ASHLAND — COVID-19 remains one of the Ashland County Health Department's top public health concerns heading into this year, according to an analysis provided to . ashland sauce.
The health department investigated 24 types of infectious diseases in 2023.
“Eighty-seven percent of these cases were due to COVID-19,” Department of Health spokeswoman Jill Hartson said.
But Hartson says the true burden can't really be quantified.
“First, the number of positive home tests is not being reported,” she said. “Second, some symptomatic residents may choose not to get tested for COVID-19.”
Hartson said the coronavirus remains the primary source of infectious disease outbreaks among congregate living settings with high-risk populations in the county.
“Therefore, COVID-19 will continue to be the primary concern for the foreseeable future,” she said, adding that other respiratory diseases such as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) will also be a concern.
vaccine
In 2023, the Ministry of Health administered 1,355 vaccines against a number of diseases, including hepatitis A and B, influenza, and chickenpox. This number includes 258 COVID-19 vaccines.
The number of COVID-19 vaccines administered last year stands in stark contrast to 2022 data.
According to Ministry of Health records, 1,320 COVID-19 vaccines were administered in 2022, 39 of which were given to infants and children.
Other concerns
But COVID-19 is not the health department's only concern.
The agency focuses on infectious diseases, including infectious, sexually transmitted, blood-borne, food-borne, water-borne, zoonotic and vector-borne diseases. Because they can affect the general public.
The Ashland County Health Department must identify the diseases that have caused the most illnesses, outbreaks, and/or deaths.
“For 2023, it was COVID-19,” Hartson said.
The agency also looks at individual threats to health, such as cancer and various heart diseases.
The agency completed a community health assessment in 2022, identifying cancer, access to health care, mental health and substance abuse as four key areas of concern.
According to a report from the Ohio Department of Health, the average cancer death rate in Ashland County from 2016 to 2020, the most recent data available, was 160 deaths, which is higher than the national cancer death rate of 149.4 deaths.
From 2016 to 2020, an average of 121 people died from cancer each year.
Although Ashland County's mortality rate for COVID-19 is low, Hartson said it remains a threat to public health as it causes the most illnesses, outbreaks and deaths of any infectious disease. There is.
Six Ashland County residents died from COVID-19 in 2023, according to ODE data. There were 1,624 people infected and 112 people hospitalized. The state estimates that 1,604 of the confirmed cases have recovered.
“Heart disease and cancer, the leading causes of death in the United States, are likely to pose a constant threat to an individual's health…Cancer is a concern in Ashland County, and it has been identified in the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). “That's the main reason it's being brought up,” Hartson said.
The County's Health and Human Services Target Action Group (TAG) is developing initiatives to address the goals of CHIP. Ashland County has community partners who play a role in cancer prevention, detection, and care. Because there are so many, we are adopting a focused collaborative effort to lead that effort,” Hartson said.
The health department, in collaboration with the Ashland County Cancer Society, will sponsor a free information session on colorectal cancer on March 8 at Samaritan College.
Ashland County's colorectal cancer incidence rate exceeded that of Ohio and the United States from 2016 to 2020, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
“There are multiple threats that impact the health of our communities, from public health threats to personal health threats. We must address all threats,” Hartson said.
Narcan and overdose
The health department remains concerned about overdose deaths in Ashland County.
There were 18 fatal overdoses in the county in 2022, according to data from the Ashland Police Department and Ashland County Sheriff's Office.
The number of fatal overdoses countywide in 2023 totaled 25 through Oct. 10, according to information provided by Rick Ford, director of the Ashland County Drug and Alcohol Abuse Council.
“These people are not necessarily from Ashland County, but are counted where the overdose occurred,” Ford said in an email.
Data on fatal overdoses is collected by the Opioid Fatality Review Board in February and March of each year. The committee is comprised of representatives from the Department of Health, the Mental Health and Recovery Board, physicians, law enforcement, and the coroner's office.
The Health Department became a Project DAWN (Avoiding Deaths Due to Naloxone) site around 2017.
The Ohio Department of Health program was launched in 2012 and is a network of sites around the state that aim to educate about opioid overdoses and provide distribution points for naloxone, the drug that reverses overdoses. has grown to.
Since 2012, Project DAWN has grown to include more than 420 naloxone distribution sites covering 82 of the state's 88 counties and has 182 programs enrolled, according to ODH.
The health department has procured 463 doses of Narcan, a name brand drug that contains naloxone. In 2023, we distributed 246 doses of vaccine to partner agencies and first responders.
mobile clinic
The health department used leftover COVID-19 funding to purchase a $230,000 mobile health clinic in April 2023.
The goal is to provide vaccinations and other medical services to Amish and “orphaned populations” in the county, Health Department Director Vicki Taylor said.
From June to November 2023, the clinic hosted 13 events.
During these events, nurses performed 119 health examinations and 63 vaccinations.
Hartson said the screening included blood pressure and blood sugar measurements, a hemoglobin A1C test, a cholesterol test, and a height and weight test.
Tests were conducted on 28 men and 14 women aged 19 to over 65, with the majority aged 19 to 64.
The vaccine was administered to 20 men and 22 women aged 0 to over 65. According to information provided by the health department, most of the vaccines (of 17 types) were targeted at people aged 19 to 64.
Seven events are planned for 2024, and the health department is “currently planning additional events with other community partners.” Below is a list.
- Feb. 28, 4:30-6:30 p.m., at Perrysville Community Center in partnership with Associated Charities Food Bank
- April 16, 4:30-6:30 p.m., at Polk United Methodist Church, in partnership with Associated Charities Food Bank.
- May 22, 4:30-6:30 p.m., at Perrysville Community Center in partnership with Associated Charities Food Bank.
- July 16, 4:30-6:30 p.m., at Polk United Methodist Church, in partnership with Associated Charities Food Bank.
- August – Amish Health and Safety Day (Private Event)
- Aug. 28, 4:30-6:30 p.m., at Perrysville Community Center in partnership with Associated Charity Food Bank
- Oct. 15, 4:30-6:30 p.m., at Polk United Methodist Church, in partnership with Associated Charities Food Bank.
birth and death
The health department also tracks births and deaths in Ashland County.
Last year, there were 98 hospital births and 78 home births in Ashland County, but those numbers are not yet determined.
The number of hospital births in 2023 is also significantly lower than in 2022, when there were 262 hospital births in the county. This is because University Hospital Samaritan Medical Center suspended labor and delivery services on August 8th.
“Starting August 8, 2023, the only births recorded in Ashland County will be home births and emergency room births,” Hartson said. “Therefore, caution should be taken when comparing past birth records.”
The number of deaths in Ashland County in 2023 was 102 more than the previous year.
According to health department data, there were a total of 620 deaths in 2023, while in 2022 there were 518 deaths.
