing for those experiencing symptoms of monkeypox can be provided by your Healthcare provider and by most local health departments in North Carolina, including the Franklin County Health Department.  For Franklin County residents with symptoms of Monkeypox, please contact your healthcare provider directly.  If you do not have a healthcare provider, please contact the Franklin County Health Department at 919-496-2533 to screen for a test.

Vaccines are available to protect against monkeypox or to reduce disease severity.  Only those exposed to someone with Monkeypox in the past two weeks, or those in certain eligible groups can receive the vaccine at this time.

 

For complete up-to-date information on monkeypox in North Carolina, including a: description of symptoms; where to go for testing & treatment; and who is eligible for vaccines, please use this link: https://epi.dph.ncdhhs.gov/cd/diseases/monkeypox.html

 

Register Online for Vaccine with Franklin County Health Department

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Franklin County residents can now register online for first-dose COVID-19 vaccinations, according to Scott S. LaVigne, county health director.

Please visit https://www.franklincountync.us/alerts/corona-virus-covid-19-joint-information-center, where interested residents will find a link to the county’s COVID-19 Vaccine online booking system. Clink on the link, answer a series of questions to confirm your eligibility and proceed to book your first-dose appointment, according to information from LaVigne.

The online booking process was launched at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 15. “In Franklin County, demand for the vaccine is far greater than the amount of first-doses we are currently receiving,” LaVigne stated, but added that as manufacturers are able to produce more vaccine, the health department will be able to open up more appointment slots for residents to get the vaccine.

Any resident who doesn’t use email or have access to a computer to complete the registration process should call the health department’s dedicated COVID-19 Vaccine phone line at 919.729.0654. If asked to leave a message, please speak clearly and provide a phone number so a staff member can return the call.