Message from the Health Officer On behalf of the management and personnel of the Vineland Health Department (VHD), I am very pleased to present the 2017 Annual Report. The Annual Report provides an overall picture of the quality programs and services the Health Department delivers to the citizens of Vineland. For over 60 years, the staff of the Vineland Health Department has worked diligently to protect you from health threats, to educate you and your neighbors regarding health issues, and to provide and support programs and activities to advance the health of our community. Many of these activities occur behind the scenes. As a result, most residents are unaware of the important role public health plays in their lives, primarily the prevention of disease or conditions that cause disease, disability or injury. Throughout 2017, our Health Education Division and our community partners provided obesity and chronic health prevention programs by continuing our Live Healthy Vineland (LHV) project made possible by grants received by the Vineland YMCA from the CDC, Shaping NJ and The Food Trust and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. LHV continued worksite wellness programs, screenings and education programs at our Healthy Corner Stores, and delivered 32 tons of fresh produce along with information on healthy preparation alternatives to 7 food pantries. Over a 9 month period, our Teen Outreach Program provided instruction to 363 teens to foster and promote positive development. The Vineland Municipal Alliance and its partner organizations conducted community workshops, drug return programs and classroom education to reduce prescription drug abuse throughout our community. The Public Health Nursing Division worked behind the scenes to reduce the transmission of tuberculosis through investigation, screening, treatment of active and non-active cases, and case management activities. Our nurses also worked proactively to prevent the spread of disease and protect the health of Vinelander’s by administering more than 500 immunizations to uninsured/underinsured children and adults. In addition, our nurses conducted school audits to ensure that children attending our public schools have received all required vaccinations. In 2017, our nursing staff provided testing, treatment and counseling services to sexually transmitted disease (STD) patients during visits to our weekly STD clinics, conducted monthly cardiovascular screenings, conducted 428 communicable disease investigations, 7 outbreak investigations and provided case management services to lead poisoned children. The Environmental Division, using a grant from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), purchased the Accela software program that improved inspection efficiency by significantly reducing the amount of time required to prepare and deliver inspection reports. This program was funded and purchased for our retail food program, but has also been adapted for use in most of our other environmental programs. A comparison study revealed that the time spent to prepare inspection reports for medium and high-risk establishments using the new software program decreased by an average of one hour per report as compared to 2015 and 2016 data when the software program was not in use. The mission of VHD is “Taking care of Vineland” by protecting and promoting a healthy community and safe environment through quality services for residents in all stages of life. We hope this report provides insight into the tireless work required by dedicated staff and partners in fulfilling this mission. If you want to learn more about our programs and services, please contact us or visit us on the web at www.vldhealth.org. Best Regards,
Robert M. Dickinson Health Officer
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