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Rutherford County health department reports dental visits up, updates on measles and cyclospora
Summary
County health director said dental-clinic visits nearly doubled year-over-year (67 to 112 in June), the department is filling primary-care positions, one measles case has been handled with no new cases identified, and cyclospora reports statewide since May 1 range from 31 to 80.
At the July 28 Health & Education Committee meeting, Sydney Butterfield presented the health department’s monthly community-outreach report and highlighted service trends and recent communicable-disease notes.
Butterfield said the department’s dental clinic saw 112 visits in June 2026 compared with 67 in June 2025, attributing part of the increase to consistent appointment reminders and completed onboarding of staff. She noted the department had just finished onboarding a new community health educator and an advanced nurse practitioner for primary care, and expects primary-care numbers to increase now that those staff are fully onboarded.
On communicable disease, Butterfield said the county had one measles case earlier in the month; "Everything around that situation was very cooperative with our central office within the Department of Health, and there have been no new cases identified at this point in time," she said. On cyclospora, Butterfield cited CDC/state data saying that, statewide, since May 1 between "31 to 80 people" have been identified with the illness; she said some cases are never captured because people recover without seeking medical care.
A commissioner asked whether the health department monitors landfill-related health issues; Butterfield said local health departments do not generally monitor landfills and recommended the state Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) as the appropriate agency for such issues.
The committee moved and carried a motion to approve the department’s report.
