Health department presents 2024 State of the County Health report; child fatality review team to merge with child protection team July 1

Person County Health Department officials presented the 2024 State of the County Health report (SACCH) to the Board of Commissioners on April 7, summarizing recent health trends, new initiatives and program changes.

Dr. Richard Johnson of the health education team described the SACCH as the department’s periodic progress report between comprehensive community health assessments, which the state requires every three to four years. The report and supplemental materials are available on the health department’s website, he said.

Key figures presented included the teen pregnancy rate for females ages 15–19 at 21.8 per 1,000; adult obesity prevalence rising from 22.3 percent to 24.6 percent; a slight decrease in reportable sexually transmitted infections overall from 92 percent to 87 percent with chlamydia remaining the most prevalent (falling to about 558.6 per capita, slightly below the state rate cited); and gonorrhea rising to roughly 246 per capita, near the state rate. The report also said COVID-19 moved from the fifteenth to the fifth leading cause of death in the county, and noted that infant mortality was not reported in the summary because fewer than 20 cases made the rate unstable.

The department reported a decline in residents dispensed opioid pills (from 13.4 percent to 12.2 percent), while the proportion of overdose deaths attributable to illicit opioids rose from 63.6 to 70.6 percent (the county’s share of illicit-opioid overdose deaths remains below the state rate cited).

New or resumed initiatives listed in the SACCH include on-site urine testing for gonorrhea and chlamydia, school-based flu clinics for staff and dependents, a resumed public-health rotation at Piedmont Community College, a pilot of the Med-South lifestyle program with NC Cooperative Extension, a Catch My Breath youth vaping-prevention pilot with Person County Schools, participation in the Thriving Hearts initiative with Orange County Health Department, and a substance-use education specialist position funded by opioid settlement money.

Janet Clayton and health department staff also presented the child fatality prevention team’s annual report. The county’s statutory child fatality prevention team reviews multidisciplinary records for deaths that are at least one year old and not suspected abuse or neglect. In calendar year 2024 the team reviewed 11 fatalities (up from two in the prior year), including causes such as extreme prematurity, a motor-vehicle crash, homicide, and pedestrian fatalities. The department conducts outreach including car-seat inspection and safe-sleep resources, and noted the availability of grant-supported car seats and community education.

Clayton told the board the child fatality prevention team will transition to a joint child fatality prevention and child protection team effective July 1, and appointments or reappointments will be made at that time. Commissioners asked about housing-related public-health complaints; the health director said enforcement authority varies by topic (for example, the city has a minimum housing ordinance the county does not) and the department typically serves as a resource and will refer issues to state divisions when outside county authority.

No formal board action was taken during the presentation; commissioners asked follow-up questions and the health department offered resources and next steps.