Rotary Program - 2/8/06

Program Chairperson: Howard Roberts

Speaker(s): Patrice Beverly and Paula Compton, Pike County Health Department

Patrice Beverly is the Senior Health Educator and Paula Compton is the Senior Community Nurse and Diabetes Coordinator with the Pike County Health Department. They both were educated in their separate fields at Pikeville College and began working with the Health Dept. 3 and 4 years ago. They expressed their gratitude to the Club for giving them the opportunity to come today to share information about some of the services provided by the Health Dept. Patrice says that since public health became the focus of government funding to provide programs of better sanitation, immunization, and health education, the life expectancy of Americans has increased 25 years. Many people think only of shots when they think of the Health Dept., but there are many other services that are available to the public. From environmental services to family planning programs, the department is reaching out to every segment of the population. For example, the arthritis program is a pilot program funded by a grant from the CDC, which helps those with the disease keep their flexibility and range of motion through proper exercise and nutrition. Another is the breast feeding program that provides consultation and counseling for mothers who breast feed their children so that they are able to maximize the experience for both mother and child. The staff also goes into the area schools with programs that educate the children on topics like nutrition, health education, sports injuries, and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases. Other services provided to school-age children include dental sealants for second graders and fluoride varnish for other ages to protect them from tooth decay. There are clinics for diabetes training, prevention and maintenance of the disease as well as screening services and providing meters for measuring glucose levels. The “HANDS” program helps first time parents with a curriculum that teaches them about brain development in the early years and how to help their children get a good start in life. Screenings are available for HIV and other STD’s as well as a first- time program by Dr. Rangel which counsels young males about their roles and responsibilities in prevention of pregnancy and venereal diseases. They have a program which works in conjunction with the Governor’s Highway Traffic Safety Commission to provide car seats and other training for properly restraining children while riding in automobiles. Other programs include tobacco cessation, the WIC program - supplementing food supplies and nutrition for low income families, and flu-shots for the elderly . Whether the people of Pike County visit the main office in Pikeville, the outposts in Belfry or Phelps, or obtaining services from the school nurses at Robinson Creek, Elkhorn City or Southside Elementary Schools, they are sure to find friendly, helpful, and highly trained staff to assist them with their health care needs. Charges for such services are on a sliding-scale based on the income of the family or individual. Patrice and Paula turned the program over to Paul Hopkins, Executive Director of the Health Department for questions from the audience. Paul encouraged everyone to call or visit the department if anyone needs more information about the services that are available. Thanks, to all our guest speakers today for the very informative program. - JMC