State official pushes to expand health safety net

CHESAPEAKE

The health care "safety net" of emergency departments, free clinics and other medical providers needs to expand to include places that touch Virginians daily - such as barber shops, grocery stores and exercise clubs, the state health commissioner said Friday.

Dr. Karen Remley emphasized the need for more partnerships while speaking to about 100 politicians, health care representatives and other community leaders. Access Partnership, a nonprofit collaboration of health providers and other groups, hosted the event.

"It's really looking at the whole society owning health" and not just the health care community, Remley said afterward.

It was the first of many stops Remley made Friday in Chesapeake. After the speech, she briefly visited the mosquito control office to learn about the city's efforts with larviciding, which kills the disease-spreading insects before they become adults.

Then it was off to the Chesapeake Health Department. While there, she peeled off her black jacket and smiled as immunization coordinator Sharon Bartlett administered a flu shot in her right arm.

"Good - protected," Remley said, standing up to head to a staff meeting.

Finding more ways to educate the public about health risks and prevention methods was the heart of Remley's message earlier in the day.

One way to reach people is to provide health information where they socialize and spend much of their time, she said. For example, some men would be more willing to talk to their barber about why they need to get their blood pressure checked.

Also, Remley told the group, grocery stores should be encouraged to offer more healthful foods. At the Richmond store where she shops, Remley said, she can't find fresh strawberries and raspberries. The ones that are sold are always moldy.

But, she said, "I can buy enough fried chicken for me to eat in a week."

Civic groups, churches and schools are other potential partners, Remley added.

Virginia's high infant mortality rate continues to be a concern among health department officials, as well as the estimated 960,000 residents who are uninsured, Remley said. Health department officials are using geographic information systems to identify problems on a neighborhood level.

Remley, a pediatrician, was appointed state health commissioner in January. Before that, she served in a variety of roles in the health care industry's private sector, most recently as the leader of Sentara Leigh Hospital in Norfolk.

"She's not a traditionalist in the concept of public health," said Dr. Nancy Welch, director of the Chesapeake Health Department. "We welcome this kind of leadership."

Hattie Brown Garrow, (757) 222-5562, hattie.brown@pilotonline.com