2010 - Wicomico County Health Department

MISSION OF THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT
The mission of the Wicomico County Health Department is to maximize
the health of the citizens by providing access to opportunities that
promote physical, behavioral and environmental health through
preventive, educational, assessment, clinical, monitoring and regulatory
programs.
Message from the Health Officer:
This Annual Report provides information related to how ‘Public
Health’ affects all residents of Wicomico County. Based on
community surveys and input from the Health Planning
Board, the Health Department has been charged with developing
strategies to address the following three priority areas:
Diabetes, Obesity and Mental Health.
With the support of County Executive Richard Pollitt and the
County Council, the Health Department is addressing the public health
needs of our county. Activities conducted by the Health Department
during Fiscal Year 2010 are outlined in this report. If you have any
questions or comments about this report or the work of the Health Department,
or would like to participate on one of our advisory groups please call
(410)543-6930.
Message from the County Executive:
- Lori Brewster, Health Officer
Since accepting my appointment as Wicomico County’s newest
Health Officer two and one-half years ago, Lori Brewster
has led our Health Department through the most challenging
and difficult economic times. Significantly, though, she has
not compromised on the high quality of service offered by her
department to Wicomico County residents. Throughout her
tenure, Ms. Brewster and staff have continued to make a profound
positive impact on the quality of life that our residents enjoy. We are
fortunate to have the dedication of so many qualified and caring health
care professionals and associates serving our community.
- Rick Pollitt, County Executive

WICOMICO COUNTY DEMOGRAPHICS
HOUSEHOLDS: There are 36,262 households in Wicomico County, with
an average household size of 2.47.
POPULATION: Wicomico County’s 94,222 residents represent 2% of
Maryland’s total population.
Wicomico County Residents, by Race
1.9% 1.5% 1.6%
3.4%
23.3%
71.6%
Caucasian 71.6%
African American 23.3%
Hispanic/Latino 3.4%
Asian 1.9%
Two or More Races 1.5%
Other 1.6%
INCOME: The median household income in Wicomico County is $51,352.
POVERTY: 12% of people in Wicomico County live in poverty. 15% of
related children under age 18 live below the poverty level, compared with
9% of people age 65 and over.
EDUCATION: 85.1% of people age 25 years and over have at least
graduated from high school and 24.5% hold a bachelor’s degree or higher.
14.9 percent of those age 25 and older are not high school graduates.
DISABILITY: 15% (14,477) of Wicomico County residents at least five
years old reported having a disability.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2005—2009 American Community Survey

HEALTH STATUS OF WICOMICO COUNTY
WICOMICO’S HEALTH . . . DID YOU KNOW?
29.9% of adults have been told their blood pressure is high;
15.3% of adults smoke cigarettes;
44.4% of adults participate in regular physical activity (exercising 20
minutes at least 3 times a week.);
92.9% of adults report being able to access mental health care, if
needed.
PRC Community Health Assessment
Leading Causes of Death in Wicomico County
Rate per 100,000 of 2009 population
Source: 2009 Maryland Vital Statistics Report
Heart Disease
274.9
Malignant Neoplasms
245.2
Chronic Lower Respiratory Diseases
63.7
Cerebrovascular Disease
Accidents
Nephritis, Nephrotic Syndrome & Nephrosis
Influenza and Pneumonia
Alzheimer's Disease
41.4
31.8
26.5
23.4
22.3
Diabetes Mellitus*
Septicemia*
* Death rates not calculated for jurisdictions with fewer than 20 deaths.

WICOMICO COUNTY HEALTH ASSESSMENT
TASK FORCE REPORT
In 2009, the Wicomico County Health Department Health Assessment Task
Force coalition reconvened to assess health issues in the county and
choose the primary areas of concern to be addressed to promote a healthy
community. Full scale health assessments were also conducted in 1995,
2000 and 2005.
Coalition membership includes representatives from community agencies
and organizations. The representatives met to share and review information
and statistics on the health issues of the county in the areas of:
Chronic Disease, Maternal, Infant and Child Health, Injury and Violence
Prevention, Acute Illness, Risk Factor Behavior and Environmental.
The Wicomico County Health Assessment Task Force chose three areas for
focused programming until 2015:
DIABETES
As many as one third of all adults who have diabetes do not know they
have it. In Wicomico County, 9.7% of adults have been diagnosed with
diabetes. Source: Centers for Disease Control.
OVERWEIGHT, OBESITY AND LACK OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater. Obesity is
a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, and
type 2 diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control 26.2% of
adults in Maryland are obese.
MENTAL HEALTH
There is a 12.9% increase from FY 2008 to FY 2009, and an increase of
10.5% from FY 2009 to FY 2010 for persons served in Wicomico County.
The number of outpatient providers serving both children and adults has
continued to grow. Currently, Wicomico County has six outpatient mental
health clinics and one federally qualified health center that runs a mental
health clinic. Four of the six providers serve children and adults, two serve
children only and one solely serves the adult population.

RANGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES PROVIDED
The Wicomico County Health Department offers a wide range of public
health services via eight program divisions. Below is a description of each
division and examples of services provided during fiscal year 2010.
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
Telephone: (410) 543-6976
This program supports all facets of the agency by providing Human
Resources, Budget Monitoring, Vital Records, Accounts Payable, Accounts
Receivable, MA Transportation, Facilities Operations and Information
Technology Services.
This program is responsible for recruiting and training employees, classifying
positions, administering salaries and developing policies.
212 Health Department Employees
5,003 Birth Certificates Issued
6,151 Death Certificates Issued
ADDICTION SERVICES
Telephone: (410) 742-3784
The Wicomico County Behavioral Health Addictions Program provides a
variety of outpatient addictions treatment services to residents of Wicomico
County. The following services are provided:
Adult and Adolescent Outpatient Treatment
Adult and Adolescent Intensive Outpatient Treatment
Adult Dual Diagnosis Services
Adult Methadone Maintenance and Suboxone Programs
Adult Forensic Treatment
Temporary Cash Assistance
Adult Drug Court through Wicomico County Circuit and District Court
Assistance with Primary Adult Care applications
1,528 individuals received treatment services in FY2010. Alcohol, cocaine,
and marijuana abuse were most common with increasing evidence of
prescription drug abuse.

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
Telephone: (410) 334-3497
Promotes emotional health in the community through outpatient mental
health, psychiatric rehabilitation, targeted case management, forensic
services and outreach.
Services are provided in the home, community, schools, local detention
center and at the Department of Juvenile Services.
Services include assessment, evaluation, counseling, therapy, rehabilitation,
health promotion, education, social support, client advocacy, parenting
support, case management, housing, homeless outreach and financial
assistance. Evidence based child and adolescent trauma therapy and early
childhood mental health specialization are also offered.
850 Clients Treated
8,217 Outpatient Mental Health Visits
1,063 Targeted Case Management Visits
158 Family Intervention/Juvenile Services Visits
1,885 Psychiatric Rehabilitation Visits
586 Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) Visits
124 Outreach and Education to 1,426 in the TriCounty Area.
CORE SERVICES
Telephone: (410) 543-6981
Plan, develop and manage a coordinated, comprehensive, accessible,
culturally sensitive, and age appropriate system of publicly funded mental
health services and supports for individuals with psychiatric disorders. To
further promote an environment of resiliency, health and recovery for all
individuals living with mental illness in Wicomico County.
Provided grant for Evidenced Based Practice of Family Psychoeducation
Services program.
Completed over 40 inspections of specialized housing for individuals living
with mental illness.
Assisted in offering more than 15 training events for mental health
professionals and consumers.

COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES
Telephone: (410) 548-6943 or (410) 543-6962
The focus of the community Health Services (CHS) Program is provision of
preventive health services and prevention/treatment of communicable diseases.
Outreach and prevention education to medically indigent Wicomico
County citizen are also program priorities.
Notable services provided during FY 2010 include, but were not limited to:
Communicable Disease Services
STD Clinical Visits .................................................................... 2,407
TB-Related Clinical Visits ....................................................... 1,260
HIV/AIDS Related Services ....................................................... 2,279
Immunizations
Adult ..................................................................................... 655
Child ..................................................................................... 335
Influenza Vaccinations
Injections ........................................................................... 1,168
FluMist ............................................................................... 2,287
H1N1 ................................................................................. 5,964
Epidemiological Investigations ................................................... 1,251
Family Planning Services
Family Planning Clients Served .................................................. 2,631
Family Planning Visits ............................................................... 5,327
Breast and Cervical Cancer Program (BCCP)
BCCP Clients .......................................................................... 515
BCCP Visits ......................................................................... 1,243
School Based Wellness Center at Wicomico Middle School
Clients Served ........................................................................ 156
Medical Visits ......................................................................... 439
Mental Health Visits ................................................................. 195
Oral Health Services
Pregnant Women ...................................................................... 74
Children ............................................................................. 6,770

Child Abuse Prevention
In Home Service visits ............................................................ 740
Lead Poisoning Prevention
Lead Certification (Contractors) .................................................. 30
Lead Screening for Children ................................................... 2,248
Infant Mortality Prevention
Car Seat Safety (Infants)........................................................... 51
SIDS Prevention (Infants).......................................................... 42
Multivitamins with Folic Acid to Women .................................... 1,669
Maryland Children’s Health Program Applications .......................... 6,008
MCHP, FAC and MA For Families—Care Coordination
Children ................................................................................ 400
Adults ................................................................................. 2,287
Children with Disabilities............................................................ 50
Teen Pregnancy Prevention
Children ................................................................................ 650
Families/Community ............................................................. 1,735
Colorectal Cancer Prevention
Adults Screened by Colonoscopy ................................................. 54
Adults Educated ..................................................................... 430
Total Educated through Media Campaign .............................. 193,185
Skin Cancer Prevention
Total Educated, All Ages .......................................................... 633
Total Educated through Media Campaign .............................. 265,910
Long Term Care
Aged or functionally disabled adults evaluated to identify need
for long term care or risk for institutionalization .......................... 779
Tri-County Women, Infants & Children (WIC)
FY2010 Total Participation ...................................................... 5,388

DISABILITY SERVICES
Telephone: (410) 543-6790
Services provided to eligible individuals with developmental disabilities in one
or more of four areas: Access and Eligibility for State funding, Information
and Referral, Resource Coordination, Family and Individual Support Services.
Services provided in FY10:
111 Referrals
73 Individuals Receiving Information and Referral
375 Individuals Receiving Resource Coordination
139 Individuals Receiving Support Services
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
Telephone: (410) 546-4446
24-Hour Emergency Line: (410) 543-6996
Through quality and timely customer service, it is the mission of Environmental
Health to serve the residents of Wicomico County under the direction
and guidance of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, as
well as the Maryland Department of the Environment, by using measures designed
to protect public health through the control of vital environmental factors,
including, but not limited to, drinking water, sewage, food establishments,
clean indoor air, and rabies.
In FY 2010, the program provided:
133 Land Evaluations
89 Nuisances Investigated
229 Well Permits Issued
544 Plumbing Inspections
101 Subdivision Plats Reviewed
80 Nutrient Reduction Units Installed on Individual Septic Systems
27 Burning Permits Issued
250 Septic Permits Issued
160 Permits Issued for Additions and Accessory Dwellings
351 Freedom of Information Requests Fulfilled
2,104 Food Service Facility Inspections
481 Pool and Spa Inspections
66 Sanitary Surveys Completed

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PROGRAM
Telephone: (410) 219-3957
Pandemic Influenza Planning funds were provided to the health department
from 2006 to 2008. The health department created a plan to address agency
response to Pandemic Influenza and assisted partners in their planning.
H1N1 Influenza became the first new influenza strain to meet criteria for
Pandemic Influenza. Although not as severe as originally feared, federal
plans were activated to produce vaccine. The health department’s response
was coordinated through the Emergency Preparedness program and included
coordination of vaccination for children in school and daycare settings within
the county as well as the availability of vaccine in multiple community settings.
11,000 doses of vaccine were provided to individuals in the community
during the 8 month vaccination effort.
H1N1 Pandemic Influenza was noted in the community through surveillance
systems and had a documented impact on the healthcare system. Through
the collaborative work of healthcare partners and the implementation of response
measure, Wicomico County was able to recover from the Pandemic
with minimum overall impact.
PREVENTION AND HEALTH COMMUNICATION
Telephone: (410) 334-3480
The mission of the Prevention and Health Communication Program is to give
individuals the knowledge and skills needed to make informed choices regarding
their health and safety through: Education, Health Risk Assessments, Outreach,
Marketing and Community Partnerships. In FY 2010, the program provided:
32 Child Passenger Safety Classes
282 Car Seats Checked
1,104 Children Educated about Poison Safety
435 Vision and Hearing Screenings Completed
2,978 Individuals Educated about Tobacco
53 Press Releases Issued
29 Media Interviews Conducted
187 Clinical Breast Exams
134 Screening Mammograms
21 Diagnostic Mammograms
170 Health Risk Assessments at worksites county-wide:
•69 with BMI of >30, 61 with a BMI of 25—29.9.
•101 with a waist girth of >35” for females/>40” for males.

Wicomico County Health Department
108 East Main Street
Salisbury, Maryland 21801
(410) 749-1244
TDD: (410) 543-6952
www.wicomicohealth.org