Health Department Overview

 
A healthy community, at what cost?

Healthcare Cost

Everyone today is concerned about "Healthcare Cost". Our nation and community have experienced a tremendous rise in the cost of medical care over the last decade. We as a nation pay more per person for healthcare than most countries in the world and yet we are not a "healthy" nation. In fact, more than forty countries healthier than we are pay less money on healthcare per capita than we do. Why is this, and what can we do in Pitt County to improve this? Most of our healthcare dollars are spent on care that is at the end of a long disease process or at the end of life. This is very expensive care because it often requires high technology equipment and highly trained personnel to provide. Unfortunately, our private insurers and even government insurers (Medicare, Medicaid) are often not willing to invest in long-term preventive healthcare that may avoid some of these later high cost treatments.

Community's Doctor

Public Health is the "Community's Doctor". We work to make sure that Pitt County, as a whole, is healthy. We are very fortunate in Pitt County to have the availability of some of the best medical facilities in the world, and yet, we still struggle with segments of our population who suffer with very poor health status. It is our job to identify these populations and work toward reducing the disparities in health status. Public Health promotes health and wellness and works collaboratively with our community to improve the health of every citizen. We invest our efforts in the prevention of disease with the belief that in the long run it will pay off for everyone.

How You Can Help

 
Your Pitt County Public Health Department is working to make people healthier and to save our healthcare dollars. You can help by doing two things:

• Maintain your own personal health. Your doctor can help you decide on a health maintenance plan that is right for you.
• Support your Public Health Department. You can learn more about what we are doing in your community on this website.

Mission

The mission of Public Health in Pitt County is to protect, promote, and assure the health of all people in Pitt County. Public Health Center staff will do the following.

Protect

Protect people from unnecessary environmental risks such as exposure to lead, food-borne diseases, waterborne diseases and other communicable diseases.

Promote

Promote individual and community health behaviors which increase the span of healthy life.

Assure

Assure access to essential preventive health services for all people.

This mission will be accomplished through collaborative team work and commitment to quality, consumer-centered services.

Vision

A community whose population demonstrates healthy behaviors and recognizes Pitt County Health Department as a leader and a valued partner working to protect and improve the health of the community.  

Values

-Trustworthiness: Being honest, fair, dependable and handling all private information with the utmost confidence.

-Customer-Centered: Assessing customers' needs and striving to provide services based on the needs identified by both customers and staff.

-Teamwork: Working together to accomplish the same common goal.

-Effective Communication: Ability to clearly give and receive information in a manner that treats others with respect.

-Professionalism: Serving others with competence, integrity and a positive attitude.

-Quality Improvement: Delivering public health services that are accessible, equitable, timely, efficient, safe and evidence-based to meet the needs of our community.