So far this semester, Team PREPARE has shown a level of dedication and diligence that I am proud to be a part of. Our team, with the guidance of David Hesselmeye of On Target Preparedness, has been busy with a variety of deliverables that will impact many different parts of our community here in Harnett County as well as beyond. Coming up with ideas to achieve our goals of helping the public has proven to only be a small part of the battle. Taking action, connecting with community members, and getting the attention of a large audience has been difficult at times, but this is what public health is all about. It hasn’t been easy to figure out exactly how to design a campaign to not only reach a targeted audience but also make a long-lasting beneficial impact, but my experiences so far have inspired me to pursue future leadership roles where I may have more resources directly at my disposal.
My team has been working tirelessly on deliverables to recruit more volunteer firefighters, promote mental health outreach programs for first responders, educate families on base but life-saving CPR methods, counsel expecting and new mothers on healthy infant immunization schedules, and prepare the public in general for emergencies and disasters. As you can see, Team PREPARE has been extremely busy these past weeks. I have focused most of my personal efforts so far on increasing vaccination rates to protect children against easily preventable diseases.
Vaccination rates in rural areas are typically much lower than rates in urban areas. This disparity can be directly related to health care barriers that are unique to rural areas: lack of education and low accessibility. Many parents either have false information regarding vaccines or no information at all. Low accessibility to pediatricians in rural areas can also negatively affect vaccination rates. Low infant immunization rates for devastating diseases such as measles, mumps, polio, pertussis, pneumococcus, and rubella (just to name a few) affects not only the individual child but the community as a whole as well. As more and more people are not vaccinated, the effectiveness of her immunity for the entire community will be dramatically reduced. Nearly eradicated detrimental diseases like polio could make a comeback. Herd immunity protects children and adults who cannot receive vaccinations because of rare medical conditions, but they can still be protected from preventable diseases if every other healthy child in the community receives these important vaccinations. That is why it is of the utmost importance to counsel and educate expecting and new mothers on the CDC-recommended infant immunization schedule. Mothers play a key role in protecting their families and their entire community, and rural areas will soon be able to reach healthy vaccination rates.
To address this problem, Team PREPARE has reached out to local pediatricians to discuss revamping the birth plan set in place to prepare expecting mothers for the day of delivery. The birth plan is created in advance to help make sure all aspects of the birth process are handled according to the mother’s preferences. Our hope is to encourage and help plan a consultation on vaccinations between the pediatrician and the expecting mother ahead of the expected date of birth. It is essential to discuss and educate mothers on the benefits and delivery of immunizations beforehand so they don’t feel pressured right after giving birth to make a decision about an important health impact they may have known nothing about. Right after birth, a newborn should be given the first Hep B shot. If a mother has had no previous education on what this vaccination is, she may be more likely to refuse this invasive procedure for her newborn. By implementing vaccination counseling in the initial discussions of each mother’s birth plan, more mothers will feel knowledgeable and comfortable to ensure their children are vaccinated appropriately. It is exciting to be influential in the beginnings of a change that will benefit and entire community down the line!
Team PREPARE’s other projects are also making strong headway in Harnett County. We will be staffing a table at the Sexual Assault Awareness Week Block Part on Monday, 10/1 to raise awareness of vaccine-preventable sexually transmitted infections such as Hep A, Hep B, and HPV. We will also be doing a basic hands-only CPR demonstration/activity. 400-500 participants are expected at the event, and we hope to encourage this audience to pursue action in vaccinating themselves and remembering life-saving CPR methods. Additionally, Team PREPARE is almost done planning our Harnett County Library events, which will also promote education on hands-only CPR and immunization awareness, targeted at children and their families. We are also almost done finalizing The Citizens Fire Academy to help increase volunteer firefighter recruitment right here in Buies Creek. I am excited to see the final outcomes of all of our projects as well as the long-term impacts they will have on the Harnett County community!
