Protecting the public: At the Central Connecticut Health District
- Mark Jahne
- Aug 29
- 3 min read
by Mark Jahne
Editor
The COVID-19 pandemic brought more attention than ever to public health districts. They played a role in helping people through that dark time by promoting vaccination and basic safety protocols such as social distancing, wearing masks, washing hands and more.
The pandemic is over but public health agencies still exist and always have an eye on the overall health of the community as well as future threats. The towns of Berlin, Newington, Rocky Hill and Wethersfield are served by the Central Connecticut Health District.
The district is funded by state and federal grants, per capita payments from member towns, licenses and fees. It’s led by Director of Health Charles Brown, who holds a master of public health degree, and overseen by a 14-member Board of Health.
The staff now has an epidemiologist and he said that has been a valuable addition. Epidemiologists are public health workers who investigate patterns and causes of disease and injury. A weekly epidemiology report can be found on its website.
“We’re doing well. We’re doing a community health needs assessment,” Brown said.
The district conducts annual flu vaccination clinics. One of the tasks of public health districts nationwide is to rebuild public trust after the controversial vaccination debate during the COVID years resulted in a decline in vaccinations for various illnesses.
Brown attributed much of that to what he called the distribution of false or misleading information about vaccines, including that vaccines cause autism, which he said is untrue. That fear spread because of what he called a “widely discredited study.” His job is to provide the public with accurate information so that people can make an informed choice.
“We try to get people the right information to make good health decisions,” he said.
That continuing controversy resulted in the state of Connecticut adopting a law allowing officials to ignore federal health regulations, he added.
He acknowledged that there is a struggle to balance individual freedom with the community benefit of mass vaccinations. It’s been that way since the smallpox vaccine was created.
“Public health does its best work when it’s about prevention. COVID helped bring public health into the light,” Brown said.
It’s not just about vaccines. Public health also works in such areas as clean water, clean air, healthy food and the ability for people to lead active lives. He acknowledged that the disruption and fear caused by the pandemic created post-traumatic stress disorder in some people.
The hantavirus is a health threat that garnered attention in the news media earlier this year. He said unlike COVID-19, this is not a new virus and it is being closely watched. Public health already knows a great deal about it.
The good news is that this is a rodent-based virus and does not spread as easily as COVID or influenza. The bad news is that the fatality rate for those who contract it is 36 percent. It can take anywhere from 21 to 42 days to become ill after exposure to hantavirus.
“You have to have sustained close contact” to an infected person to be at risk, he added.
Brown said public health is skilled at identifying diseases and performing surveillance of how and where they spread. In many cases, common-sense actions can effectively stop them, such as washing one’s hands.
“It works incredibly well,” he said. “Our focus, our patient, is the community. Somebody has to be watching. That’s what public health does.” NL
For more information call 860-785-8380 or visit ccthd.org.