Quality of Life: New report details community indicators for health, poverty and innovation

MOBILE, Alabama – Want to know the percentage of households in Mobile with high speed internet access? Curious about how many Baldwin residents don’t having health insurance?

The Community Indicators Report: Counties in Focus 2012, released by The Community Foundation of South Alabama (CFSA), answers those questions and more, providing a snapshot of the overall wellbeing of those who call South Alabama home by tracking poverty, health and wellness issues, economic stability, educational attainment and innovation among other topics.

The purpose of the 119-page report is to inform, inspire and influence community members, policymakers and business leaders working to make improvements in the eight county South Alabama region, according to a news release provided by the Community Foundation.

“With all of the positive transitions happening in our area, this report highlights where we need to focus our resources and efforts so that everyone can reap the benefits,” said Dr. Bert Eichold, Chairman of the Board of the Community Foundation. “For example, if you are working on healthcare issues, it provides you with a better understanding of what communities need the most help and what the barriers to proper healthcare are. This allows your organization, government, etc. to direct time and resources to address the root causes of issues.”

Alvertha Penny, president and CEO of the Community Foundation said the report “captures the issues in our region and should be used as a guide for how we, as a community, work together, direct resources, and as an impetus for shifting our collective interest to improving the quality of life in the region.”

The Community Indicators Report also offers suggestions on how to address challenges such as poverty and poor health. The Community Foundation is a tax-exempt, nonprofit foundation that assists individuals, families, corporations and nonprofit organizations with charitable giving. The group professionally manages the investment of charitable funds established by members of the community and use returns to make grants to nonprofit organizations. The Community Foundation staff works with more than 400 charitable funds.

More families may now qualify for nutrition assistance program

MOBILE, Alabama – With recent changes to federal poverty guidelines, more local families may qualify for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, better known as WIC, local health officials said.

Women who are pregnant, those who have given birth in the past six months, are breastfeeding or the parent or guardian of a child up to age 5 are encouraged to apply for WIC at the Mobile County Health Department or in the county where they reside.

“WIC isn’t just for low-income families, it’s also for families with moderate incomes who may need extra help providing nutritious foods for their young children,” said Elizabeth W. Smith, who is the Director of Nutrition Services at the Mobile County Health Department. “We provide vouchers for fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, eggs, cheese, cereal and baby formula.”

For example, a single mother and her baby can have an income of up to $552 per week (before taxes) and qualify for WIC. A husband and wife with three children can have a total weekly income of as much as $981 (before taxes) and meet the income requirements to participate in WIC.

In Mobile County in 2012, more than $10 million in WIC food vouchers were distributed to support about 14,000 participants. Statewide, more than 140,000 new mothers, infants and young children take part in the nutrition program.

WIC participants should have a limited income and a nutritional need. Families who receive Medicaid, SNAP, formerly known as Food Stamps, or Family Assistance, formerly known as TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) already meet the income qualifications for WIC. Even families who do not qualify for these three programs may be eligible for WIC, health officials said. WIC is a nutrition program that provides nutrition education and supplemental foods during the early, formative years of a child’s life. For more information, contact the Mobile County Health Department at 251-690-8829 or call the statewide toll-free line in Alabama at 1-888-942-4673.

WIC is open to participants with incomes of up to 185 percent of the federal poverty level. See below:

Family size         Annual Income             Weekly Income
1                         $21,257                         $409
2                         $28,694                         $552
3                         $36,131                         $695
4                         $43,568                         $838

5                         $51,005                         $981

Mobile County Health Department receives National Community Health Center week proclamation



The Mobile County Health Department's Susan Stiegler, Mobile Mayor Sam
Jones and Angelia Blackmon Lewis pose for a photo with the proclamation
on August 13, 2013 during the Mobile City Council meeting.



MOBILE, Alabama -- Mobile Mayor Sam Jones declared August 13, 2013, as Community Health Center Day in Mobile during a City Council meeting here. The Mobile County Health Department’s Susan Stiegler, Director of Family Health Services, and Angelia Blackmon Lewis, a director in the Bureau of Primary Care, accepted the proclamation during the meeting at Government Plaza. National Community Health Center Week spans August 11-17.

President Barack Obama also issued a proclamation this week detailing the numerous ways community health center’s perform vital roles across the nation. “One in every 15 people living in the United States depends on their services,” he said of community health centers. “They are an important source of jobs in many low-income communities, employing more than 148,000 people nationwide. And with clinical and support staff who are responsive to their communities' needs and cultures, health centers are important partners in our efforts to reduce health disparities.”

Since 1979, the Mobile County Health Department’s Family Oriented Primary Health Care Clinic (FOPHCC) has provided comprehensive primary care services throughout Mobile County and now provides primary care services at nine sites from Mount Vernon to Tillman’s Corner. The sites, which are all designated as Federally Qualified Health Centers, are strategically located where the targeted population needs are the greatest and access to care is limited, agency officials said. A mobile health unit also brings primary care and wellness screenings to those who might not otherwise have the means to travel to a health center.

With higher unemployment and more people uninsured or underinsured across Alabama and beyond, community health centers have become the safety net for those who don’t have access to other sources of health care. For more than 45 years, community health centers have delivered comprehensive, high-quality preventive and primary health care to patients regardless of their ability to pay. During that time, community health centers have become the essential primary care medical home for millions of Americans, including some of the nation’s most vulnerable populations, health officials said.

Here's something healthy: Southwest Mobile Health Center holds open house

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held Aug. 9, 2013 at the Southwest Mobile
Health Center in Tillman's Corner. From left, Chief Wilford Taylor, Mobile
County Commissioner Merceria Ludgood, Mobile Mayor Sam Jones, Comm.
Jerry Carl, Mobile City Councilman John Williams and Dr. Bernard Eichold.



The Mobile County Health Department on Friday, August 9, 2013, held an official grand opening event for the Southwest Mobile Health Center, the agency’s ninth Family Oriented Primary Health Care Clinic.

Dozens of city and county leaders gathered to celebrate the expansion of access to quality primary health services in the area. Funded by a federal grant through the Affordable Care Act, more than $1.3 million is being reinvested in the community during a two-year period through the renovation and operation of the health center.

“Everyone deserves access to quality primary health care,” Dr. Eichold said, adding that the Mobile County Health Department continually seeks innovative ways to promote and protect the health of those who live and work in Mobile County and beyond.

In an effort expand access to care and services, Southwest also includes the Women, Infant and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program.

Patient hours for the health center are Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. Fees are based on a sliding scale. Beginning August 12, medical providers at Southwest will accept pediatric and adult patients on weekdays. Private insurance, such as BlueCross/BlueShield, as well as Medicare and Medicaid, is accepted. Call 251-690-8889 for an appointment.

Through its primary care health centers, Mobile County Health Department providers saw nearly 39,000 patients during 2012 for health care needs that included primary medical care, optometry, dentistry, women’s health, family planning and pediatric care. The Mobile County Health Department also operates other primary care health centers throughout Mobile County, including locations in Semmes, Eight Mile, Citronelle, Mount Vernon and downtown Mobile.

Smoke free city: Satsuma law takes effect August 2

MOBILE, Alabama – Today’s the day Satsuma goes smoke free. On July 2, the Satsuma City Council unanimously passed an ordinance banning smoking in public and work places – including restaurants, bars, ballparks and playgrounds -- that was set to take effect 30 days from the passage of the new law.

Satsuma joins Creola, Saraland, Citronelle and Bayou La Batre in creating comprehensive local smoking ordinances which protect all public and work places from exposure to second hand smoke.

An outdoor billboard to recognize the transition of Satsuma to a smoke free community is now on display in the city of 6,200, which is located in northern Mobile County.

The City of Satsuma has included a copy of the new ordinance on its website that outlines fines that will be levied against those who smoke where it’s prohibited. Those who want to smoke outdoors in public places must stands at least 15 feet from entrances to businesses or workplaces, including outdoor bleachers and playground equipment at parks and other recreation facilities, according to the ordinance.

 “It’s a great thing because it protects everyone in the community from exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke which we know causes immediate damage to the body,” said Cathy Clothier, a tobacco prevention and control educator with the Mobile County Health Department. “People in Satsuma can literally breathe easier now.”

Also included in the ordinance is language regarding the operation of hotels and motels with a provision that states no such business shall have more than 20 percent of its rooms designated as smoking. The Satsuma smoking ordinance was first introduced during a public meeting on June 18, 2013, health officials said.