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SICK & WELL
HEALTH CARE
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PROMOTING
HEALTHY LIVING
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PREVENTING
DISEASE
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ABOUT US
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Community Health Issues
North Carolina Public Health provides money and resources to help meet some health needs, but not all. Like all
communities, Wilkes County has individual health needs that need attention. Using results from the last Community
Assessment, Wilkes County Health Department narrowed its focus and is working with community partners to address
the following: Teen Pregnancy, Domestic Violence and Child Abuse, Access to Healthcare for Un- and Under-Insured,
Unintentional Injuries and Infant and Child Mortality.
Teen Pregnancy
Wilkes County Health Department has been working with Wilkes County Schools to reduce the number of teen
pregnancies. High school student classes can be instructed on how
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and
STI’s (Sexually Transmitted Infections) are
passed, the signs and symptoms and treatment. Up-to-date information about contraceptive methods and their
effectiveness are outlined, always emphasizing that abstinence is the only 100% protection. A second program in
schools goes over the emotional and physical results of becoming sexually active and gives students skills to combat
sexual pressure and peer pressure.
MESH provides counseling and support for
teens considering or involved in sexual activity as well as a teen parenting program sponsored in part by
Wilkes Smart Start. The goal is to reduce the number of
second pregnancies in teens who have already had one child. The program also provides education and support for those
families so that the teenagers can graduate from school.
Wilkes County Health Department also sits on the board of Community Health Connection, a United Way agency and
our local Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Coalition. To help parents who need to have “the talk”, here are a few tips:
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Keep an Open Line of Communication: Encourage your teenage to openly talk to you about issues. Do not
reactive negatively to what he/she tells you. Be an active listener but not judgmental.
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Practice Makes Perfect: It is never too early to start building refusal skills into your child. Role plays can be
great tools to ensure that your child is equipped with the refusal skills he/she will need to combat peer pressure.
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Accurate Information is Key: If you teenager asks you questions about sensitive issues give them accurate
information. If you do not know the answer than just say so…..and then find out together.
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If at first you don’t succeed....: Try, try again. Just because your first attempt at opening the lines of communication
did not go as planned does not mean that you should not keep trying….practice makes perfect!
Domestic Violence and Child Abuse
Child abuse has been increasing in Wilkes. Wilkes County Health Department employees, especially the
Maternal Outreach Workers,
Maternal Care Coordinators and
Child Care Coordinators, work with families and with
the Child Abuse Prevention Team to prevent child abuse and death. Most child abuse cases in Wilkes are due to living
in an injurious environment, improper care or lack of discipline. These can be overcome through parent education / awareness.
For more information, please call (336) 651-7450.
Access to Healthcare for Un- and Under-Insured
Wilkes County Health Department has been working with many individuals, organizations, businesses and healthcare
providers to address the problem of access to healthcare for the un- or under-insured. For children, the state provides
Health Choice / HealthCheck for uninsured children,
although there are eligibility requirements. Applications can be found around the county or can be sent through the mail
from Wilkes County Health Department. Enrollment is done by the Department of Social Services. Wilkes County Health
Department also offers
healthcare for sick children,
adolescents and
adults as well as some of the
preventive and screening services. All are on a sliding
fee scale based on family income. The
Public Health Dental Clinic has expanded it services since
it opened a few years ago by hiring a second dentist for the clinic and a third for the mobile dental unit. Services have recently
been expanded to include adults screening and treatment. For adults, the
Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program, coordinated
through the Health Department, can also provide mammograms to women who qualify. The new Adult Health Case Manager
at the Health Department will be coordinating no-cost healthcare with a network of local physicians soon. A new Parish
Nursing program is also opening screening and education opportunities for participating religious groups. Finally, the
Care Connection Pharmacy and
the state’s prescription drug program can provide selected drugs for low cost to those who qualify. These are just a few ways
that the nation and Wilkes County are working to ease the burden of ill health from those who are uninsured. For more
information, please call (336) 651-7450.
Unintentional Injuries
Unintentional injuries or “accidents” are the number 1 killer of children ages 14 and younger in the US today. Most of these
“accidents” are preventable and often it is a very simple step: having a working smoke alarm, car seat or bicycle helmet.
Wilkes County Health Department works through Safe Kids to protect
children from motor vehicle and bicycle injuries and death.
Health Promotion Specialists,
Maternal Care Coordinators and
Maternal Outreach Workers have been trained in car
safety seat installations and can check the safety of your child’s car seat. Recalled seats may be able to be replaced
through Safe Kids. Car seats can be installed or checked most days at the Health Department. Call in advance to make
sure someone trained will be available. Another Safe Kids project that the Health Department participates in is the annual
Bicycle Rodeo in memory of Seth Teague. Using bicycle helmets and properly fitting them is also vital to preventing
unintentional injuries. For more information, please call (336) 651-7450.
Access to Prescription Medications
The Care Connection Pharmacy is
a community program established to help people of all ages with chronic medical conditions who need regular prescription
medicines but who do not have enough income to purchase them. Care Connection Pharmacy is not a program to fill emergency
medication needs. Community members must enroll in Care Connection Pharmacy and pay an initial enrollment fee.
Care Connection Pharmacy is able to provide routine chronic condition medicines through samples, purchased medicines and
drug manufacturers' patient assistance programs. Most of the manufacturers’ programs provide prescription medications
free-of-charge to individuals in need, regardless of age, if they meet the sponsor's criteria. Care Connection Pharmacy can
link people in need with these programs and can help people apply for one or more of the patient assistance programs. This
process is accomplished with the cooperation of the patient's physician.
Some of the requirements of the Care Connection Pharmacy are:
- The applicant is on a stabilized dosage of medications.
- The applicant does not have insurance coverage for outpatient prescription drugs.
- The applicant does not qualify for a government or third-party program, such as Medicaid, that provides for prescription medications.
- The applicant's income level causes hardship for the patient to purchase medication at retail pharmacies.
- Some manufacturers have established their own household income limit requirements. Generally, participants' income must be within 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
The Care Connection Pharmacy has been an ongoing effort supported through the years at different times by Wilkes
Community Health Council, Wilkes Regional Medical Center, Wilkes County Health Department, the Duke Endowment,
Kate B. Reynolds, local physicians and the United Way of Wilkes. For more information, please call (336) 651-7450.
Infant and Child Mortality
Infant and Child Mortality is monitored closely by Wilkes County Health Department and the Child Fatality Prevention Team.
The Health Department provides nurses trained in grief counseling for families affected by the death of an infant from
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Home visits are
available. The Child Fatality Prevention Team is directed by the Wilkes County Health Director. This group was established
by the N.C. legislature to address the issue of preventable child deaths. It conducts multi-agency/interagency reviews of all
infant and child deaths not reviewed by the Community Child Protection Team to identify system problems, make recommendations,
and document actions by the Child Fatality Prevention Team to prevent future deaths. For more information, please call
(336) 651-7450.
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