SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY was recently chosen by its state Department of Health Services to develop a computerized registery which will track the immunization status of children ages 0-5, countywide. The system will tell health care providers which immunizations their patient has received, the dosages and dates administered, and will provide physicians with up-to-date recommendations, even if the patient received their last immunization through another doctor or clinic.
The registry will also notify parents when their child is due for an immunization. According to a 1993 survey, only 42 percent of the county’s children ages 0-2 were current on their immunizations. The program’s first 18 months is funded with $380,000 from the state. The county is sharing information in setting up the program with 15 other counties in the state that also received funding.
Children were photographed and fingerprinted last month at DADE COUNTY’s Youth Fair and Exposition. The “Fingerprinting is for Kids” program, administered by the Metro-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department, provides a service to parents in the event their child turns up missing or lost. A photo and fingerprint card are provided to the parents for safekeeping. Last year, more than 14,000 children participated.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY recently opened its first electronic information kiosk at a local shopping mall. The interactive kiosk provides instructions through a touch-screen and keyboard, for first-time users.
Customers may apply for a library card,request printouts of tax forms or obtain free access to the Internet. A debit/credit card magnetic strip reader is included for transactions which require payments. The kiosk is also accessible for persons with disabilities.
In January, the GLOUCESTER COUNTY Board of Chosen Freeholders voted to approve funds that will support the development of the Gloucester County Volunteer Center. The Volunteer Center will serve as a central clearinghouse and training center for volunteers who want to help the county’s many non-profit organizations. The center, which has gained widespread community support, will be run by a private, non-profit board and will also receive support from the local United Way, said Freeholder Stephen Atkinson.
UNION COUNTY recently donated 2,358 pounds of deer meat to homeless shelters and soup kitchens as part of its program to reduce the white-tailed deer population in the Watchung Reservation, a 2,000-acre park in the county. As determined by the state Fish, Game and Wildlife Division, there should only be 20 deer per square mile at the reservation. Estimates had put the population at 100 deer per square mile. Thirty agents carried out the program on a voluntary basis with state-issued permits. The deer were then butchered at a USDA-approved facility. The venison was donated to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey.
The ALLEGHENY COUNTY Commissioners have found a way to reach out and touch their constituents, by taking their commissioners’ meetings on the road. The first such meeting, held March 9, was held at a middle school. “Taking board meetings beyond the walls of the courthouse and into the community demonstrates our administration’s commitment to reach out to the people,” said Commission Chairman Larry Dunn.
CLARK COUNTY recently held a workshop on making homes more physically accessible and livable for people with disabilities. Titled “Homes Without Barriers,” the workshop was coordinated by the Clark County Department of Community Services. Topics included non-institutional design solutions, state-of-the-art materials and equipment for any budget, and features to accommodate persons with low vision and/or the deaf or hard-of-hearing.
Attention information officers! Wondering how to get some coverage from your local news outlets? PIERCE COUNTY regularly schedules briefings about every two weeks with its county executive, inviting the media to come sit down for an informal chat. “It’s really worked out well,” said Dick Ferguson, public information coordinator. Reporters and editors are given topics to be discussed and are also invited to bring up any other issues they wish. For more information, contact Ferguson at (206) 596-3979.
(News From the Nation’s Counties is compiled by Mary Ann Barton, senior staff writer.)