Portage County public‑health staff presented first‑quarter 2025 program statistics at a Health and Youth Services Committee meeting and highlighted increases in nursing‑home outbreaks and sexually transmitted infections, continuing vaccination work, expansion of harm‑reduction services and community health outreach.

The presenter — identified in the meeting as a public‑health staff member — said, “We had seven bites that we addressed in the first part of 2025,” and reported 15 outbreaks in nursing homes during the first quarter, up from 21 for the comparable prior period, a point the presenter described as an area of concern. The staff member said chlamydia case counts for the first quarter of 2025 were reported as 49, compared with 166 cases for all of 2024.

The nut graf: the report grouped data across infectious disease surveillance, immunizations, maternal and child health, environmental health and harm‑reduction services to give the committee an early view of trends that may affect program priorities and budgeting in the coming months.

On immunizations, the presenter said first‑quarter coverage for routinely recommended vaccinations among the youngest children was reported at about 73 percent versus 75 percent for all of 2024; coverage among 11–18‑year‑olds was reported at 57 percent. The staff member warned the figures are preliminary and that numbers printed for the meeting may not match other internal totals because of different printouts used during the presentation.

In nutrition and WIC services, staff reported higher healthy‑weight measures in the first quarter (64.2 percent) compared with the 2024 full‑year figure (44.4 percent), and breastfeeding initiation and duration measures that were slightly above 2024 levels. The presenter summarized early childhood and family health metrics, including referrals to a PTC program (56 referrals in the quarter) and a reported 4.5 percent rate for clients identified at risk for postpartum depression in that client subset.

On harm reduction, the presenter described the county’s Lifeline program and a public‑health vending machine that dispenses supplies. “Whole kits are still very popular, gun locks are still very popular, condom kits are still very popular and tick kits were very popular,” the staff member said. For the quarter the program reported 30 people served directly, 111 reached through secondary outreach, 6,760 syringes distributed and 105 fentanyl test strips given through program channels; the presenter said about 100 items had been contributed to the public‑health vending machine and estimated a combined total of roughly 205 items distributed through vending and outreach for the quarter.

The presenter corrected a reporting discrepancy about naloxone (Narcan) from the vending machine: “The only discrepancy there for summary is a reports that we did 222 doses of Narcan. Actually, that’s… this should be 74,” the staff member said, noting the figure on the printed report did not match actual counts from the machine.

In environmental health, the presenter said county contract work with state agencies would end June 30 and that food‑safety and septic inspections continued to drive heavy workload. The presenter reported 35 private‑well bacteria tests with 10 unsafe results among them, plus testing for nitrates and other contaminants. The county offered a discounted short‑term radon test kit in January; staff said 65 kits were sold and 35 test kits were returned for analysis, with the highest submitted short‑term reading reported as 3.5 picocuries per liter. In response to a committee question, the presenter said any short‑term reading above 4 pCi/L should be retested with a long‑term kit and that remediation is voluntary; staff provide a list of certified radon‑mitigation contractors for residents who request assistance.

Committee members asked about partner clinics’ provision of school dental services. The presenter confirmed local contracted providers operate school sealant and screening programs and that most schools participate; one school’s program data arrive through a different county partner and are not always submitted to Portage County.

In other business the committee approved minutes from the May 12, 2025 meeting and voted to approve special‑meeting per‑diem expense reports for board‑appointed individuals. No public commenters registered during the designated comment period for this meeting.

The meeting also included a brief director’s report noting staff work to implement a customized electronic health record, a pending move back to the county’s Guilford facility with furniture deliveries in June and July and nine current job vacancies across clinical and support positions. The director said hiring for an outpatient‑services supervisor for the mental‑health clinic has been difficult and that the county is reviewing recruitment strategies.

The public‑health staff member closed by noting the department continues to emphasize communication — a core function developed during the COVID‑19 response — as essential across disease investigation, inspections, prevention and health education work and said full details are in the written quarterly report provided to the committee.