ASHEVILLE, NC – September 22, 2022 – The Buncombe County Public Health Department was awarded the North Carolina Large County Health Department for 2022. The department was recognized for its equity-focused approach to the COVID-19 response programs, such as:
- Service outreach, Community Health Assessment and staff trainings
- The operational structure of the COVID-19 response
- COVID-19 vaccine outreach
- At-home COVID-19 test kit distribution
- Creating a Mobile Team by bringing public health and health care to historically marginalized populations like low resource areas and rural communities
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been additional federal funding for public health in Buncombe County. The Department has recently used some of these funds to purchase a mobile van and hire a team of nurses and emergency medical technicians. The Team started with mobile monkeypox vaccination clinics. They will expand to COVID-19 boosters and vaccination, flu shots and other types of vaccinations. In the future, the mobile outreach program will include testing for different illnesses and health outreach clinics. At the September 7th Buncombe County media question & answer session, Public Health Director Stacie Saunders said that it is important “for equity purposes have to take services on the road.”
Listen to the full report below:
Contact: Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, healthyasheville@ashevillefm.org