Okaloosa County BOCC — August 1, 2016 — Health Department

Board of County Commissioners Okaloosa County, Florida SERVICE AREA: Public Health Services DEPARTMENT: Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS: Community Health Improvement Planning: It is the role of the Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County to facilitate a community health improvement planning process. A community health improvement process looks outside of the performance of any one organization serving a specific segment of a community to the way in which the activities of many organizations contribute to community health improvement. This process uses data to identify priority health issues, develops and implements strategies for action, and establishes accountability to ensure measurable health improvement occurs. Emergency Preparedness and Response: The Florida Department of Health is responsible for coordinating Florida's public health and healthcare system preparedness and response to disasters of all types. The Department serves as a member of the State Emergency Response Team and serves as the lead agency for coordinating the state's ESF-8 public health and medical response to disasters. The Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County (DOH-Okaloosa) performs the ESF-8 function within Okaloosa County and serves as a member of the County Emergency Operations Center supporting ESF8. The DOH-Okaloosa develops and maintains an All-Hazards Public Health Plan, trains staff in their roles in executing the various plan annexes, and exercises the plan to maintain readiness. Disease Surveillance: The DOH-Okaloosa conducts surveillance on more than 100 reportable diseases and conditions of public health importance for the purpose of rapid case finding and implementation of control measures to prevent secondary cases of illness. The health department investigates these disease cases and reports to the Florida Department of Health. Knowledge of these diseases allows the health department to alert the community, when appropriate, and to stop their spread in a timely manner. Tobacco Program: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has determined that tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of many long term chronic health conditions. The following are the primary program goals designed to achieve the program purpose: • Prevent Florida’s youth and young adults from initiating tobacco use. • Promote cessation of tobacco use among Florida’s youth and adults. • Eliminate Floridians’ exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke. • Maintain a sustainable infrastructure of the Florida Comprehensive Statewide Tobacco Education and Use Prevention Program. 1 Environmental Health: Environmental Health is responsible for monitoring conditions within the community that could present a threat to the health and safety of the public. This is done through regulation including permitting and inspections and through surveillance services such as animal bite investigations beach water quality monitoring, sanitary nuisance investigations and supporting disease surveillance activities as relates to food and waterborne illnesses and outbreaks. Regulated services include on-site sewage disposal and treatment systems, public pools, limited use wells, limited food hygiene, limited group care, mobile home/RV parks and tanning facilities. Medical Services and Tuberculosis Control: Medical Services provides clinical services to patients who have conditions or disorders of public health significance. The Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County is responsible for the operation of two clinic locations in Fort Walton Beach and Crestview, which provide: • Immunizations for children free of charge through the Florida Vaccines for Children program • D