Prom Night Safety

The prom is supposed to be one of the happiest days of our student's lives, for some kids, it can easily turn into tragedy. Many students spend their prom night making bad decisions. Alcohol, tobacco and drug use on prom night can contribute to hangovers, police involvement, and vehicle accidents. According to the Department of Crime Control & Safety, in North Carolina a teenager is involved in an accident every 23.6 minutes.

Community Health Assessment of Dare County

Over the past year, the Dare County Department of Public Health and Healthy Carolinians of the Outer Banks have completed a comprehensive Community Health Assessment of Dare County. This assessment provides information about what residents in our community live with and die from, and sheds light on areas that need to improve in

Complete details of assessment

order to positively impact the health status of our community. Healthy Carolinians of the Outer Banks is a partnership as well as a process. The Partnership is coordinated by the DareCounty Department of Public Health with representation and input from over 20 local organizations and agencies. The Healthy Carolinians process supports our community in mobilizing peopleand resources to address community health challenges identified in the Community Health Assessment.  While you can get the entire assessment and the summary online, CommonGood will publish summary selections for coming weeks.

Youth Risk Factors
Raising healthy children is the desire of every parent, yet numerous areas of concern and even alarm have been identified in the Community Health Assessment with regard to our youth engaging in risky or criminal behaviors, and being exposed to, or negatively impacted by undesirable realities. Our youth report using tobacco and alcohol as early as 13 years of age. Dare County's rate of school-based crime and violence is twelve percent (12%) compared with eight percent (8%) in Substance Abuse has shown up as an area of concern for our community in the preceding two cycles of Community Health

North Carolina. Twenty four percent (24%) of Dare County high school students reported having been bullied on school property, while sixty six percent (66%) of students report having witnessed bullying of other students. Further, there are growing numbers of sexual assault reports with eighteen percent (18%) of Dare County high school students reporting having been physically hurt by a boyfriend/girlfriend, and fourteen percent (14%) reporting having been physically forced to have sexual intercourse. Juvenile crime data also reflect negative recent trends with the rate of complaints of undisciplined youth* (ages 6-12) in Dare County increasing sixty percent (60%). *Undisciplined refers to disobedience beyond disciplinary control of the parent/guardian (e.g., truancy, vagrancy, running away from home for more than 24 hours)..

Access to Healthcare
Many variables impact this heath indicator, some negatively, including that twenty three percent (23%) of Dare County residents are under or un-insured compared to twenty
percent (20%) in North Carolina. Not having health insurance makes going to a healthcare provider an expensive and often unaffordable option. Lack of public transportation was also determined to be a barrier affecting access to health care in Dare County and greater transportation support is needed especially for medical patients with chronic conditions and for patients with compromised health. Additionally, the ratio of health care professionals is lower in Dare County than statewide with physicians at 15.7/10,000 compared with 21.2/10,000 in the state; primary care physicians at 8.3/10,000 compared with 9.0/10,000 in the state and registered nurses at 68.6/10,000 compared with 95.1/10,000 in the state. While significant efforts have been put forward to address the limited access to healthcare these realities create, much work remains in order to develop adequate access to essential health services for those that are most at risk and vulnerable within our community.

Cancer Services on the Outer Banks

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cancer diagnosis can be a frightening, overwhelming experience. The Outer Banks Hospital's cancer services are dedicated to assisting cancer families from diagnosis to treatment and beyond. A lunch-time lecture about these services will be presented April 5 at the Baum Center in Kill Devil Hills - complimentary lunch  provided.

 

According to Amy Montgomery, Community Outreach Director for the hospital, the goal of these services is to provide comprehensive and seamless cancer-care coordination. "The Outer Banks Hospital's Outreach are developing a "roadmap" for the newly diagnosed cancer patient, survivors, care givers and families," she said. We intend to change the "What now and how?" to "Here's the next step and resources that will help." The free lecture will inform the public about these services.   The three outreach programs located at the hospital are the Cancer Resource Center, Hands of Hope and UNC Cancer Outreach. The coordinators of these services will discuss, communication, case management, support services, resources, healthcare team,  treatment decisions,  helping hands, and more.

 

 The Outer Banks Hospital is also providingincluding free health screens and a health services expo of area services at the Baum Center in Kill Devil Hills starting at 8:30 am. Walk-ins are welcomed at the event, but advance registration is encouraged.  To register ahead for the luncheon lecture of the free health screens on April 5^th please call 252-449-9184.  Registrations will be taken up until 4 p.m. on Monday, April 4^th.

Cancer Documentary Scheduled for April

Crazy Sexy Cancer

The Outer Banks Peace and Justice Interfaith Coalition, along with the Cancer Support Group, will be showing 'My Crazy Sexy Cancer', on April 19th at Kelly's Restaurant.  The is more than a thought provoking film, it's an attitude! It's about rising to the challenge of life and turning lemons into champagne.  Open to public, plan to attend. This film contains profanity.

Currituck BackPack for Kids Nutrition Program

Sponsored by Currituck County 4-H in Partnership with The Currituck County Sheriff's Department and Currituck County Schools. Feeding America, North Carolina ranks as the second-worst state in the nation when it comes to children under 5 lacking regular access to nutritious food and as 10th-worst for children of all ages.  Weekends are a critical time for low-income children, as they have access to fewer food resources, such as the free school lunches they receive during the week.

Feeding America BackPack Program

Through the NC 4-H Hungry to Help Project, 4-H'ers across the state are making a difference and helping change these statistics by feeding children.  Friday afternoons twice monthly during the school year, kids discreetly and confidentially will be provided a food filled backpack to ensure they have something to eat during the weekend. Backpack food programs have shown to increase attendance, decrease behavior problems, improve concentration abilities of students and improve student academic achievement.
Each child receives enough food for six full meals.  Through this program, we can reach children at-risk of hunger in a safe and easily accessible setting.

There are many ways that you can help:  If you would like to donate food for the Backpacks for Kids program,  All food must be kid friendly, ready to eat and easily opened by children without assistance. County drop-off points include Cooperative Extension Center, Currituck County Sheriff's Dept,  and Lower Currituck Food Bank. (regular business hours please). Suggested items include:  Ready to eat tuna or chicken meals, Macaroni & Cheese, Granola or protein bars, Pull-top fruits and vegetable,  Small boxes of raisins and juice. To donate money, send checks to Currituck Extension Foundation with "Backpacks for Kids" on the memo line. Ellen Owens, Extension Agent 4-H Youth Development, 120 Community Way, Barco, NC  27917. This is an all volunteer effort with no over-head costs. All donations go entirely to the children and the purchase of food. If you would like to organize donations or for more information contact Ellen Owens, 252-232-2262, ellen_owens@ncsu.edu.

Friday � April 8, 7 until 10 PM, at Pamlico Jacks, MP 15.5� Nags Head. Benefits Relay For Life, Tickets $50 Per Person.

Tickets Available At: THE SUN SHACK � Seagate North Shopping Center, MP 5.5 � KDH. For more information or tickets, contact Sandy Martin at 252-202-3810.

Duck and Wine Festival Benefit Local Groups

April 30th from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Chefs from 20 local restaurants compete with delicious duck dishes and wine is paired with each dish.   Tickets to the event are $28.00 per person.  Tickets sell out fast.  You can check out the event at www.coastival.org.   Rare opportunity to see me (Nancy) dressed up as a full-bodied bottle of wine.