Education

Kindergarten Readiness

The Alamance-Burlington School System Early Learning Community serves over 200 children ages 3 through 5 within Alamance County.  Their programs include NC Pre-K/Title I classrooms, Exceptional Children's classrooms, and itinerant services for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) in the Alamance-Burlington community. ABSS has 13 schools that hosts the NC Pre-K program.

High School Graduation

2021-2022 4-year cohort graduation rate in Alamance-Burlington School System is 86.0%, which is similar to the graduation rate for all NC public schools (86.4%).

Source: North Carolina School Report Cards, https://ncreports.ondemand.sas.com/src/index

Economy

Income & Poverty

According to 2021 Census data, 12.5% of Alamance County residents live in poverty, a decrease from 15.1% in 2020. Families and children in Alamance County living in poverty are more likely to suffer poor nutrition, lower quality educational opportunities, and chronic stress, which are especially harmful at the earliest stages of life (QuickFacts: Alamance County, North Carolina, 2022).

The median household income in Alamance County (2017-2021) is $55,078, which is an increase of approximately $5000 from the median household income of $49,700 reported in 2015-2019.

In Alamance County, 17.6% of children (those under 18 years of age) are living in poverty, which is, unlike previous years, lower than the state percentage of 18.2% (2021).

Source: Kids Count Data Center, Jan 2023 https://datacenter.aecf.org/ 

Access to Health

Health Insurance

Some Alamance County residents continue to report difficulty accessing health care due to cost and/or lack of health insurance. Of adults between the ages of 18-64 years, 17.8% remain uninsured as of 2020, compared to 18.2% in 2019.  Health insurance for children is particularly important. As stated in the 2021 CHA, to stay healthy, children require regular checkups, dental and vision care, and medical attention for illness and injury. Children with health insurance are more likely to have better health throughout their childhood and adolescence. They are more likely to receive required immunizations, fall ill less frequently, obtain necessary treatment when they do get sick, and perform better at school. Having health insurance lowers barriers to accessing care, which is likely to prevent the development of more serious illnesses. With the help of the ACA, 94.4% of children under 19 had access to health insurance in 2020.

Source: Kids Count Data Center, Jan 2023

MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY

Source: NC State Center for Health Statistics https://schs.dph.ncdhhs.gov/data/databook/

*Septicimia death rate for NC came from the CDC https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/septicemia_mortality/septicemia.htm

2016-2020 trend data shows that cancer remains the leading cause of death among Alamance County residents. The top five causes, following cancer, is diseases of the heart, chronic lower respiratory diseases, cerebrovascular disease, unintentional injuries, and Alzheimer’s disease. When compared to North Carolina, Alamance County has a higher rate among all ten leading causes.  

Mortality rates are higher for Black or African Americans than other races or ethnicities for all leading causes of death in Alamance County, with the greatest disparities in cancer and heart disease. Mortality rates are higher for men than women each of the leading causes of death. Structural and systemic racism can be considered as a root cause of these inequities.

Life expectancy rates are similar to previous years, still showing lower life expectancy for Black residents than white residents. Average life expectancy overall is 76.8 2018 to 2020.

The 2020 infant mortality rate is 8.8, which is higher than the 2019 rate of 6.0.

MPox (Monkeypox)

During the second half of 2022, the United States experienced an outbreak of MPox. North Carolina’s first case was detected on June 23, 2022, and had 697 cases as of December 28, 2022. In North Carolina, 96% of MPox cases were men and 67% were Black/African American. Alamance County Health Department investigated up to 19 possible cases as of January 11, 2023. The most affected group has been men that have sex with other men (MSM). Social and economic conditions, including high poverty rates, unemployment, income inequality, lack of social mobility, and low education access/attainment can make it more difficult for individuals to know about their sexual health.

With MPox considered a probable threat to the MSM community, more efforts are being put towards LGBTQ+ communities by the U.S. Department of Human Health Services (HHS) to slow the spread. To combat the virus, vaccines (Jynneos) are being administered at local health departments, including Alamance County Health Department. The health department has also listed information and resources on their website to spread awareness and is working with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS). Although MPox is not considered an STI, it is spread through bodily fluids including saliva and lesion fluids from the rash; therefore, it is not recommended to engage in sex, or touching of any kind, with someone who has been diagnosed with MPox.

Source: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services https://www.ncdhhs.gov/divisions/public-health/monkeypox

COVID-19 Variants

COVID-19 has been a pressing issue in all communities for over three years. In 2022, Omicron was identified as the primary COVID-19 variant, and remained so for the majority of the year. According to the NCDHHS, the Omicron variant was two to three times more contagious than the Delta variant. Despite vaccination status, people are still susceptible to the virus and are able to spread it regardless of symptoms, or lack thereof. The Omicron strain, B1.1.529, was extremely prevalent between January and February 2022, making up seventy-six percent (peak) of cases in North Carolina. Between June and November, strain BA.5 made up seventy-nine percent of cases at its peak. Congregate living settings (nursing homes, residential care facilities) are extremely susceptible to virus outbreaks due to the close living quarters. Congregate living facilities are of heightened concern for exposure. Not only are residents at risk, but staff as well. In 2022, Twin Lakes Assisted Living in Alamance County reported 37 total cases of COVID-19; 36 of those cases were among staff. 

Environmental Health/Justice

Renewed conversations around environmental justice have proven to be an emerging issue in North Carolina and Alamance County.  In August 2022, congressional leaders pushed for the continuation of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which would run through the heart of Alamance County. There were completion delays as courts nullified multiple environmental permits. The continuation of the MVP pipeline has raised concerns among residents regarding safety, water quality, and whether it would further marginalize communities.

The Western Electric site in east Burlington has been and continues to be a concern for the community. As reported in the 2021 CHA, residents reported that the seemingly abandoned plant has caused hazardous chemicals to seep into the ground under homes in the immediate proximity. The Health Department brought forth this concern to the Mebane City Council during the presentation of the CHA on January 9, 2023.

Environmental injustices, as a whole, often disproportionately affect minority communities, including Black/African American and Latinx/Hispanic individuals, and low-income communities where poor Whites are congregated. Children living in these are areas are at a higher risk of developing chronic diseases, with the morbidity rates of asthma, for example, being increased in areas affected by environmental injustice. The Health Department operates the Healthy Homes program where a Registered Environmental Health Specialist will visit a home, assess any triggers for asthma, and give a written action plan to lower the risk of an attack.

Organizations exist both at the state and local levels that work towards environmental justice. The North Carolina Environmental Justice Network works with low income communities and people of color to address social, environmental, racial, and environmental injustices. This organization addresses concerns such as fracking, coal ash, pipelines, and other issues that continue to marginalize the discussed communities. Locally, Alamance County is home to the West End Revitalization Association (WERA), which services homeowners and landowners of five local African American communities in Mebane. Additionally, Elon University has recently pushed for education on this subject by having students read the book Bias by Jennifer L. Eberhardt. This book focuses on bias between races, but touches on the issue of environmental justice as it brings forth stories from those who have lived near landfills and toxic waste. With a more educated local community, issues can be more readily recognized and addressed.

Sources: North Carolina Environmental Justice Network https://ncejn.org/issues/

                West End Revitalization Association https://www.wera-nc.org/

                WFAE 90.7 https://www.wfae.org/energy-environment/2022-12-08/pellet-plant-permit-delayed-amid-environmental-justice-concerns

                Elon University https://www.elon.edu/u/news/2020/09/10/jennifer-l-eberhardt-tackles-bias-in-live-common-reading-conversation/

                News & Record https://greensboro.com/pipeline/article_3e3c3cf8-1713-11ed-8a69-03a3b7e6018c.html

             North Carolina Policy Watch https://ncpolicywatch.com/2021/09/09/former-army-missile-plant-burlington-poses-public-health-risk-eng/

                Alamance County Health Department https://www.alamance-nc.com/environmentalhealth/programs/air-quality-and-asthma/healthy-homes-and-asthma/

SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS

The schools in the Alamance County district a seeing a new change for the 2022-2023 school year as the county places School Resource Offers (SROs) in all 37 schools in the district, including elementary schools. After the constant unrest the nation has experienced in the last few years of kids not being safe in school, the Alamance County Commissioners worked with Alamance-Burlington School Board to provide funding for the new SROs.  All SROs have also currently undergone crisis intervention training and active shooter training, which will be taught again annually at different schools.

These officers recognize that they are not only there to protect the kids in the community, but also to build trusting relationships with students, as they may sit at lunch together or enjoy casual conversations. Master Police Officer and SRO, Dylan Rose, states that he wants to show these kids a different side of law enforcement that they may not know or have seen before. This not only shows the students, but parents and the community as well, that safety comes first.

Reference: WXXI 12 https://www.wxii12.com/article/alamance-burlington-school-system-puts-school-resource-officers-at-every-campus/41032983