NDDH Health Campaigns - Past and Present
In addition to the day-to-day services provided by the Northeast District Department of Health, specialized health campaigns help to educate our population and provide services that might otherwise not be available. These programs are supported through federal, state, and private grant funds.
Federally Funded Campaigns
(provided through the Connecticut State Department of Health)
Food Disease Surveillance
What it is: This program is designed to increase community awareness of food borne illness and risk factors associated with food borne illness.
What NDDH does for you:
- Targets the reduction of Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Hepatitis A food borne illness through community education activities
- Conducts Food Safety and Awareness Training Classes (FAST) that teach proper food handling techniques. This class is ideal for owners, volunteers, and new employees who have not taken the Qualified Food Operator Course
- Community educational campaign to focus on the safe handling, cooking, and storing of eggs
- NDDH also conducts epidemiological investigation of all reported potential and confirmed cases of food borne illness in the district
Funding provided by: State of CT DPH through the Preventive Health and Health Services/CDC Block Grant
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/blockgrant/brochure.htm
 Emergency Response Public Health Preparedness & Planning
What it is: State-mandated development and refinement of a Jurisdictional Public Health Preparedness and Response Plan that will identify the public health roles and responsibilities to respond to a public health emergency (including a bioterrorist event) within our jurisdiction.
What NDDH does for you:
- Continues to refine its Emergency Response Plan for northeastern Connecticut by updating protocols for mass vaccination clinics
- Conducts regular preparedness drills and exercises, procures ancillary supplies, recruits response teams, and provides staff education and training
- Work continues on the development of our local Health Alert Network and identifying special populations for our Risk Communication Plan
- NDDH remains dedicated to strengthening our infrastructure to assure preparedness against the continued threat of natural disaster and bioterrorism
Funding provided by: State of CT DPH through the Health Resources and Services Administration/CDC Grant
http://www.hrsa.gov/
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/
CT Office of Rural Health (CT-ORH)
What it is: The majority of NDDH’s environmental services are devoted to the assurance that subsurface sewage disposal systems are appropriately installed to prevent a health hazard to the property owner, to the general public, and to meet the requirements established in the Connecticut Public Health Code. The Connecticut Office of Rural Health has funded a program for NDDH to develop a pilot training program for environmental health technicians’ fieldwork and to train one environmental health technician as part of this pilot program.
What NDDH does for you:
- Has developed a Subsurface Sewage Disposal Guidance book, which includes reference materials, field training activities and performance training assessment sheets to be used in this fieldwork training program.
- Will recruit a classroom qualified environmental health technician to participate in this field training curriculum
- Provides field certification with CT DPH for this trainee upon successful completion of the specific tasks
- Provides an opportunity for this trainee to be hired by a health department upon successful completion of the program
Funding provided by:
State of CT DPH through the Health Resources & Services Administration
http://www.hrsa.gov/
CT Office of Rural Health
http://www.ruralhealthct.org/
 Bureau of Community Health Asthma Grant
What it is: Research conducted in 2000 demonstrates that Windham County had the highest prevalence of students with asthma in the state of Connecticut. As such, NDDH was especially pleased to receive a grant from the Connecticut Department of Public Health to improve health outcomes for asthma patients in our district. This program targets education for primary care physicians through the Easy Breathing training program at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford. Two physicians from our area are attending this training and in turn, will recruit and train two other physicians in Windham County to participate in the program with their patients.
What it does for you:
- Improves health outcomes for asthma patients in Windham County
- Reduces the inappropriate use of emergency room visits and hospitalization at Day Kimball Hospital and Windham Hospital by asthma patients
- Provides Windham County physicians who care for asthmatic patients with tools to educate these patients in asthma management (with a focus on pediatrics.)
Funding provided by: State of CT DPH through the Bureau of Community Health
http://www.dph.state.ct.us/DPH_Main/About_DPH/bch/bch.htm
 Cardiovascular Disease
NDDH concluded the final phase of a three-year grant provided by the state of Connecticut Department of Public Health’s Cardiovascular Program and coordinated by NDDH and Day Kimball Hospital. The funding created Healthy Hearts Northeast, a coalition of community professionals and volunteers whose mission was to create healthy neighborhoods and prevent heart disease by improving nutrition and increasing exercise. In addition to establishing Health Action Teams to create healthier school environments for students, teachers and families, the coalition was successful in implementing Employee Wellness programs at several local businesses. Coalition leader Elaine Turner was even asked to present the Healthy Hearts vision at the United States summit on Health, held in Washington, D.C.! Kudos to the entire coalition for implementing these health improvements throughout the northeast district!
Funding provided by: State of CT DPH through the Preventive Health and Health Services/CDC Block Grant
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/blockgrant/brochure.htm
Privately Funded Health Campaigns
Additional Community Programs and Activities
 Tools for Schools
What it is: An innovative program of the United States Environmental Protection Agency to address the growing concern regarding health problems linked to poor indoor air quality (IAQ) in school facilities. The Tools for Schools Action kit provides all the materials necessary to promote a low-cost, problem-solving team approach to improving indoor air quality.
As part of the Tools For Schools Resource Team, NDDH provides the following:
- Conducts presentations for school officials and other interested parties to explain the Tools For School program
- Provides training for Tools For Schools committees to identify problems, understand ventilation basics, conduct site walk-throughs, and prioritize IAQ solutions.
- Provides technical assistance
All at no cost!
For More Info: http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/
 Dental Screenings, Education & Fluoride for Schools Program
What it is: A program developed by the Northeast District Department of Health to promote oral health to schoolchildren. In 2004, over 1300 children benefited from dental screenings at participating schools. On average, over 30% were referred for further treatment due to these screenings.
What NDDH does for you:
- Provides in-school screenings without disrupting school day
- Educational component teaches children proper brushing techniques and the importance of oral hygiene
- Results serve to alert parents to pursue proper follow-up with private dentist or Across the Smiles program
For More Info: Call NDDH at 860-774-7350 |
