Celebrate National Public Health Week

This week (April 3 – 9) is National Public Health Week. Here, the Virginia Beach Department of Public Health (VBDPH) is our local health agency. VBDPH is part of the Virginia Department of Health and works very closely with community partners to promote health, prevent disease and protect the environment so that Virginia Beach residents are empowered to achieve optimal health and well-being. Here are a few ways that public health helps our community:

Environmental Health ServicesThe Office of Environmental Health Services provides permits and performs inspections in addition to providing technical assistance for a range of topics including:

• Beach Water Monitoring
• Food Protection Program-Special Event Permits
• Marina Program
• Onsite Sewage Program
• Personal Services Permits
• Private Well Program
• Public Swimming Pool program
• Rabies Prevention Program
• Restaurant Inspections
• Tourist Establishment Program- Hotels, Motels & Campgrounds

Clinical Services
The health department provides a variety of important medical services that include:

• Routine vaccines for infants, children, teens, and adults
• Testing, treatment, education and referral for sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
• Free and low-cost dental services for children and teenagers ages 6 months to 18 years
• Evaluation, screening, and treatment of TB

Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program
WIC is a federally funded nutrition education program. The WIC Program provides nutrition education, breastfeeding promotion and support, nutritious foods and referrals to other community or health services. WIC is available to pregnant, breastfeeding or postpartum women, infants and children up to the age of five. To be eligible for the WIC Program, applicants must meet categorical, residential, income, and nutrition risk requirements.

Home Visiting ProgramsVBDPH has several community-based home visiting programs to support families from birth through older adult care including:

• The BabyCare Program fosters safe and healthy pregnancies and babies; includes nurse case management, education, screening, and referrals.
• Healthy Families Virginia Beach provides evidence-based home visiting services without cost and according to the individualized needs of expectant parents and families with young children.
• Public health nurses perform screenings to determine eligibility for nursing home placement or personal care at home.

Epidemiology
VBDPH has a team of epidemiologists that conduct communicable disease case and outbreak investigations that are reported by healthcare providers, labs and community partners. They offer guidance to residents, schools, long-term care facilities, and others to prevent and control the spread of disease.

Emergency Preparedness and Response
The VBDPH EP&R team helps our communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from public health emergencies. They also help recruit, train, and coordinate our excellent Medical Reserve Corps volunteers to assist with emergency response.

For questions or to learn more call (757) 518-2700 or visit vdh.virignia.gov/virginia-beach.