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Alamance County Health Department Identifies Outbreak at Long-Term Care Facility

Written by Alamance Webmaster on . Posted in Announcements, Community, County News, Covid-19, General News, Health, Public Safety.

BURLINGTON – Alamance County Health Department has identified an outbreak at the long-term care facility Village of Brookwood Retirement Community in Burlington. Currently, nine (9) cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed among six (6) staff and three (3) residents. Of the six (6) staff members, three (3) are residents of other counties and are not included in the Alamance County COVID-19 daily case count, but will be included on the biweekly Long-Term Care Facility (LTCF) report for NC DHHS. NC DHHS defines an outbreak as two laboratory-confirmed cases in a period of 28 days within a congregate living or long-term care facility. Regular testing is required through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in order to provide surveillance as protective factor for both staff and residents.

“The safety and well-being of our residents and team is our utmost priority. Throughout the pandemic, residents and staff alike have worked diligently to minimize the virus finding its way on to our campus and to mitigate its spread when it does. As new cases continue to rise throughout our greater community and state, the Village is working closely with experts at Cone Health and Alamance County Health Department in ways that should further limit spread at the Village,” said Healthcare Administrator, April Mayberry.

“Alamance County Health Department has collaborated with Village of Brookwood to offer testing and guidance to mitigate the outbreak as quickly as possible in order to keep staff, residents, and our community safe,” stated Health Director Tony Lo Giudice. “We will continue to work with the facility by conducting surveillance testing and continuing communication between the Health Department, hospital partners and the facility.”

Alamance County Health Department identified its first confirmed case of COVID-19 on March 20. Since then, a total of 9806 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the community. Of those confirmed cases, 8765 have been released from isolation and 909 remain active and in isolation. Included in those active cases, 54 individuals are receiving care at a hospital. Sadly, there have been 132 COVID-19 related deaths. COVID-related deaths include only patients who tested positive for the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, and who died without fully recovering from the disease.

COVID-19 cases are continuing to rise in Alamance and surrounding counties. It is important to take steps to reduce your risks of contracting COVID-19, specifically wearing a face covering, maintaining physical distance and avoiding crowds, and washing your hands and cleaning commonly used surfaces regularly. During this holiday season, limit travel and limit physical contact with people who do not live in your household. The health of you, your loved ones, and the community are what matters.

Alamance County Health Department Identifies COVID-19 Cluster at Two Schools

Written by Alamance Webmaster on . Posted in Community, County News, Covid-19, General News, Health.

BURLINGTON – Alamance County Health Department has identified a COVID-19 cluster at Highland Elementary in Burlington and EM Yoder Elementary in Mebane. Currently, five (5) cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed among staff at Highland Elementary. At EM Yoder Elementary, six (6) cases have been confirmed among three (4) staff and two (2) children. The cases will be included on the biweekly Child Care and School Settings report for NC DHHS. NC DHHS defines a cluster as minimum of five laboratory-confirmed cases with illness onsets or initial positive results within a 14-day period and plausible epidemiologic linkage between cases.

“We very much appreciate our close partnership with the Alamance County Health Department and always rely on their professional expertise and guidance for the health and safety of our students and staff, particularly during this unprecedented pandemic,” shared Superintendent Bruce Benson. “We have notified staff and families of our students at both schools about the cluster announcements per our established protocols and continue to reinforce the importance of all health and safety protocols we have in place. The areas of the school buildings where the identified individuals were present have already undergone a systematic cleaning and disinfection ensuring that our operations at the schools can continue.”

“Alamance County Health Department is in regular communication with Alamance-Burlington School System, so these clusters were identified and responded to quickly,” stated Health Director Tony Lo Giudice. “We will continue to offer guidance to ensure the safety of staff, children, and the community.”

Alamance County Health Department identified its first confirmed case of COVID-19 on March 20. Since then, a total of 9181 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the community. Of those confirmed cases, 8169 have been released from isolation and 888 remain active and in isolation. Included in those active cases, 60 individuals are receiving care at a hospital. Sadly, there have been 124 COVID-19 related deaths. COVID-related deaths include only patients who tested positive for the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, and who died without fully recovering from the disease.

COVID-19 cases are continuing to rise in Alamance and surrounding counties. It is important to take steps to reduce your risks of contracting COVID-19, specifically wearing a face covering, maintaining physical distance and avoiding crowds, and washing your hands and cleaning commonly used surfaces regularly. During this holiday season, limit travel and limit physical contact with people who do not live in your household. The health of you, your loved ones, and the community are what matters.

Alamance County Health Department Identifies COVID-19 Cluster and Outbreak in Elon

Written by Alamance Webmaster on . Posted in Announcements, Community, County News, Covid-19, General News, Health.

BURLINGTON – Alamance County Health Department has identified a COVID-19 cluster at Childcare Network in Elon. Currently, five (5) cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed among four (4) children and one (1) staff. The cases will be included on the biweekly Child Care and School Settings report for NC DHHS. NC DHHS defines a cluster as minimum of five laboratory-confirmed cases with illness onsets or initial positive results within a 14-day period and plausible epidemiologic linkage between cases.

A second COVID-19 outbreak has been identified at Blakey Hall Assisted Living in Elon. Currently, six (6) cases have been confirmed among five (5) residents and one (1) staff. NC DHHS defines an outbreak as two laboratory-confirmed cases in a period of 28 days within a congregate living or long-term care facility. Regular testing is required through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in order to provide surveillance as protective factor for both staff and residents.

Ed Weeks, Executive Director of Blakey Hall, stated “We contacted the Alamance County Health Department to report the results as well as to seek any additional guidance once we received the results. This is the classified outbreak in this particular building on our campus. We also communicated with our resident’s families and responsible parties to inform them of our results. The cases are concentrated to our main assisted living building. Our residents are quarantining in their rooms as we move forward to further sanitize our facility. Our medical provider has been conducting weekly tests up until this point. We will continue to work with the Health Department to aggressively protect our residents and staff. Our local health department has been an exceptional resource for our community throughout this pandemic and we continue to appreciate their services.” He further stated, “We will continue to exercise our current restrictions and sanitation practices. We are monitoring our residents and staff daily for symptoms and will be testing weekly until we no longer have any cases in our facilities.”

“Alamance County Health Department responded quickly to both Childcare Network and Blakey Hall to offer testing and guidance to mitigate the outbreak as quickly as possible,” stated Health Director Tony Lo Giudice. “We will continue to work with both facilities to ensure the safety of the community.”

Alamance County Health Department identified its first confirmed case of COVID-19 on March 20. Since then, a total of 8827 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the community. Of those confirmed cases, 7808 have been released from isolation and 896 remain active and in isolation. Included in those active cases, 56 individuals are receiving care at a hospital. Sadly, there have been 123 COVID-19 related deaths. COVID-related deaths include only patients who tested positive for the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, and who died without fully recovering from the disease.

COVID-19 cases are continuing to rise in Alamance and surrounding counties. It is important to take steps to reduce your risks of contracting COVID-19, specifically wearing a face covering, maintaining physical distance and avoiding crowds, and washing your hands and cleaning commonly used surfaces regularly. During this holiday season, limit travel and limit physical contact with people who do not live in your household. The health of you, your loved ones, and the community are what matters.

Rabies Vaccination Clinic for Dogs and Cats Planned for December 5

Written by Alamance Webmaster on . Posted in Announcements, Community, County News, Covid-19, Environmental Health, General News, Health, Public Events.

Health officials urge residents to keep their pets up-to-date on rabies vaccinations

BURLINGTON – The Alamance County Health Department will be hosting a drive-thru rabies vaccination clinic on December 5 from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. at the Environmental Health Office located at 209 N. Graham-Hopedale Road in Burlington.

The cost of the rabies shot at the clinic will be $5.00 per pet. The vaccination clinic will be a drive-thru clinic with all owners staying in their cars. Dogs will be vaccinated in the cars and cats MUST be in carriers that health personnel may take them into the building to be vaccinated.

“This will be the only rabies clinic that the health department will be able to offer this year; we encourage you to take this opportunity to have your pet vaccinated. North Carolina state law states that every owner of a cat or dog over four months of age is required to have the animal vaccinated against rabies,” stated Interim Health Director Alexandria Rimmer.

To date, there have been two confirmed cases of rabies in 2020 for Alamance County. In 2019, there were seven confirmed rabies cases in the county. For more information or questions about rabies control, vaccination requirements, or upcoming clinics, contact the health department’s Environmental Health office at (336) 570-6367.

Alamance County Government Phone Service Restored

Written by Alamance Webmaster on . Posted in Agricultural Extension, Announcements, County News, Environmental Health, Family Justice Center, Fire Marshal, General News, Health, Soil and Water.

Phone Service has been restored to the Alamance County Government buildings located on the North Campus in Burlington. These buildings include the Human Services Center, Family Justice Center, Agriculture Extension, and Environmental Health.

Alamance County Government Experiences Phone Outages

Written by Alamance Webmaster on . Posted in Agricultural Extension, Announcements, County News, Emergency Management, Environmental Health, Family Justice Center, Fire Marshal, General News, Health, Social Services, Soil and Water.

The Alamance County Government buildings located on the North Campus in Burlington are currently experiencing phone outages. These buildings include the Human Services Center, Family Justice Center, Agriculture Extension, and Environmental Health. AT&T is aware of the issue and working to restore service.

Email and websites remain active and available to the public.

BOARD OF HEALTH NAMES TONY LO GIUDICE AS ALAMANCE COUNTY HEALTH DIRECTOR

Written by Alamance Webmaster on . Posted in Announcements, County News, Health.

The Board of Health is pleased to announce that we have offered the position of Health Director to Tony Lo Giudice and he has accepted. His effective start date is Monday, November 30, 2020. Over the previous three-month period, the Board of Health appointed search committee reviewed numerous applications, conducted several interviews and second-round interviews with top candidates.

The Board of Health took this responsibility seriously and spent many hours reviewing applications and interviewing candidates. “We are excited to announce a new Health Director, Tony Lo Giudice, who exhibits strong leadership, commitment and passion for improving the human condition in Alamance County. Lo Giudice rose to the top during our search process for his extensive knowledge and understanding of the current public health challenges we face today” states Board of Health chair Dr. Annette Wilson.

Lo Giudice will be vacating his position at Forsyth County Department of Public Health, where he has served as an Assistant Health Director since January 2017. Prior to moving to North Carolina in 2017, he served in various capacities in city government in Mesa, Arizona, most recently Community Health Program Director. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Government with an emphasis in Law & Public Policy from Regent University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from Arizona State University; he is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Public Administration from Capella University. Mr. Lo Giudice served and was honorably discharged from the United States Navy.

Alexandria Rimmer has been serving as interim Health Director since July 31, 2020. “I am grateful I was able to serve our community as a leader during this time as Interim Health Director and I am very excited to work with our new Health Director both during the transition and in the future as I return to the Environmental Health section of the health department. We will work together to ensure there is a smooth transition for staff, stakeholders and the community.”

“I am honored to be selected as the next Health Director. I look forward to joining the health department team and continuing to lead Alamance County on the path towards optimum health and well-being” said Lo Giudice.

Health Department Begins Offering Vaccinations for 2020 Flu Season

Written by Alamance Webmaster on . Posted in Announcements, County News, General News, Health, Public Safety.

Flu Shots Now Available to the Public

Flu season is upon us and the Alamance County Health Department wants you to protect yourself and your family. Monday, October 12, the health department will begin offering seasonal flu shots to the public.

This year, the health department will be providing the following vaccine options to the public:

  • Quadrivalent flu vaccine injection which covers four strains of influenza
  • Flublok flu vaccine injection which is recommended for people with egg allergies that are ages 18 years and older
  • High Dose Trivalent vaccine which covers three strains and is recommended for people over 65 years

The vaccine is available while supplies last. One shot is all most people will need. Children under age 9, who have not previously been vaccinated against the flu, may need two doses.

The cost of the Quadrivalent vaccine is $41.00. The cost of the Flublok and High Dose Trivalent is $71.00. Uninsured children less than 19 years old are eligible for free vaccine. Insured children less than 19 years old whose insurance does not cover the cost of a flu shot may be eligible for free flu vaccine, pending certain qualifications.

The health department can bill Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurances. The flu vaccine will be available by appointment only at the following times:

  • Monday – Friday (excluding holidays)
    • 8:00 A.M. – 11:00 A.M.
    • 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M.

Increase your chances of keeping the flu away by getting the vaccine. Also, remember to wash your hands often, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, cover coughs and sneezes, and stay home if you are sick to help stop the spread of illness. For an appointment or more information, call the health department at 336-570-6459.

Alamance County Health Department Identifies Outbreak at Assisted Living Facility

Written by Alamance Webmaster on . Posted in Announcements, County News, Covid-19, General News, Health, Public Safety.

BURLINGTON – Alamance County Health Department has identified an outbreak at the assisted living facility Blakey Hall in Elon. Currently, two (2) cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed at the facility. The confirmed cases are among one (1) staff and one (1) resident. The staff person is an Alamance County resident. NC DHHS defines an outbreak as two laboratory-confirmed cases in a period of 28 days within a congregate living or long-term care facility.

“We contacted the Alamance County Health Department to report the [COVID-19] results, as well as to seek any additional guidance once we received the results,” stated Ed Weeks, Executive Director of Blakey Hall in Elon. “We also communicated with our residents’ families and responsible parties to inform them of our results. The cases are concentrated in our special care unit for dementia residents. Our medical provider responded quickly to provide testing for all of our residents and staff in the unit. We will continue to work with the Health Department to aggressively protect our residents and staff. Our local health department has been an exceptional resource for our senior care facilities throughout this pandemic and we continue to appreciate their services.”

Weeks further stated “We will continue to exercise our current restrictions and sanitation practices. We are monitoring our residents and staff daily for symptoms and will be testing weekly until we no longer have any cases in our facilities.”

“Blakey Hall has worked in collaboration with the Health Department and we appreciate their continuous efforts to protect residents and staff,” stated Interim Health Director Alexandria Rimmer. “They worked quickly to test all staff and residents as soon as the outbreak was identified; we will continue to work together to keep those residents and staff safe.”

Alamance County Health Department identified its first confirmed case of COVID-19 on March 20. Since then, a total of 3493 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the community. Of those confirmed cases, 3162 have been released from isolation and 282 remain active and in isolation. Included in those active cases, 14 individuals are receiving care at a hospital. Sadly, there have been 49 COVID-19 related deaths. COVID-related deaths include only patients who tested positive for the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, and who died without fully recovering from the disease.

We are continuing to see COVID-19 in Alamance County through community-spread transmission. It is important to continue practicing the 3Ws to keep our friends, family, and neighbors safe. If you leave your home remember to: wear a cloth mask over your nose and mouth, wait six feet apart and avoid close contact, and wash your hands or use hand sanitizer if handwashing is not readily accessible. We are all in this together, thank you for you diligence to keep our community safe.

Interim Health Director

Written by Alamance Webmaster on . Posted in Announcements, County News, Employees, General News, Health.

The Board of Health is pleased to announce that they have completed the Interim Health Director search after a competitive application and interview process. The Board offered the position of Interim Health Director to Alexandria Rimmer, MPH, and she has accepted the position. Rimmer will assume the health director duties beginning July 31, 2020 at 5pm.

Rimmer is currently employed by the Health Department as a Registered Environmental Health Specialist. She has been employed with the Health Department since 2018. She holds a Master of Public Health degree from Liberty University.

“I am truly honored to be offered this opportunity to lead the health department during this transition,” said Rimmer. “I am eager to assist the department in a leadership capacity as we continue to respond to COVID-19 and also remain dedicated to our other public health functions.”

The Board of Health has formed a Search Committee and will be meeting in the coming weeks to begin the process to appoint a permanent Health Director.