Public Health News and Announcements

When someone suffers a mental health crisis in our community, first responders know the training they’ve received can make a crucial difference. The Mecklenburg County Crisis Intervention Team understands that all too well, and each year, the organization honors many in the community who have played a critical role in saving lives.   

Mecklenburg County Public Health’s Edible Landscapes  initiative  will celebrate a major milestone this weekend in its work to improve access to healthy, locally grown food across the county. 

This week Public Health launches its mobile dental program to provide oral health screenings to preschoolers. The much-anticipated mobile unit has three operatories fully equipped to serve clients for dental needs, much like at a dental office. The mobile unit is also equipped with an X-ray imaging device. 

Access to healthcare has new meaning for residents in Mecklenburg County. Public Health is unveiling a new service through public health medical vending machines also known as kiosks. 

Stories of resilience are deeply personal, and they matter. There will be more such stories after Hurricane Helene. But all these stories can connect and help us. This Is My Brave CharMeck 2024 show series will use performing arts as a way to end the stigma around the struggles of mental illness, substance abuse and community violence. 

Seniors who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits can triple the value of their benefits during a one-day-only event, thanks to a special grant. The special opportunity is at the Uptown Farmers Market only on Saturday, Sept. 21.  

They are the stories of resilience from those who lived it and want to help others. This Is My Brave CharMeck 2024 show series will use performing arts as a way to end the stigma around mental illness, substance abuse and community violence. It’s about finding and forming a place to share the pain, the struggle, the vulnerability but most of all, hope.

In 2023, 293 people died from overdose in Mecklenburg County. Those people and more will be remembered on Saturday, August 31 as the world spotlights International Overdose Awareness Day. 

Back to School is an exciting time for students, teachers and families. As students launch into a new year of learning and engagement in school activities, there’s a very important to-do item and that’s being up to date with vaccine requirements to attend school. All students must comply with state-mandated immunizations.  

Mecklenburg County Public Health will be offering free mpox vaccines at the Charlotte Pride Festival this weekend as the World Health Organization recently declared mpox a global public health emergency based on an ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo related to a strain of mpox that can cause more serious complications.