Kent County health director outlines community‑wellness programs, infant‑mortality review and disease trends

Dr. Adam London, administrative health officer for the Kent County Health Department, gave the Community Health and Safety Committee an overview of the department’s community wellness division on June 24, focusing on maternal‑infant services, child screenings, care coordination and disease surveillance.

“During 2024, [the maternal infant health program] served 1,500 families, with nurses, social workers, and dietitians providing almost 9,000 home visits for families,” London said, describing the program’s goal of supporting healthy, full‑term births.

London summarized the department’s school screening work: more than 36,000 hearing screenings and about 50,000 vision screenings were performed for county students in the prior year, with the department referring children who screened positive to follow‑up care. Joanne Hoganson, division director, described Kent County’s rollout of the Michigan 2022 kindergarten oral‑health assessment requirement and said the county provides screenings through a contract with My Community Dental Clinics; she said nearly 8,000 children start kindergarten each year in the county and that the department has completed almost 2,000 screens so far this academic year.

London outlined the children’s special health care services program — a state‑funded program the county administers — saying the department has increased capacity and now serves about 4,400 enrolled individuals locally. He and Hoganson described nurses who coordinate complex care needs, connect families, and help secure medications and community resources.

The department highlighted public‑health initiatives: school‑based health education focused on substance prevention, the Center for Community Strategy’s coordination of the county’s community health needs assessment (a multihospital collaboration), and distribution of small grants to local nonprofits tied to community health improvement plan priorities.

On mortality and surveillance, London summarized infant‑mortality data: Kent County’s overall infant‑mortality rate (about 6 per 1,000) compares with the Michigan rate (about 7 per 1,000), while the rate for white infants in the county is roughly 3.5 to 4 per 1,000; the rate for Black infants has fluctuated between about 10 and 15 per 1,000 in recent years, London said. He described the county’s infant mortality review team and the areas it targets, including perinatal causes, congenital anomalies and sleep‑related deaths.

The health department also reported progress on the opioid response: the county had 80 overdose deaths in 2024, 45 of which were opioid‑related, a decline from peak years. London said the opioid task force — a multiagency group led by the health department — guided settlement fund distribution and naloxone training and distribution.

On notifiable disease surveillance, the department’s December 2024 report showed increases in some diagnoses; London said a rise in reported HIV and certain gastrointestinal illnesses is likely a function of expanded testing and surveillance rather than an unexplained spike in prevalence. He said Lyme disease appears to be increasing and that pertussis, a vaccine‑preventable disease, rose in the last year amid decreasing vaccine coverage trends.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about program funding sources, the state‑funded children’s special health care services program, and screening rollouts; department staff described state funding for the children’s program and use of Medicaid to support services. The presentation was informational; no committee action was taken.