Health Promotion and Education Services has a new addition to their team!

Krishnaveni Balakrishnan joined Orange County Health Department as their new Healthy Homes Coordinator in February 2019.

She holds a MPH in Community Health Education and a B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies, from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. Her public health background includes experience in healthy homes education, outreach work with immigrant and refugee communities, healthy food access, and chronic disease awareness and prevention.

Her role includes

• Conducting health education, with a focus on children who have asthma
• Performing home inspections to identify asthma triggers
• Program planning based on community needs
• Collaborating with health officials, community members, non-profit organizations, and government partners on policy change to address housing disparities in Orange County.

If you would like to make a referral for a healthy homes assessment, please use this form: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn%3Aaaid%3Ascds%3AUS%3Ae85f1f52-533f-4d04-8463-d27d5f2cad7f

All of our services are provided free of cost.

National Public Health Week 2019

• Monday — Healthy Communities
• Tuesday — Violence Prevention
• Wednesday — Rural Health
• Thursday — Technology and Public Health
• Friday — Climate Change
• Saturday and Sunday — Global Health

Sunday also marked World Health Day. 

Fair Housing Month

April is an eventful month for public health, including it being Fair Housing Month.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released a new campaign and training initiative this year, focusing on anti-sexual harassment. This initiative will serve to educate and properly train housing officials on what constitutes sexual harassment, and methods of reporting if a potential case has been identified. It will also protect individuals residing in HUD-assisted properties, from experiencing any form of harassment from housing providers. Read more about it here: https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/HUD_No_19_040

It's That Time Of Year Again!

Pollen is in the air, and for many that means dealing with a lot of sneezing and watery eyes. Since spring typically includes being outside more often due to the warmer weather, it can also include worrying about your allergy symptoms worsening. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) has a few helpful tips to reduce your allergies symptoms this spring. Read about them here:https://www.aafa.org/allergy-capitals/