Are local health departments ready?

WASHINGTON, January 22, 2019 / PRNewswire / – A baby is born with a conbad abnormality United States every 4.5 minutes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Conbad malformations are defined as any structural change at birth that affects the appearance, function or both of the body and can range from mild to severe. Although not all conbad abnormalities can be prevented, practical steps can be taken by pregnant women to increase the chances of giving birth to a healthy baby. In honor of National Conbad Anomaly Prevention Month, the CDC has published a resource guide with tips to help pregnant women prevent birth defects.

In addition to the advice provided by the CDC, many local public health departments provide antenatal care to pregnant women. Below you will find a question and answer session with the board member of the National Association of County and City Health Officers. Sandra Elizabeth Ford, Director of the DeKalb County Health Board in Georgia. NACCHO represents the 3,000 local health departments of the country.

Q. Dr. Ford, how do local health services help pregnant women to have healthy babies and prevent birth defects?

Depending on the services provided, HDL can help prevent birth defects in many ways. In fact, many people with life-threatening conditions provide on-site prenatal care, which is a great way to ensure that expectant mothers are screened for the best results for their babies. POS can also partner with organizations such as March of Dimes or United Way to help inform and educate vulnerable populations about ways to prevent birth defects. LHDs can also partner with local media to increase awareness at specific times of the year. For example, January is the national month for the prevention of conbad anomalies. Media campaigns could therefore be organized in collaboration with the news media, print media and social media to raise awareness in the community.

Q. Are some moms more at risk than others? What are the factors? Race, ethnicity, income status? Easy and affordable access to prenatal care?

All of these factors contribute to increased risk of birth defects, as do certain genetic factors. Nutrition, for example folate deficiency, is also a risk factor, but it could also be the peripheral result of low income and / or reduced access to prenatal care. The effects of poverty expose poor people to negative health outcomes in general, and pregnant pregnant women are even more vulnerable. Stress (often due to poverty) can also play an important role in creating a high-risk pregnancy.

Q. What are you doing in your health service?

In 2005, the DeKalb County Health Board implemented the M.O.R.E. Program (mothers providing resources and education) to address disparities in infant mortality in the county. At the time of the program's inception, the infant mortality rate in one county town was 2.6%, compared to 13.5% in another city. Over the years, MORE has expanded its scope to include housing and vocational training for mothers, as well as training in early language acquisition and developmental testing. The program has been so successful that it has become a part of the county budget, whose funding has been increased compared to the initial amount of $ 50,000 to his current $ 250,000.

Q. How easy or difficult would it be for other health departments in the country to replicate the success of your program?

according to Public Health 3.0The responsibility of local health officials is to be the chief health strategist for a community. As such, their job is to tell a story in a way that makes others want to be part of the solution. Our county commissioners understood that there was a disparity in infant mortality rates in different parts of the county, but it was incumbent on health officials to propose interventions and tell the story. Once the interventions were successful, it was up to the commissioners to continue to support them.

To hear Dr. Ford discuss in more detail the prevention of conbad anomalies and increased risk for minority women, saying that "poverty is the best risk-reducing factor", please click here to access the podcast of NACCHO.

To access the NACCHO podcast library with public health officials, please click here.

About NACCHO
The National Association of County and City Health Managers (NACCHO) represents nearly 3,000 local health departments. These departments of cities, counties, metropolises, districts and tribes work every day to protect and promote the health and well-being of all people in their communities. For more information on NACCHO, visit www.naccho.org.

Media contact:
Theresa Spinner, MY
Director of Media and Public Relations
202-783-5551
[email protected]

SOURCE NACCHO