Mary Garcia, Department of Health in Putnam County Administrator standing with donated items

Putnam County is very generous and always answers the call for help. When we come together great things happen. Over the course of several weeks, the community donated food for distribution to organizations serving individuals facing hardships and economic difficulties. “Over 8000 pounds of donated food and personal items is being shared with our community partners across the entire county: when we come together great things happen,” said Mary Garcia, DOH-Putnam Administrator.

6th Annual Homestead/Florida City WIC Health & Resource Fair

DOH-Miami-Dade’s health fair provided outreach and health screenings to the underserved south Dade community which has some of the highest levels of poverty in South Florida. Around 2,500 participants attended the DOH-Miami-Dade health fair. The fair had 53 sponsors/exhibitors and 75 community volunteers. Baptist Health and DOH-Miami-Dade HIV/STD program provided 103 health screenings. Over 100 dental screenings were performed by the Colgate Bus and 102 dental exams by the Nicklaus Children Bus. There were 1,150 free books, courtesy of the Read to Learn Books for Free Program, and more than 900 free toys distributed. Farm Share provided over 2,000 meals to over 700 households.

People attend the community health needs assessment prioritization meeting

On January 17th, the Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County completed phase 4 of the Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) assessment, “Identify Strategic Issues” for their 2019-2020 Community Health Needs Assessment Process. They received 1,367 community health surveys, conducting 7 community focus groups and analyzing over 700 data points. A final prioritization was conducted where agency representatives and community members prioritized: Child Abuse, Neglect & Well-Being, Behavioral, Social & Emotional Health, Healthcare, Environment and Aging. During the upcoming Healthy Charlotte steering committee meeting, members will discuss how best to move forward with the new 2021-2026 Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP).