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Jackson County health director highlights clinic visits, overdose toll and preparedness work
Summary
Health Director Anna Leppard presented the department's annual report, citing 63 full‑time employees, service to about 45,000 residents, over 5,000 clinic visits, 21 overdose deaths in 2023 and recent disease‑response work including a large TB contact investigation and a new late clinic for workers.
Anna Leppard, director of the Jackson County Health Department, presented the department’s annual report on July 6, outlining staffing, service metrics and recent public‑health responses.
Leppard said the department employs 63 full‑time staff and serves approximately 45,000 county residents. She highlighted clinical services delivering more than 5,000 visits to over 3,000 unique patients in the past fiscal year and noted the department recently added a weekly late clinic to accommodate working residents. Leppard said WIC purchases locally are "almost $900,000," noting local economic benefits of the program.
On public‑health threats, Leppard reported 21 overdose deaths in 2023 and described a rapid TB contact investigation that identified more than 100 contacts and required a field testing operation. She described close coordination with neighboring counties, EMS and state partners and said those efforts took about 17 days to control the exposure while protecting patient confidentiality.
Leppard also summarized environmental‑health inspection performance, school‑health return rates, new rapid‑care clinic access for county employees and implementation of opioid‑settlement grants the board previously authorized.
Why this matters: The report provides commissioners with performance metrics, public‑health outcomes and program priorities — including workforce recruitment and retention, prevention initiatives and preparedness planning — that inform budget and policy choices affecting county health services.
Next steps: Leppard invited commissioners to visit the health department, observe programs and consider continued county support for staffing and prevention programs. No board action was required on July 6.
