Child Care Health
Our Child Care Health Consultant (CCHC) works with individual child care facilities to help create environments that best support the healthy growth and development of young children. She is a nurse who knows about child health, child development, and health and safety in child care settings and offers onsite and telephone consultation, health education, and technical assistance to these facilities. Although CCHCs are not responsible for regulating child care facilities, they do interpret North Carolina Child Care Rules and the National Health and Safety Performance Standards and provide guidance to child care programs. Our CCHCs partner with child care providers to assess the health and safety needs and practices in the child care facility, develop strategies for inclusion of children with special care needs, establish and review health policies and procedures, manage and prevent injuries and infectious diseases, connect families with community health resources, and provide health education for staff members, families and children.
Communicable Disease Control
One of the best ways to keep our community healthy is to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. The primary role of our communicable disease nurses is surveillance, or monitoring the number of cases and types of diseases and illnesses in the community, to identify trends and patterns in the population. They focus on “reportable” diseases, which are conditions that, due to their infectious nature and the risks they pose in being spread to others, are mandated under state law to be reported to the local health department for follow-up by health care providers, hospitals, and laboratories. When necessary, communicable disease nurses conduct follow-up investigations, which include interviewing persons affected by communicable disease, and implement control measures to slow or stop the spread of disease. Recommended measures might include vaccination, treatment of other individuals exposed to the illness (prophylaxis), or temporary restriction from work or school. Communicable disease nurses also educate people about communicable diseases and how to prevent the transmission of diseases to others.
Health Education
Health education works to improve the health status of both individuals and communities, enhance the quality of life for all people, and reduce premature deaths and disability. By focusing on prevention, health education reduces the costs (both financial and human) spent on medical treatment. Our public health educator develops and implements programs and events to improve and maintain healthy lifestyles and prevent a wide variety of health problems, helps people find health services or information, and advocates for improved health resources and policies that promote health. The health educator also teaches people about health topics and behaviors that promote wellness, such as physical activity, nutrition, handwashing and hygiene, and reproductive health. She can provide contacts for additional counseling on nutrition, breastfeeding support, smoking cessation, and diabetes management. Every three years, the health educator coordinates conducting a Community Needs Assessment, which gathers data on the county’s current health status, and works with community members to determine our Priority Health Needs. In interim years, she develops a State of the County’s Health report to describe progress made toward addressing those needs. View recent reports here.
Healthy Smiles Dental Project
Our dental hygienist provides age-appropriate dental health education, screenings for dental decay, and supplies such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, and dental floss. She visits all county preschools and daycares, as well as all 1st and 3rd grade students in Transylvania County Schools. She also assists with referrals to and coordination of dental care.
Public Health Preparedness
Public health preparedness refers to a community’s ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from infectious, occupational, or environmental incidents that affect the health of that community. Our preparedness coordinator works with emergency management, health care organizations (private and community-based), mental and behavioral health providers, community and faith-based partners, and other state and local government agencies to develop a coordinated response to these incidents. Public health preparedness includes developing a planned response to a variety of public health hazards, conducting surveillance and investigating disease outbreaks, coordinating mass care and medical surge efforts, implementing countermeasures and mitigation, and communicating information to the community and partner agencies.
School Health
There is a direct connection between health and learning, which is why our school health nurses provide basic care and case management in all Transylvania County Schools. These school nurses do more than apply bandages and take temperatures! They provide medical expertise, monitor students with routine and special needs, and train teachers and staff to assist with medical procedures (like administering insulin to diabetic children, or using an epi pen to combat a severe allergy reaction). School nurses also provide education on health topics in the schools, screen for special health needs, and coordinate efforts to prevent illness, such as immunization clinics. If you have questions regarding your child’s medical needs while attending school, please call your child’s school for your school nurse’s contact information.
Vital Records
Our deputy registrar processes certificates and maintains evidence of all births and deaths occurring in Transylvania County. To obtain a certified copy of a birth or death certificate, please contact the Transylvania County Register of Deeds at (828) 884-3162.
Nondiscrimination Statement
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form (AD-3027) found online and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992.
Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:
- Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 - Fax: (202) 690-7442; or
- Email: [email protected]
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Aviso de No Discriminación
De conformidad con la Ley Federal de Derechos Civiles y los reglamentos y políticas de derechos civiles del Departamento de Agricultura de los EE. UU. (USDA, por sus siglas en inglés), se prohíbe que el USDA, sus agencias, oficinas, empleados e instituciones que participan o administran programas del USDA discriminen sobre la base de raza, color, nacionalidad, sexo, discapacidad, edad, o en represalia o venganza por actividades previas de derechos civiles en algún programa o actividad realizados o financiados por el USDA.
Las personas con discapacidades que necesiten medios alternativos para la comunicación de la información del programa (por ejemplo, sistema Braille, letras grandes, cintas de audio, lenguaje de señas americano, etc.), deben ponerse en contacto con la agencia (estatal o local) en la que solicitaron los beneficios. Las personas sordas, con dificultades de audición o discapacidades del habla pueden comunicarse con el USDA por medio del Federal Relay Service [Servicio Federal de Retransmisión] al (800) 877-8339. Además, la información del programa se puede proporcionar en otros idiomas.
Para presentar una denuncia de discriminación, complete el Formulario de Denuncia de Discriminación del Programa del USDA (AD-3027) que está disponible en línea en y en cualquier oficina del USDA, o bien escriba una carta dirigida al USDA e incluya en la carta toda la información solicitada en el formulario. Para solicitar una copia del formulario de denuncia, llame al (866) 632-9992.
Haga llegar su formulario lleno o carta al USDA por:
- Correo: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; - Fax: (202) 690-7442; or
- Correo electrónico: [email protected]
Esta institución es un proveedor que ofrece igualdad de oportunidades.