Message from the Health Director

Welcome to the website of the Dare County Department of Public Health! I sincerely hope that you spend a few moments reading the information posted on our site and learning more about what Public Health does for you. You are sure to learn that even if you have never entered the doors of a local health department, Public Health has had a positive impact on your life and the lives of those around you.

Does your residence have an adequate septic system? Have your children or grandchildren received all of their vaccinations? Do you enjoy the non-smoking section of your favorite local restaurants? Are employees of your favorite local restaurants handling food safely so that you don’t get a foodborne illness? More than likely you answered yes to one or more of these questions and know that your local public health department has a profound impact on your daily life and that Public Health is about Healthy People Living In Healthy Communities. 

Furthermore, the Public Health Mission is to Assess, Address, and Assure the public’s health and I would be remiss not to recognize your local Public Health workforce for all they do to Assure a healthy and safe community. The Dare County Health Department is staffed by nurses, nurses aides, environmental health specialists, social workers, health educators, and administrative staff who are tireless in their efforts to fulfill the Public Health mission. Furthermore, recognition and gratitude are in order to our community health partners, including countless local agencies, organizations, and volunteers, for helping develop and implement innovative strategies to overcome the countless barriers to individual and community health. 

Whether it be through communicable disease surveillance or community health assessment, the staff of the Dare County Department of Public Health work hard to continually Assess health in our community. Health Department staff are also tireless in their efforts to Address community health problems as they occur and to promote and protect the health of all citizens. Whether we are responding to a Hepatitis A case in the community, preparing for the threat of bioterrorism, or mobilizing local Task forces around community health problems – Health Department staff always answer the Public Health call of duty to address community health problems. 

Last but not least, thank you for taking the time to visit our website and I hope that you will agree that Public Health is EveryWhere, EveryDay, for EveryBody!
 
Anne Thomas
Health Director