All Alexander County priorities are addressed in the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). Click on the links below for Progress Made in 2024.   For the priority area Mental Health see Progress in 2024 note tabs for each program below.

• Risky Behaviors
• Alexander County Behavioral Health Program

For the priority area Substance Use see Progress in 2024 note tabs for each program below. 

• Community Paramedic/PORT Team
• Substance abuse prevention programs in Alexander County 

For the priority area Healthy Living see Progress in 2024 note tabs for each program below. 

• Develop Public Awareness Campaign to Promote Local Parks and Recreational Activities  
• Develop Partnerships with Other Local Organizations to Encourage Healthier Lifestyles
• Nutrition and Physical Education Classes

For the priority area Child Care see Progress in 2024 note tabs for each program below. 

•   Use Grant to Develop Child Collaborative

For the priority area Elder Care see Progress in 2024 note tabs for each program below. 

•   Senior Center Educational Lunches

From 2023 to 2024 Alexander County saw no significant changes in morbidity or mortality. Local and State data represents that in 2024 diseases of the heart was the leading cause of death, closely followed by cancer.  The leading causes of injury were motor vehicle accidents and accidental falls.
 

The suicide rate in Alexander County has continued to rise, while the availability of mental health counseling services remains limited. The Alexander County Health Department provides Behavioral Health services, but success cannot be calculated for the program long-term due to staff turnover. While the North Carolina State rate for suicide has remained around 13-14 since 2020, Alexander County has steadily increased and remained above the State. ⁶ Alexander County saw a suicide rate of 19 in 2020, in 2021 this increased to 22, in 2022 the rate slightly decreased to 20.6, and in 2023 went back up to a rate of 22.

Discontinued Initiative: Elder Care was recognized as a key priority selected from the 2022 CHA at Alexander County. During the 2023-2024 fiscal year the Healthy Alexandrians task force elected to shift focus away from Elder Care to allow staff time to focus on the four other priorities. Programs in place under Elder Care were not considered to be as feasible nor as pertinent as Mental Health, Substance Use, Healthy Living, or Child Care and Parenting. The Health Educator continues to engage with the Alexander Senior Center, and Health Alexandrians maintains representatives of this priority population.

New & Enhanced Initiatives: We recently used state funds to enhance the entrance to our main building. Our building had no covered entrance during the COVID pandemic and the mass vaccination process. We realized we only had small area in our lobby with poor ventilation and minimal capacity to screen/test/vaccinate clients, especially if needed in an outdoor space prior to entering the building. We realized a covered entrance would allow an increased capacity to serve a greater number of individuals, and it would allow ACHD to offer protection from the weather for our clients waiting for services. The covered entrance was completed in May of 2024.  

In 2019, the federal minimum legal sales age of all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, was increased from 18 to 21. While a majority of states have increased their minimum tobacco sales age to 21 to match federal law, North Carolina’s minimum sales age remains at 18.⁷ Initiated by ACHD, the Alexander County BOCC signed a letter of support in raising the minimum age of tobacco sale from 18 to 21 in North Carolina. This letter of support, along with several more from other local boards and organizations, was sent to the Region IV Tobacco Prevention & Control Coordinator of the Western Region for NC to be utilized in NC’s legislative efforts. The Alexander County Health Department will continue to campaign for T-21 in North Carolina.

The Alexander County Health Department obtained the ‘CDC Enhancing Seasonal Influence Vaccine Effort for Farmworkers Grant’ in 2024. Farmworkers are able to get the seasonal flu vaccine for free using a State supply of immunizations. A team within the Health Department worked on this Farmworker Flu Grant to mail over 200 letters with brochures to local farmworkers who work in close contact with livestock to inform them of this opportunity. Grant funds are being utilized to advertise and incentivize influenza vaccination within the county for those who work closely with cattle, poultry, and pigs. The team launched a media campaign that includes website, e-sign, Facebook, newspaper, and radio messaging.