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Talbot County health officer outlines senior services, Narcan vending and five‑year strategic plan
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Summary
Dr. Fami Fahmy presented the health department's biannual update, describing new accessible transportation for seniors, mobile integrated health funded through rural health transformation grants, Narcan and test‑strip vending machines, school health activities and a planned five‑year strategic review.
Dr. Fami Fahmy, the Talbot County health officer, gave the council a biannual briefing that condensed six months of department work into a 10‑minute presentation.
Fahmy described senior services and an accessible van purchase to transport residents with mobility challenges, and said the department is working with the Maryland Department of Health on a mobile integrated health program funded in part by rural health transformation dollars. He named Carrie Otey as the staff lead on senior services and said the department is pursuing expansion of programs that keep patients at home when safe to do so.
On prevention and harm reduction, Fahmy highlighted two vending machines stocked with free hygiene items, naloxone and test strips—one in the department lobby and one near the correctional facility—and said stocking demand has been high. "We can hardly keep the vending machines full," he told the council, and staff are hoping to expand the program to more locations.
Fahmy also described new school health activities, including free eyeglass distribution for students, doula training in family services and a proposed community garden tied to early childhood programming. He said the department is modernizing environmental health records and moving to Microsoft 365 to improve accessibility for residents with hearing or visual impairments.
The health officer said the department is launching a five‑year strategic planning process and hiring a specialist to review operations, staffing and budgets objectively. He thanked the council and county manager for support and noted partnerships with Johns Hopkins and Stevenson University for data and academic collaboration.
Council members asked about National Public Health Week language in a proclamation and whether Diversity, Equity and Inclusion language appeared; Fahmy said he welcomes revising proclamation verbiage and emphasized the department's commitment to serving all Talbot County residents. Council members praised the vending machine program and other outreach efforts and thanked Fahmy for the presentation.
Next steps: the council delayed the proclamation to a later session per an earlier agenda amendment, and the department will proceed with strategic planning and continued outreach.
