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For more information on this project, contact LaKarole Brooks, PACE EH Coordinator, or Al Cleveland, Environmental Health Director at the Washington County Health Department.

WASHINGTON COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT
April/May 2006 PACE-EH Progress Report

Last summer, one hundred surveys were distributed through various outlets in Vernon, FL with about forty being returned completed. Top concerns included mosquitoes, disaster preparedness, water/sewer, and drugs. In a community meeting in July 2005 PACE EH project’s purpose and goals were introduced in Vernon, FL by Al Cleveland, the Washington County Environmental Health Director. Dr Radwan Sabbagh, the Washington County Medical Director, gave a presentation speaking on the methodology of PACE EH. Patrick Hawkins, a second year medical student at FSU and the first volunteer PACE EH coordinator for the project, presented the survey outcomes for the surveys that had been completed and returned to date.

The next three community meetings were held at which mosquito control and drug abuse and manufacturing - particularly methamphetamine – were discussed.

Washington County received the PACE EH grant which allowed them to hire a project coordinator to focus solely on the community of Vernon. Five months had passed until the next meeting was held on April 25, 2006.

In our April meeting, a brief synopsis was given on the progress with the project to date. Jennifer Plass, the new project coordinator, was introduced to the committee. Jennifer explained what she has done to date including contacting previous attendees, mailing meeting announcements, mailing meeting invitations to businesses and other community leaders to generate interest and involvement, posting flyers in Vernon, and creating a brochure to use as a tool to get the purpose and goals across within the community.

Concerns were brought to the floor which still included disaster preparedness and recovery efforts, drug abuse, and mosquitoes. The first specific concern is the elderly community in Vernon – the need for a list of individuals to contact after a disaster to ensure safety and the lack of a special needs shelter. It was suggested we contact other agencies such as Emergency Management Office and the Council on Aging to explore our options and possible solutions. The second concern is the use of illegal drugs in Vernon specifically methamphetamine manufacturing and use. It was proposed we research neighborhood watch programs in order to develop a structured way in helping one another and reporting suspicious activity. It is estimated that for every pound of methamphetamine produced, five pounds of hazardous waste are also produced and these highly toxic by-products are often dumped in unsafe places in our environment. It was also proposed we request representation from the Sheriff’s office (because Vernon does not have their own police force) to speak at our meeting in order to find out how we can assist law enforcement in controlling the methamphetamine abuse in Vernon. Mosquitoes are still a major concern for area residents. Educating the community on ways to reduce the mosquitoes around their property is the biggest priority in this effort.

Our next meeting was held on May 23, 2006. We reviewed all of the information found from the old business in our April meeting. It was suggested we make a door to door effort to reach out to the community, generate awareness, and create a grassroots type initiative for our project – all in attendance agreed. The approach that had been previously taken was more ‘agencies inflicting on community’ and it was not creating the kind of project PACE EH is based upon. The community of Vernon has less than five hundred households and we felt this approach was feasible because of the dynamics of the community. In the time between our last two meetings the sheriff’s office has expressed a willingness to join forces with our project helping us understand how we can assist them in their efforts. One of the county’s narcotics officers will be speaking to the committee at our next meeting to help build this liaison. We will continue researching and planning our community outreach effort, meet with our local 911Coordinator to explore mapping and zoning possibilities for Vernon, and will meet again the third week in June.

June 20, 2006 - Vernon Citizens Invited to Participate in Environmental Health Study