Public Health Year In Review
Following the Norfolk Department of Public Health strategic plan, activities are undertaken with and within the city.
During fiscal year 2007, the Norfolk Department of Public Health responded to public concerns about threats to health, including need for information about biological agents and communicable diseases. Attention was also given to increased environmental surveillance.
The Environmental Health Division of the Norfolk Department of Public Health assures prevention of diseases and provides surveillance, inspection, intervention and enforcement. More than 3,586 site inspections were made to restaurants, grocery stores, hospitals, schools, nursing homes, mobile  vendor stands, beauty parlors, day care centers, and health and fitness centers. Environmental health inspectors performed 11,839 services designed to enhance the quality of life in Norfolk including rabies control, investigation and reporting, lead poisoning prevention, rodent control inspections, permits for public swimming pools and bulk containers and inspecting and sampling Norfolk beaches, rivers and waterways. During the last fiscal year, over 8,339 food service employees attended food handling classes. Approximately 350 food service managers were nationally certified or re- certified this year. The bureau also investigated more than 1,484 public health and environmental nuisance complaints.
The Vector Control Division actively conducted surveillance teams in neighborhoods to inform and educate citizens on how to prevent mosquitoes from breeding. Vector control has retrieved 29,066 samples for lab analysis and mosquito identification and has treated 30,682 sites for potential and actual mosquito breeding. The number one breeding source in the city was from buckets of water in citizen’s yards.
 In our School Health Program, nurses conduct multiple screenings on children to detect potential illnesses or other medical conditions throughout the school year. Nurses work in conjunction with a multidisciplinary team for the prevention of disease, cure illnesses and to promote good health. Skilled nursing services also included tube feeding, catheterization, tracheotomy care, scoliosis referrals and correction.
Medical Clinics provided an array of medical services to Norfolk citizens to prevent disease, promote health and
improve the health status of our community. Medical care was provided for adults needing acute care, routine physical examinations, follow-up and referrals for chronic medical conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. Last year, more than 5,000 visits were made to our General Medical clinics. Norfolk Department of Public Health has also provided other clinical health care visits to family planning, child health, communicable disease (Tuberculosis and Sexual Transmitted Diseases), Ryan White, case management services (CHIP, Healthy Families and prenatal and post-natal visits).
The Norfolk Department of Public Health Immunization Action
Program ensures that Norfolk children are properly protected
from vaccine preventable illnesses. More than 20,000 immunizations
for communicable disease control were given at our clinic
sites and throughout the community for Measles, Mumps and
Rubella, Hepatitis B, Chicken Pox, Diphtheria, Pertussis,
Tetanus, Polio, Flu, Pneumonia, and Tuberculosis testing.
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