Jackie Sergent of the Granville-Vance District Health Department presented the Vance County Board of Commissioners with the 2009 State of County Health Report during its regular meeting on Monday evening.
According to Sergent, Vance County dropped in deaths from heart disease to 18% and deaths from stroke to 24%, which is more in line with statewide statistics than such numbers have been in recent years.
Heart disease and cancer still lead in causes of mortality both in North Carolina and Vance County.
One of the three priority areas that the report addresses are sexually transmitted diseases. According to the document, Vance County is still 80% higher than the North Carolina average for chlamydia and 94% higher for gonorrhea.
Teen pregnancy is still a priority issue. Currently, Sergent’s department is waiting on $300,000 in funding for a peer education course on the issue.
In another bright spot, obesity rates have decreased for Vance County youth, although Sergent said that she was not certain as to the cause.
Another priority area, according to Sergent, is gathering data on drug abuse and gang activity. She also stated that it is hard to gather statistical data in these areas, especially since the Vance County Sheriff’s Office and the Henderson Police Department do not gather uniform data. Sergent indicated that there is a project ongoing with the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council that will help to regulate the information.