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New Health Director has plans for Santa Rosa County
"Working in Tallahassee helped, because I got to know all of the health department administrators across the state," Jacobs said, learning how each performed their job and gleaning information from their strategies. Jacobs previously worked in two county health departments, furthering his skills.
When Jacobs first arrived in February, he recognized a tremendous need for dental care access in the south end of the county. Currently, the health department employs the only Medicaid dentist in all of Santa Rosa County at its Milton location. That dentist is able to serve about 2,500 of the estimated 10,000 children who are eligible for Medicaid in Santa Rosa County. "The other three-fourths are getting turned away," Jacobs said. So, Jacobs is renovating space at the health department's facility in Midway to place a new Medicaid dentist there. "We hope to begin operations in November, and we are very excited to bring dental care services to the children in Gulf Breeze and Navarre," Jacobs said. Additionally, Jacobs plans to tackle other health issues in Santa Rosa County, including obesity and smoking. "Santa Rosa County is in the fourth quartile for smoking," Jacobs said. "That's among the worst for Florida counties, and it's something for us to address immediately." In addition, over 56 percent of the county's residents are considered overweight or obese. Jacobs plans to use existing support and social networks, such as churches and businesses, to promote healthy lifestyles and good nutrition, and he will speak to any group willing to listen. "I want to see our health department energize the community by promoting healthy behaviors, linking people to services, using resources in the community, and developing community partnerships," Jacobs said. For more information about the health department, call 850- 934-4074 or visit online at www.doh.state.fl.us/chdSantaR osa. ABOUT SHANNON JACOBS Shannon L. Jacobs, M.A., M.P.H. is the Administrator of the Santa Rosa County Health Department. He provides leadership to the county's public health efforts by promoting healthy lifestyles through increased physical activity and good nutrition, building community partnerships to improve health, advocating for better health through public policy, developing a strong public health workforce, and responding to disasters such as hurricanes. Jacobs previously served as the Statewide Services Director of the Florida Department of Health, where he was responsible for assisting the Deputy State Health Officer in leading the 67 county health departments across the state. He also worked for two years as the Director of Operations at the Jefferson and Madison County Health Depart- ments. In addition, he has served as the Public Health Preparedness Coordinator for Jefferson, Madison, and Wakulla County Health Departments, and he was the Program Coordinator of the Healthy Louisiana 2010 program at the Louisiana Office of Public Health. He earned a Master of Public Health degree from Florida State University and a master's degree in Public and Corporate Communication from the University of South Alabama. Health Department Services: Environmental Health: Contaminated food investigations Sanitary nuisances Public/Private water testing Beach water sampling Septic tank inspections Rabies control Clinical Services: Immunizations STD/AIDS testing and treatment Limited primary care services Dental care services Community Health: Epidemiology (Disease outbreak investigations) Tuberculosis testing and treatment Disaster Preparedness/Response Tobacco control and education Health promotion and chronic disease prevention School Health Healthy Start Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) |
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