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Public Health Solutions
District Health Department
995 East Hwy 33, Ste 1
Crete, NE 68333-2562
888.310.0565
Webmail »
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Epidemiology - studying trends in our district
PHS collects and analyzes locally relevant data on cancer, death and injury rates, socioeconomic status, quality of life measures, and many other topics affecting short- and long-term health. By understanding local trends, the local health department can work with others to design health promotion and disease prevention programs that address priority issues affecting our communities and individual residents. That way our precious resources are spent tackling real problems that influence the health of our family, friends and neighbors. The study of trends relating to community health also enables PHS to provide feedback to the community on emerging health threats, such as outbreaks from a tainted food source or the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.
Click here to view details about Communicable Diseases of public interest
Surveillance Project
Since 2003 Public Health Solutions District Health Department has been working in cooperation with school nurses to track school illnesses on a weekly basis. Schools often are the first to learn about illness outbreaks in a community and school aged children can reflect the overall health of people living in any given community. The surveillance partnership has since grown to include Head Start programs, nursing homes, long term care facilities, and hospitals, with a nearly 100% participation rate.
By collecting this data, public health officials can detect and respond to disease outbreaks quickly. Participants submit a weekly report documenting the number of cases of illnesses such as Asthma, Influenza-like-illnesses, Streptococcal illness, Rash with fever illness, and Gastro-Intestinal illness. The results are then compiled by our health department, returned to the data providers, and forwarded on to the state for a 'full circle' analysis of disease incidence in our five-county region.
Looking to the Future - Mapping and Communicating
By taking health and environmental data and turning it into easy-to-read maps, we will be better able to communicate health status and risk to the residents we serve, and the residents in turn may be more likely to take preventive or protective measures. We will also be better equipped to respond to public and environmental health emergencies, and to demonstrate the effectiveness of programs and services. Look for these maps to be added to the individual county pages, and to the Assessment and Public Health Disparities pages.....
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