Everyone, from your neighbor to the minivan-driving parent beside you in the school pick-up line, has an opinion about the flu shot. And more importantly, they’re not afraid to share it with you. The best protection against the flu virus is to get vaccinated in the fall. There is still a lot of misinformation about the flu and the flu shot out there.
Category: Health and Human Services
by Hannah Stutts, Grant Coordinator, Mecklenburg County Public Health
I don’t know about you, but when I’m driving around Charlotte (or stuck in traffic) I soak up everything about our beautiful city. New construction is everywhere, colorful lights paint the skies of uptown, trees and flowers decorate the sidewalks and buses with vibrant ads fill the streets – that’s right, I think the buses are beautiful, too. Especially the 30 buses that are rolling around with this PrEP ad on them.
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Another opioid related headline. News of another opioid related death. It almost seems never-ending. And just as my heart was beginning to heal from the devastation I felt after losing my musical icon Prince last April, the latest headline linking an exorbitant amount of Fentanyl to his death, reopened the wound yet again. Another loss due to an opioid addiction.
According to the Mecklenburg County Public Health Department, there were 121 opioid overdose deaths in 2016, that’s up from 61 in the previous year. That’s an alarming figure – all tied to one class of drugs. And while the data is alarming, it’s difficult to comprehend the impact the epidemic is having without examining all the facets of a community that the addiction tends to affect.
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You can’t turn on the news or look at social media lately without seeing something about the opioid epidemic – deaths are on the rise nationwide, and Mecklenburg County isn’t immune. Over the last ten years, opioid-related deaths in the County have increased by 134 percent – from 26 in 2005 to 61 in 2015.
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There are an endless number of possibilities when it comes to the ways you can “give back.” For some, it is volunteering with schools, helping the homeless, or working with animal shelters. For others, it is in the form of a donation to a charity or organization that is close to heart. But then there is another opportunity that the Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services is involved with every day – helping local children find safe, secure, and loving homes.
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In case you haven’t heard, we’re in the middle of flu season (it runs October – May each year). According to the State Health Department, the flu is widespread in our state and probably hasn’t peaked yet for the season.
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by Kim Bayha, Health Policy Coordinator for Tobacco Control, Mecklenburg County Public Health
It’s no secret that tobacco dependence is a wicked addiction. When used as directed, tobacco kills half of its loyal users. Yet, 90 percent of those people start using before they’re 18. The human brain isn’t even fully-formed and able to give informed consent at that age!
There has been incredible progress in the fight against tobacco. Smoking rates have declined from nearly half the population in 1965 to about 17 percent today. But, tobacco use is still the leading cause of preventable death and disease in our community. The Great American Smokeout, sponsored by the American Cancer Society every November, provides an opportunity to talk about some of the strategies that are most successful for reducing tobacco use and developing a quit plan.
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Note: updated location information 2/7/24.
Veterans Services Office staff participate in an event for military veteran employees.
Veterans Day comes just once a year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t honor our veterans on the other 364 days. And in fact, we do! We’re committed to serving those who have served our country year-round, and have a team of individuals specifically dedicated to connecting our local veterans with the benefits they’ve earned. Continue Reading
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