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The Seminole County Health Department (SCHD) is not your ordinary health clinic. When space became available at the Sanford location, a new clinic specific for specialty care was built using state and county funding, driven by health trends of the county. "With this clinic we were able to centralize care, recruit specialists and provide a more appropriate environment for clients" said Mike Napier, administrator of the Health Department.

In Seminole County infection rates from STD's and HIV is sky rocketing, following the trends of the country. In Seminole County, from 2007 to 2008, there was an increase of twenty-five percent of early syphilis cases. In addition, from 2006 to 2007 there was increase of one hundred forty-three percent of HIV diagnosis. Furthermore, in 2007 out of the 553 positive cases of Chlamydia diagnosed, 201 were diagnosed in youth between the ages of 15 to 19.

"Public health officials are seeing an increase in two specific trends, bacterial STD and total infant mortality. Our numbers were getting worse and we needed to take action so we worked with Seminole County government and community partners to build a clinic that will provide treatment and education" said Napier.

Moving clients to the six new exam rooms in the Specialty Clinic will free up OB appointment slots for the growing maternity clinic that was initiated in October last year. Currently, the Health Department provides maternity care to 20% of the expectant mothers in Seminole County.

In the near future; a teen clinic' project, would address the growing numbers of genital Chlamydia infection rates through annual screening of all 15-24 year old sexually active females. Drawing attention for the need to educate and teach prevention in our youth will be the focus. Those with HIV/AIDS "The Dream" is to bring in health educators and dieticians who can help clients get the whole body healthy again, not to just treat the symptoms. Drug therapy is a vital component to treatment but good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle will improve the quality of life for those infected with this disease.

To establish the clinic as a state of the art facility, considerable effort was put into the clinic design to provide client confidentiality, efficient patient flow and a modern progressive environment. Additionally, the SCHD's Specialty Care clinic is one of the first and only clinics to combine HIV and STD services and was recognized by the state's Bureau of STD as on the cutting edge.

The health department has taken on several significant new initiatives to address health concerns of clients and ensure that they receive top quality care from healthcare professionals. New procedures, designs and programs are sought in order to best serve the clients of Seminole County. It is through the ongoing support of the Seminole County Commission and the numerous community partners that the people of Seminole county find a quality public health system in place to assist them in their health care needs. "Education, prevention and services (treatment) are the three necessary elements to any successful public health initiative. We have these elements in place and we are going to make a difference in Seminole County's infectious disease rates and infant mortality," said Napier.

Tags:

HIV, Seminole County Health Department, STD

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