The North Carolina Public Health Association recently named the Buncombe County Health Department Health Department of the Year.
“This award serves as a small token of gratitude for our incredible public health staff and their dedication to promoting and protecting the health of Buncombe County every single day,” said Dr. Ellis Matheson, director of Buncombe County Public Health.
In the five weeks after Helene, Public Health staff logged over 1,500 hours of overtime.
In addition, they:
- operated five shelters with a total of 685 beds.
- opened eight Community Care Stations that provided access to potable and non-potable water, Meals Ready to Eat, showers, laundry facilities, hot meals and physical and mental health care.
- administered 1,219 vaccines and connecting residents to vital services, helping to prevent disease outbreaks.
- ensured residents and businesses prioritized hygiene and disease prevention throughout the water crisis.
- evaluated 949 Emergency Operations Plans for food service establishments, tattoo shops, pools, childcares and lodging within a three-week timeframe.
- processed 89 well repair applications, 293 new well applications, 132 septic damage assessments and 1,544 water samples.
Eight months after the storm, public health staff also worked with local and state partners to conduct a survey of 210 randomly selected households to understand public health impacts and ongoing health needs…