Here in El Paso County, we have a choice to make: Are we committed to protecting ourselves, our families and our friends by supporting a strong local public health system? Or are we willing to wait for help from outside our countyóhelp that might never comeóto protect us from public health threats?Those are the kinds of questions we began to address as we celebrated the Fifth annual meeting for the El Paso County Department of Health and Environment. Our theme, ìHow Safe Are You?î was aimed at showing attendees what the Health Department is doing to protect them every day and what they can do to protect themselves. More than 150 people listened to our presentation and visited more than 20 informational exhibits showcasing the various functions of the Health Department.One of the questions we have to ask ourselves is this: What do we expect from our Health Department? Our Health Department is considered a large health departmentóonly 4 percent of health departments across the country serve populations of 500,000 plus. Large health departments are expected to provide services that may not be required of smaller health departments, such as sophisticated information and communication systems and professionals trained in epidemiology, biostatistics and health education. Just as El Paso County residents expect local hospital facilities and medical providers to offer full-service localized care, the same expectations hold true for public health services.Specific services that a large and ìhealthyî community expects from its local public health agency include the following:ï Monitoring for possible infectious disease outbreaks and other communicable diseases that pose public health risks: This monitoring must be robust enough that residents trust they will have adequate warning to protect themselves and their family.ï Expertise to identify cases of infectious disease and the ability to implement control measures quickly to halt the spread of the disease in the communityï The infrastructure and skills to communicate potential public health risks to the public in a manner that does not cause panic but provides information on how residents can protect themselves from getting illï As an example of how EPCDHE delivers the above services to our local community, consider the actions taken during a recent school-based exposure involving an active tuberculosis case. This one active case required TB testing and skin test follow-up for more than 200 students and staff from School District 49. About half of the Health Departmentís staff took part in the investigation, which called for rapid response and initiation of various communications.It is evident that a strong public health response to a potential outbreak is an expectation of any community. Just as we expect to receive comprehensive medical services in Colorado Springs, we also expect public health expertise to be close at hand. We do not want to wait for help to arrive from Denver or a surrounding county. However, if funding for public health in El Paso County continues to decline, that is what we may be facing.Fighting infectious disease outbreaks depends on local funding. Public health departments across the country receive an average of 44 percent of their funding from local government appropriations. EPCDHE receives less than 25 percent of its funding from local appropriations. Health departments serving populations of over 500,000 have a median number of 340 employees. At the end of 2006, EPCDHE had 215 employees.Effective daily monitoring of data to warn of possible cases can only be accomplished at the local level. When an infectious disease case is reported, there is a critical time period for identifying exposed individuals and stopping and/or minimizing the spread of disease that can only be met by locally placed public health experts. These local experts know their community and are able to quickly disseminate information to residents to assist them in protecting themselves.So, again, it is clear we have a choice to make. Ultimately, it depends on how much risk we are willing to take in protecting our own lives and health and that of our loved ones. In the weeks and months ahead, we will be communicating with you regularly about the public health needs of El Paso County. We hope to hear your concerns as we go forward. Please feel free to e-mail me at healthinfo@epchealth.org or contact us through our office of communications at 719-575-8985.
