LAURINBURG — Scotland County Health Department officials were out in force last week to explain the myriad of services the agency provides.
The effort was part of the department’s Spring Outreach held Thursday at the Bright Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church.
More than 200 people attended the daylong session Thursday to hear about nutrition, exercise, vaccination, child safety and every other health care issues and services.
To make the event as family friendly as possible, the department set up numerous children’s games in front of the entrance to the church. Children of all ages could be seen throwing plush footballs to an inflatable receiver, tossing rings onto pegs and flying Frisbee through the air and into targets, all while smiling from ear-to-ear.
Shannon Brown, a student from Campbell University, volunteered to hand out information to attendees on substance abuse and pregnancy. Campbell University partnered with the Health Department on the event by having some its pharmaceutical and master in public health students take part.
“We talked about alcohol use, tobacco use and the dangers, risk factors and possible outcomes,” Brown said. “The best part was engaging in the community.”
Kristine Patterson, Scotland County Health Department director, said health officials also hoped to use the day to emphasize improving infant mortality rates.
Scotland has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the state. In 2015, there were seven child deaths in Scotland County, according to state health figures.
Patterson said officials talked about the danger of parents sleeping in the same bed with infants. The department also handed out new car seats to those in attendance with their children who had expired, malfunctioning and broken car seats.
“We don’t want families leaving here to go home without a safe car seat for their child,” Patterson said. “It’s not only about the car seat exchange, but it’s about sleep safe, because sometimes the grandparents are the primary parent, so we are trying to incorporate the parents and grandparents — just everyone in the family,”
The event was made possible through the “Infant Mortality Reduction Grant” that the Health Department received to combat infant mortality in the county.
