Tag Archive for: #granvillevancepublichealth

Triangle North Health Care Foundation Awards Health Department $62K For GVPH’s ‘Tooth Club’

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— Information courtesy of Granville Vance Public Health

Granville Vance Public Health has received a $62,500 grant from the Triangle North Health Care Foundation to expand and strengthen its School-Based Oral Health Program, also known as the “Tooth Club.”

This marks the third consecutive year TNHF has supported the program, reflecting the foundation’s mission to improve health outcomes across Vance, Granville, Warren, and Franklin counties.

The Tooth Club brings preventive dental care directly to students in both Granville County Public Schools and Vance County Schools, as well as public charters Henderson Collegiate and Falls Lake Academy. GVPH’s Carolina Fellows Family Dentistry runs the program and focuses on serving students who may not otherwise have access to regular dental services.

“This grant is an important step forward in our mission to protect and promote health in our communities,” said Dr. Navid Nesab, CFFD lead dentist. “We’re thankful for TNHF’s continued trust and support, and for the strong partnerships we have with our schools and local families.”

The funding will allow GVPH to purchase a new portable dental unit, enabling the dental team to expand services and reach more students where they are – at school. The clinics offer preventive services such as dental cleanings, X-rays, sealants to protect teeth from cavities, fluoride treatments, oral health checkups and take-home oral health report cards for parents.

Care is provided at no cost to families. If a student is covered by Medicaid or private insurance, those plans will be billed. However, families will not be responsible for co-pays, deductibles, or any other costs for services not covered by insurance.

Parents and guardians will be notified of the program’s availability through flyers, school announcements, and email. Registration is available through the Tooth Club registration link on the GVPH dental clinic webpage: www.gvph.org/clinic/dental, as well as https://gra.identalcloud.com/GranvilleVance/Patient/_practice/2/Registration

With oral health linked closely to overall well-being, GVPH leaders say the Tooth Club is helping students stay healthy, confident, and ready to learn.

“We want every child to have a healthy smile, regardless of their family’s income or insurance status,” Nesab said. “That’s what this program is all about.”

Granville Vance Public Health Community Health Assessment Participants Needed

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Residents of Vance and Granville counties have until around mid-July to help Granville Vance Public Health gather information for the 2025 Community Health Assessment.

GVPH Director Lisa Harrison said the survey takes 15 or 20 minutes to complete, and the data will be used to guide the health department in developing programs that address health priorities in the two counties it serves over the next four years.

Harrison called residents in the two counties “our main customer, our main patient,” and the surveys will help her and health department staff understand what the priorities are within the community.

Anyone with a computer or a cell phone can access the survey, Harrison said on Monday’s TownTalk.  Find it here: https://survey.sogolytics.com/r/GN8UoS

Paper copies also are available by calling GVPH’s Oxford office at 919.693.2141.

The most recent community health assessment, completed in 2021, revealed that folks are interested in affordable health care options, focusing on the health and safety of youth and substance use prevention and treatment options.

Having those three priorities helps Harrison and others focus attention – and money – on areas that are important to folks locally.

“It is really critical that we figure out priorities,” Harrison said. “It is your chance, as our community, to tell us really what’s important to you and what you want us to focus our limited resources on.”

Using data from the community health assessment helps Harrison and her team focus on the right issues, she said.

She hopes to get about 500 completed surveys from each county.

“We don’t do anything in public health without community at our side and as our focus,” Harrison said. “It is the thing we love. We do take everybody’s opinion seriously and make sure that we capture it regularly so that we make the right kind of progress for our local comm, not just what’s happening everywhere else in the world.”

“We welcome everyone’s opinion, in every different neighborhood and crossroad” from retirees to youth, Harrison said she wants the community health assessment to capture different opinions and perspectives.

The survey is anonymous, and Harrison said participants have the option to skip questions they don’t want to answer and complete the survey over more than one sitting. The survey will most likely be open until July 11 to make sure people have enough time to go through it.

“Health is critical for all the things we do in life. If we’re not healthy, we can’t be productive, word-hard citizens…we can’t be good family members, we can’t be safe drivers…all the things go back to our health. We’re proud to be your folks working on that every day.”

 

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TownTalk: Faith in Mental Health

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When he was serving in the N.C. House as District 32 representative, Frank Sossamon introduced a bill to create a faith-based initiative on substance abuse and mental health.

He served one term in the House, and his bill didn’t get through the Senate to become law, but Sossamon was undeterred.

In partnership with Granville Vance Public Health, Vaya Health and N.C. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Sossamon’s “Faith in Mental Health” initiative is gathering steam to involve churches in Vance and Granville counties to combat issues surrounding substance abuse and mental health.

Two orientation sessions are scheduled – Monday, June 23 at West End Baptist Church in Henderson and Monday, June 30 at the Granville County Convention and Expo Center in Oxford – to kick off a three-part program to give churches information about resources available to them and to the community. Each session will last from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Sossamon said in speaking with various church leaders about developing the initiative, he said more often than not, they didn’t know what services and resources are available when it comes to mental health and substance abuse issues.

“That’s the sad thing, not only they don’t know,” he said of those church representatives, “the average person doesn’t know.”

This is where the orientation sessions can help, he said. During these initial meetings, participants will complete the first of three levels of involvement.

“Level 1 is the most basic level, but maybe one of the most effective,” Sossamon said. Participants will learn about the different agencies in their county and hear from some representatives about the services they provide and how to access them.

Churches participating at this level also will agree to highlight a different topic each month in the Sunday service bulletin or newsletter, for example.

Pastors will be encouraged to preach a sermon on that topic or discuss it during a weekly Sunday School session.

Hearing about mental health or substance abuse from the pulpit or in a Sunday School class help to demystify the issues, he said. “That in itself brings healing,” he said.

Level 2 participating churches will agree to have quarterly forums on mental health issues, and Sossamon said he would encourage several churches to join forces and have one forum. There are speakers who are willing to take part in the forums and plenty of resources available to share with churches, he noted.

“It just has such great promise,” Sossamon said.

Level 2 churches also would establish a library to offer reading material related to mental health.

Those churches that wish to meet Level 3 criteria would be willing to complete more clinical training sessions to get certified. From suicide prevention training to mental health first aid, Sossamon said these trainings are “a little more intense.”

Contact Sossamon at pastorfrank1954@gmail.com to learn more.

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Wallace Vaughan Receives Order Of The Long Leaf Pine

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Wallace T. Vaughan recently was presented The Order of the Long Leaf Pine for 45 years of exemplary service to Granville Vance Public Health.

GVPH Health Director Lisa Macon Harrison made the presentation on Nov. 26. “We are so proud of Wallace’s 45 years of service to public health as an Environmental Health Specialist. When he began his career with the Granville-Vance District Health Department on July 16, 1979, no one could have foreseen that his career with our agency would span over 40 years, with growth and development along the way. Thankfully, even as a retired member of our team, he returns to assist part-time with the important work of Environmental Health at GVPH.”

Vaughan began his career with the Granville-Vance District Health Department as a Sanitarian I, focusing exclusively on wastewater disposal. His position changed to Sanitarian II and then Environmental Health Specialist as duties and responsibilities increased through the years. When the environmental health supervisor retired in 2002, Vaughan took over, and was responsible for overseeing all environmental health duties and the professional development of eight employees in both counties. In 2007, his position was reclassified to Environmental Health Supervisor III to accurately reflect the complex duties of managing a district program.

Vaughan was presented the award at a luncheon in Oxford, NC – his lifelong home. In attendance were his wife, Brenda Vaughan, three children and four grandchildren. Also on hand for the presentation were several GVPH staff who have worked with him over his noteworthy career.

Vaughan is a lifetime member of Tungsten Baptist Church, serving as a deacon and Sunday School teacher, and he also trains Tennessee Walker horses.

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GVPH Gets $50K For ‘Tooth Club’ Preventive Oral Health Services

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– information courtesy of Granville Vance Public Health

Granville Vance Public Health has been awarded $50,000 by the Triangle North Healthcare Foundation for the CFFD-Tooth Club, a program to address and correct oral health issues among students enrolled in Vance County Schools, Henderson Collegiate, and Vance County Head Start. The GVPH Carolina Fellows Family Dentistry clinic will run the Tooth Club with a goal of ensuring that all uninsured students attending partner schools receive needed preventive and restorative oral care.

Dr. Navid Nesab, a CFFD dentist, said the grant will make possible an array of convenient services for students and their families.

“Our CFFD Tooth Club clinics allow students to receive preventive oral health services within a familiar school environment, reduce the amount of time students are absent from school for oral health appointments, and keep parents from having to miss work to take their child to the dentist for needed oral health services,” Nesab stated. “Triangle North Health Care Foundation’s grant also allows us the ability to perform restorative care for uninsured patients at  no cost to the families.”

The Tooth Club will offer preventive oral care – such as cleanings, x-rays, fluoride, sealants and oral health education – to uninsured students enrolled in the CFFD-Tooth Club.

CFFD provides services, including restorative oral health care, at no cost to the student or family regardless of insurance status, household income or immigration status.

While the nation’s oral health has improved, not everyone in Vance and Granville counties has access to dental care. Regular preventive dental care is essential for good oral health, and early childhood tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease in the U.S.

Left untreated, tooth decay can lead to infection and pain that can inhibit a child’s ability to eat, sleep, speak, play and learn, as well as cause chronic health challenges such as diabetes, heart disease and malnourishment.

Any child attending Head Start, Henderson Collegiate or Vance County Public Schools is eligible to enroll for the Tooth Club clinics, which will be held at each school location periodically.

To enroll, parents can contact the school nurse of their child’s school to obtain a consent form, or contact the dental clinic at 919.693.8797 or dental@gvph.org.

For more information, visit https://www.gvph.org/clinic/dental/.

The Triangle North Healthcare Foundation is a non-profit organization that awards grants to support and invest in health and wellness initiatives in Vance, Warren, Franklin and Granville counties that result in immediate and long-term improvement in the health status of the region.

TownTalk: The Dangers of Illicit Fentanyl

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It can’t be overstated: The only safe drug you can take is one that is prescribed for you and comes from a pharmacy, said Cathy Hazlett, substance use prevention & treatment program manager with Granville-Vance Public Health.

Hazlett will be the featured speaker at tonight’s community information series at Baskerville Funeral Home. The talk begins at 6 p.m. and is open to the public.

Hazlett was a guest on Tuesday’s TownTalk and discussed the science of addiction, street drugs and some tips for parents about how to help their children steer clear of potentially deadly situations involving illicit drugs.

Research has shown that teenaged brains are not fully developed, Hazlett said. Specifically, the frontal cortex – the part of the brain that is responsible for thinking about the consequences of actions, she said.

Teens’ brains are “biologically structured to take risks – that’s how they’re wired,” she said. So, when a young person wants to try something, and if that something has fentanyl in it, it can have deadly consequences.

Similarly, people who abuse drugs – even marijuana – undergo physical changes to their brain structure, she noted.

Addiction becomes a disease of the brain, she said. “That drug has taken over the brain,” and the addict no longer thinks logically when it comes to using drugs. The overuse of opioids quickly became a crisis because addiction can happen so quickly, Hazlett said.

Fentanyl – a potent synthetic opioid – is pervasive in counterfeit drugs that are sold on the street and people who buy drugs from dealers have no idea what they’re actually getting.

“There’s no guarantee that what you’re getting is going to be fentanyl free,” Hazlett said.

Warning people about the dangers of using illicit drugs is only part of the education piece that Hazlett shares in the community. Another part includes raising awareness about harm reduction – steps drug users and others can take to reduce the chance of an overdose.

Of course, the best outcome for drug users is to seek treatment and get into a recovery program, she said.

But if that is not an option, at least have Narcan nearby and don’t use alone, she said. There also are test strips available to determine if the drug you are getting ready to use has traces of fentanyl.

Although it can be scary to think about, parents should keep the lines of communication open with their children to steer them away from risky behaviors, often driven by peer pressure.

Hazlett suggests asking open-ended questions to encourage dialogue and avoid sounding judgmental.

“Come up with strategies to say ‘no’,” Hazlett said.

Both Granville County and Vance County will receive millions of dollars over the next 18 years from the multi-billion opioid settlement. Granville County currently has two projects – one that helps inmates in the county jail get treatment and stay clean after they’re released and another that has created a post-overdose response team that follows up on EMS calls that involve drug overdoses.

Vance County will hold a meeting at 4 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 16 to discuss options for projects. The meeting will be held in the county administration building.

One simple step anyone can take: make sure you store safely and properly dispose of any unused medication, whether prescription or over-the-counter. Some pharmacies will take unused or outdated medicines, and local police departments and sheriff’s offices have secure bins where you can take medicines.

Dispose of them in a safe manner, but please, not down the sink or flushed in the toilet. That just contributes to water contamination.

She’ll have some lockboxes with her at tonight’s meeting for people to use at home to store the medicines they are currently taking.

“Keeping medicines locked up is not a bad idea,” she said.

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Granville Vance Public Health Closes At 2 PM Because Of Storm Conditions

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Granville Vance Public Health announced that it will close its offices Thursday at 2 p.m. due to flooding and downed trees from Tropical Storm Debby.

GVPH is scheduled to reopen tomorrow, Friday, Aug. 9, at 10:30 a.m.

 

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The Local Skinny! Granville Vance Publilc Health Updates Social Media

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Granville Vance Public Health Director Lisa Harrison and her team maintain a laser focus on community health and providing services that improve residents’ well-being. But there’s a newly formed team within the health department that has the task of tweaking the ways that people in the community learn about the wide scope of services available at the health department.

As a result of that teamwork, the GVPH social media presence is going to have a new look in the next week or so, and Harrison said it’s just one way she and her staff are working to be effective community partners.

“We want to make sure that we’re in lockstep in communicating in our two counties,” Harrison said on Thursday’s segment of The Local Skinny! “Social media is how we do that these days.”

Over the course of the next week or so, they’ll be finishing up the final details before the launch, Harrison said. For those who already follow GVPH on social media, there’s nothing special that needs to be done. The address won’t change, despite the fact that the health department will be using a new hosting site.

And for that younger demographic that prefers Instagram over Facebook, no worries – GVPH has you covered.

“We’re trying to do both and connect them in real time,” Harrison noted.

There are always lots of exciting things happening at the Vance and Granville locations, and it’s important to share them with the public.

Whether it’s a reminder to get a flu shot, the latest COVID-19 booster or any number of other programs the health department offers, Harrison said social media platforms are a way to push that information out.

Visit https://www.gvph.org/ to learn more.

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The Local Skinny: Granville Vance Public Health Receives Recognition

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The Care Management High Risk Pregnancy Program at Granville Vance Public Health has received the “Friend of WIC” award by the NC Dept. of Health and Human Community Nutrition Service section for its commitment to providing quality services and advocating for its participants.

The award follows the nomination of GVPH Care Manager and social worker, Phylicia Evans, for the Institute for Family’s 2024 Family Champion Award, according to information from GVPH.  Evans was recognized for her work as a social worker in North Carolina who goes the extra mile to support her community and to connect countless families in the community to essential services and resources.

The Friend of WIC award recognizes continued collaboration and outstanding support of the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program. Selection is based on demonstration of commitment to improving WIC Program services and continual advocacy for program services  and participants.

Kristy Walker, Pregnancy Care Management Supervisor, accepted the award on behalf of Granville Vance Public Health (GVPH). “The ongoing collaboration between the Care Management High Risk Pregnancy Program (CMHRP) Program and the WIC Program reflects a shared commitment to advocating for the well-being of participants,” Walker stated. “Through regular reporting, communication channels, and coordinated efforts, both programs work together to  enhance service delivery and participant satisfaction.”

The CMHRP Program at GVPH has established several proactive initiatives to ensure that all patients have access to improved WIC Program services, including streamlining the enrollment process to increase WIC Program participation. GVPH staff also leverage Medicaid eligibility with WIC benefits to provide additional nutritional support and use technology to identify participants who may need additional assistance from care managers.

The CMHRP Program also promotes WIC Program services by facilitating direct communication during office visits or remote interactions to provide comprehensive support and guidance regarding WIC benefits. Program staff advocate for a holistic care approach that addresses participants’ nutritional needs alongside their high-risk pregnancy management.

Lauren Faulkner, GVPH WIC director, said she is “thrilled” that CMHRP Program has been recognized for the honor. “It’s a reminder of the impact we can make and motivates us to keep improving and evolving our services for the community.”

For more information on GVPH maternal health programs, please go to our website: www.gvph.org/clinic/maternal-health-clinic

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Centering Pregnancy Program at Granville Vance Public Health

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If you are pregnant or know someone who is, the local health department offers a program for expectant mothers to get support from health professionals as well as from others who will be giving birth soon.

“Centering pregnancy” has been around since the 1990’s, and it’s a way for those in the low- to moderate-risk pregnancy categories to learn ways to reduce risk factors like high blood pressure and gestational diabetes, among other things.

Granville Vance Public Health Director Lisa Harrison says the centering pregnancy model is “exciting work,” where women come together and learn in a group setting. Women who participate in the program get one-on-one time with health care professionals, but they also join in small-group sessions where they can ask questions and learn from each other.

“It empowers women to be actively involved in their own health care decision-making,”Harrison said in an earlier interview with WIZS.

The Centering pregnancy program does not take the place of prenatal care that women receive elsewhere, and Harrison said it’s designed to complement the care that women receive from their own providers.

Given the health disparities that exist, especially among underserved populations, Harrison said this program offered by the health department is just one intervention to address maternal and infant mortality.

“It’s a way to set mom and baby up for the best outcomes,” she said.

In addition to the small group sessions during pregnancy, GVPH nurses also make home visits once mom and her newborn are home from the hospital. This service offers support to make sure mom and baby have the resources they need, and can connect them to additional resources to help them survive and thrive.

To learn more, visit https://www.gvph.org/clinic/maternal-health-clinic/.

Check for additional details about Centering Pregnancy and a full list of programs at www.gvph.org.

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