Health report gives mixed results

Friday, Jan. 2, 2009

The Assessment quotes a 2004 report as saying the number of students in the Calvert County Public Schools rose by 225 percent from 2000 to 2004, and used other data to estimate the system was educating 330 autistic children in 2004.

The Assessment also provides data showing a slight decrease in alcohol, smoking and illegal drug abuse among high school sophomores, although 2004 data shows "an increase in use of heroin by eighth graders."

Juvenile crime is also down in the county, with 2005 data showing "a significant decline in juvenile arrests." Non-violent crime by minors has decreased most markedly, from 155 in 2000 to 80 in 2005, the report said.

Teen pregnancy rates have declined "somewhat" overall, with most occurring in the southern part of the county. Lusby had the highest teen pregnancy rate, as determined by the number of infants delivered at Calvert Memorial Hospital, accounting for 31 percent of teen births. The Prince Frederick and St. Leonard ZIP codes had the second- and third-highest teen pregnancy rates, respectively.

County Health Officer David Rogers said attention to the health of young people is particularly important because of its potential impact on society.

"For adolescent health, I think that's the key to having a healthy adult population," he said.

In a presentation to the Calvert County Board of County Commissioners, Calvert Memorial Hospital President and CEO Jim Xinis said a shortage of doctors poses one of the greatest threats to the health of county residents.

"The most significant challenge, from the hospital's perspective, is a shortage of primary care physicians and, I would like to add, specialist physicians," he said. By 2012, the county will need 38 more doctors in 16 specialties, and will need at least 16 more full-time physicians in the coming year to meet health needs.

It is difficult to recruit doctors to Southern Maryland because competition for their services is so fierce, Xinis said.

"Because of the [the need for doctors] there's a lot of intense competition between hospitals to recruit doctors," which results in escalating costs to the hospital in making new hires, he said. Still, CMH is doing its best, hiring 12 doctors in the last two years. The cost of practicing medicine, especially ballooning costs of malpractice insurance, also play their part in raising the costs of health care.

"It's a very expensive labor pool we have produced … but frankly we have no choice. If we don't do it, nobody is going to do it and the community will be lacking primary and specialist care. Southern Maryland is in the worst situation of any region in the State of Maryland," and will soon have a 96-percent shortage of doctors in every specialty," Xinis said.

Access to mental health services in the county is also problematic, with insured patients sometimes facing a greater struggle because they cannot take advantage of services aimed at helping the poor. "We need at least three more psychiatrists based in our population right now," he said.

Rogers said dental care, especially pediatric dental care, is lacking in the county as well, while one cause of poor dental health here is a widespread lack of water treated with fluoride to prevent decay.

Some of the problem should be alleviated with the opening of a new pediatric dental clinic in 2009, thanks to the help of a $106,000 grant, Xinis said.

The clinic will be open to children on Medicaid and to eligible children without insurance.

Rogers also made the case for beefed-up enforcement of health code violations at county restaurants.

"Food safety has not really been a strong or robust program" in the county, although improvements have been made, he said. "… When you go to food establishments, you have a reasonable assumption you're not going to get hurt. But just because they look nice where the customers go, that doesn't mean it's similarly nice in the kitchen."

emitrano@somdnews.com