Monday, April 3, 2017

News from the districts - Midcoast

The Midcoast Public Health District serves Waldo, Lincoln, Knox, and Sagadahoc counties. The population is as diverse as its geography, which includes farmland, coastal villages, urban centers, and year-round island communities.
The Midcoast District Coordinating Council has developed a District Public Health Improvement Plan (DPHIP) and identified priority areas of focus: lead exposure in one- and two-year-olds, improving youth and adult mental health, and fighting obesity and the impact of chronic disease by increasing public use of existing low or no cost physical activity resources.  Over the last several months, Council members have volunteered innumerable hours developing goals, objectives, and strategies to best address these priorities.

Volunteerism is also a key element as the Midcoast District launches its Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) Unit in collaboration with Maine Responds.  MRC unit members are medical and non-medical volunteers who may be called upon in times of a public health emergency for staffing alternate medical care sites, providing vaccinations, or distributing medications at a Point of Dispensing (POD). We look forward to developing the Midcoast MRC Unit in support of public health emergency preparedness in our District.