NEWS RELEASE
May 10, 2000

Haveman Honors Top Local Health Programs
Genesee, Macomb and Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph counties honored

 

Michigan Department of Community Health Director James K. Haveman, Jr. today announced the 2000 Director's Award to the Genesee County Health Department for their Day Care Immunization program. The Macomb County Health Department was awarded second place for their Collaborative Household Battery Collection Program and the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency was awarded third place for their Healthy Families Nurturing Communities Initiative.

The Director's Award is given annually to a local health jurisdiction in recognition of excellence in public health. The local health departments were recognized at the Public Health Leadership Meeting May 10 at the Michigan State University Kellogg Center. The Ingham County Health Department won the first Director's Award in 1983 for its Food Bank Program.

"I am delighted to be able to honor these three outstanding programs," said Haveman. "They have made a positive impact on the health of the people in their counties and have demonstrated a collaborative spirit that can serve as a model to other counties. Truly they represent the best in public health innovation."

The first-place winner is the Genesee County Health Department for their entry, Day Care Immunization. In 1993, children under the age of three enrolled in licensed day care centers in Genesee County had an immunization compliance level of 28.5 percent and total immunization compliance levels for all children in licensed day care centers were 61.9 percent. A consumer task force was created to address the issue. The ensuing program used a full-time public health nurse to provide education on immunizations to day care centers staff and parents, review immunization records of enrolled children and make recommendations, and conduct on-site immunization clinics.

In 1998-99, the percentage of children under three years of age in licensed day care centers that were fully immunized rose to 94.5 percent. The number of day care centers achieving 100 percent immunization climbed from 2 percent in 1992-93 to 59 percent in 1998-99 and those at 90 percent compliance or above rose from 11 percent to 79 percent.

The Macomb County Health Department was awarded with second place for their Collaborative Household Battery Collection Program. In Macomb County, approximately 750,000 residents live within the Clinton River Watershed, which traverses the county before emptying into Lake St. Clair. By decreasing the volume of household batteries, the environmental threat to surface waters on the county is reduced. The Macomb County Health Department and the U. S. Postal Service are collaborating on a household battery collection program that offers every resident in Macomb county the opportunity and convenience of free local battery reclamation.

During the first 22 months of the program, almost 39,000 pounds of household batteries were collected. The direct and indirect cost of the program has been less than $20,000. It is estimated the cost of providing this environmental health protection to the residents of Macomb county is under three cents per person per year.

Winning third-place was the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency for their Healthy Families Nurturing Communities Initiative. Healthy Families Nurturing Communities has two components: the Welcoming Baby Program and Community Councils. The Welcoming Baby Program starts at area hospitals where newborns and their families are administered, upon consent, a risk factor survey. With the consent of parents, a trained volunteer makes a home visit to the new parent(s) and provides them with information on parenting, infant care, and resources in the community. Families who are identified as "high risk" according to the risk factor survey are visited by a trained paraprofessional. Parents are assisted in identifying resources in the community, provided information on parenting, and where appropriate, linked to needed services. The Community Councils consist of key stakeholders from the community who come together to define and address pressing issues facing their respective community.

The data collected to date, indicates clients feel the Welcoming Baby visits are family friendly and helpful. There has been an increase in the knowledge level of parents on child development, positive parenting skills, and recognition of the need for their children to be immunized. Also, the number of children receiving health insurance has increased.

The cost of the program for 1998-99 was $24,5000. In 1998-99, 126 families were visited in their homes, 185 families received the child development newsletter, and 210 families were administered the risk factor survey.

The Genesee County Health Department will receive $5,000 for first-place, the Macomb County Health Department will receive $1,500 for second-place and the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency will receive $1,000 for third-place.