Five Biggest Public Health Issues in Mecklenburg County
• Tobacco: the leading preventable cause of death, disease and disability.
• Physical activity & healthy eating: Lack of physical activity & poor nutrition
contribute to health conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol
and obesity.
• Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV): As of June 2015, there are an
estimated 5,334 persons living with HIV/AIDS in the County who are aware of
their status. However, as many as 1 in 8 are unaware of their infection.
• Unintended Pregnancy: a pregnancy that was either unwanted or mistimed.
• Violence: is not traditionally understood as a public health issue but this is
beginning to change as data illustrate the impacts on other community
health indicators such as academic achievement, substance abuse and
mental health.
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Financial Assistance for Senior Assistance:
Prescription Drugs
Question: Provide scenarios for the additional number of senior citizens that would receive financial assistance based on an increase in funding.
Response: This is difficult to project for (3) reasons:
1.
2.
3.
The type of medicine needed per client varies.
The per client medicine cost varies.
The reimbursement provided by DSS to MedAssist is at cost (which is drastically
cheaper) for purchasing the medication in comparison to utilizing another
pharmacist/vendor where the County would be required to pay the full retail value.
Scenarios: Below, is an estimate based on total FY2015 spend, divided by the number of customer served, based on incremental funding increase:
FY2015
Number of Customers
311
Funds Spent
$
Additional Customers Served via Additional Funds
Per Client Average
5,329 $17.14 $10,000
# of clients served
584
$20,000
$30,000
1,167
1,751
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Financial Assistance for Senior Citizens: Transportation
Question: Provide scenarios for the additional number of senior citizens that would receive financial assistance based on an increase in funding.
Response: The Elderly General Purpose (EGP) transportation program, funded through local ½ cent sales tax, is the only funding dedicated solely for senior transportation. The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) allocates approximately $112,000 to DSS annually for the EGP program. This program has served 85 customers FY2016 to date but has been closed to new customers for several years. Increased funding would provide additional transportation for seniors as follows:
Transportation--based on a average one-way trip cost of $18.50 on an average miles/trip of 7.6:
Additional Funding
$50,000
$100,000
$500,000
$1,000,000
$2,000,000
Number of new customers @ 1 round trip/week for six months
Number of new customers @ 1 round trip/week for 1 year
56
112
563
1,126
2,252
28
56
281
563
1,126
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Upward Mobility: Net Job Growth
Total Employment
Mecklenburg
Wake
Forsyth
Guilford
Durham
700,000 554,820 585,156 561,803 606,857 578,923 637,319 630,412 606,798 525,000 350,000 2012
2013
2014
Jun
Apr
May
Jan
Feb
Mar
Dec
Oct
Sep
Nov
Jul
Jun
Aug
Apr
May
Jan
Feb
Mar
Oct
Dec
Nov
Jul
Sep
Aug
Jun
Apr
Mar
May
Jan
Feb
Oct
Dec
Nov
Jul
Sep
Jun
Aug
Apr
May
Jan
Feb
‐
Mar
175,000 2015 Preliminary
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics
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Upward Mobility: Unemployment Rate
Unemployment Rate, Unadjusted
12.0 Mecklenburg
9.2 Wake
9.1 9.0 8.3 8.1 6.2 6.2 5.7 6.0 2013
2014
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Feb
Mar
Jan
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Jan
Feb
Mar
Dec
Oct
Nov
Jul
Sep
Aug
Jun
Apr
May
Jan
Feb
2012
Mar
Dec
Oct
Nov
Jul
Sep
Jun
Aug
Apr
May
Jan
Feb
Mar
3.0 Nov
5.1 4.7 2015
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics
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Upward Mobility: What can be done to create new jobs & decrease unemployment
The Economic Development Department is guiding the Board & the Economic
Development Committee through the process of developing a comprehensive
strategy to address job creation through the following areas:
• Enhanced job attraction and retention efforts
• Workforce development strategies
• Small business creation & support strategies
• Building strong communities connected to employment centers
• Using County resource to enhance and grow tourism economy
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County Apprenticeship Program
• Current Programs:



Recreation Employment Corps‐ a 40 week job training for teens ages 14‐17
Mayor’s Youth Employment Program – 20 hours a week employment of high
school students in County departments
Library Volunteer Program – offers a teen summer volunteer program that
provide workforce development skills for teens
• Community Partnerships:



Goodwill Industries: the County partners with Goodworks to identify applicants
for entry level positions with the Department of Social Services
Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC): the County partners with CPCC to
administer the Veteran’s Apprenticeship program.
Medic: the agency would like to create a program that assists high school
graduates in developing skills needed for a career as an Emergency Medical
Technician.
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Creation of a County Apprenticeship Program
Current Program Costs
Program
Age
Group
Hours per week
Number of Weeks
Hourly Rate
Number of Participants
Recreation Employment
14‐17
10
40
$7.25
43
$134,240
MYEP
16‐18
20
8
$8.00
83
$114,367
Library Program
13‐18
varies
Varies
Volunteer
134
0
260
$248,607
Total
Total
Cost*
Program Expansion
Option
Number of Teens
1
500
2
700
Hours per week
Hourly Rate
Number of Weeks
Total
Cost*
20
$8.00
12
$1,033,440
20
$8.00
8
$964,544
*Includes FICA (7.65%)
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Park & Recreation Master Plan Process
There are (4) guiding principles that were followed in 2007 to rank projects & select projects in preparation for the bond package that should continue to be used.
Guiding Principals: 1. Make data driven decisions based on the master plan and current conditions: The
2008 Master Plan and the 2014 update are citizen driven with input from professional staff, advisory boards and the Park and Recreation Commission. 2.
Provide geo equitable distribution of projects: assist with filling gaps in services and
facilities work to ensure projects are occurring in all regions of the county.
3.
Include projects in all categories based on priorities in the master plan: The plan
identifies a list of needs so projects should fit those needs. Consider service gaps,
completing phased projects, partnership opportunities & building on land banked
properties.
4.
Address deferred maintenance: The master plan identifies and ranks maintenance and
repair needs for all facility types
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Revaluation Preparation Status Update Current Initiatives
Field canvasing – property verification
Future Initiatives
Land analysis, valuation, & review
Neighborhood analysis & review Improvement analysis, valuation, & review
Improvement analysis & review Staffing model ‐ ensure proper staffing level
Sales analysis & data collection
Test refined valuation model Offsite appeal locations
Citizen review schedule of values Public relations – improve communication
Staff training Quality control
Quality control finalized values & reappraisals Technology – upgrade appraisal system
Mail notices of values
Refining current process
Appeal process – review of appeals M e c k l e n b u r g C o u n t y N C . g o v
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Homeless Court Update
•
Most offenses committed by the homeless are not a threat to public safety, may be
eligible for diversion, and do not require extensive punitive measures to be helped.
•
Homeless courts tend to help individuals after they have entered the justice system
rather than diverting them from it.
•
A specialty court would not provide the tailored support that the homeless need.
•
A recommendation suggested the creation of a Homeless Justice Team (HJT) consisting of
a licensed mental health clinician, a senior social worker, & a peer support specialist.
•
A recommendation to expand MeckFuse to serve the frequent users
•
The HJT will divert the homeless from the justice system when possible by meeting them
where they are, and connecting them with resources to help prevent low‐level offenses.
•
If diversion is not possible, HTJ will work with the courts & the jail to help the individual
exit the system.
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Barber Scotia College On‐Campus Student Program
Challenges that create barriers for establishing a Barber Scotia on‐campus program
• McKinney – Vento Homeless Assistance Act: prohibits segregating students and
youth who meet the definition of homeless • The geographic location would require a school to be established by Cabarrus
County Schools on the campus
• Another option would be the establishment of a charter school open to all NC
students
• The City of Concord demolished two dormitory facilities on the campus due to
their advanced state of disrepair; this calls into question the school’s ability to
house the students
• It was recently announced that College cancelled its spring semester 2016
courses and intends to resume its classes in the fall of 2016.
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Childcare & Pre‐Kindergarten Financial Assistance
•
Child Care subsidy is provided for individuals who qualify on the basis of income eligibility
•
Child Care & Pre‐K subsidy for low income families is currently provided with no regard of
the academic level of the child.
•
Child care costs vary per child and the quality of the facility they attend.
•
Because the demand for subsidies is so high, the current allocation only serves existing
families, as well as any new referrals based on the top two categories: Child Protective
Services & Employment.
•
Example of programs:




Smart Start
Bright Beginnings
NC Pre‐K
Early Head Start/Head Start
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Homeless Update
•
Refer to detailed response in binder
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