The Orange County Health Department will continue with initiatives to address public health concerns while taking an active role in local communities.

The department released an annual report on data trends and patient satisfaction last Thursday, which prompted director Colleen Bridger to promote those initiatives.

“What the health department has done exceptionally well over the last couple of years is form partnerships,” she stated. “These partnerships are what are allowing us to address some of these public health issues at the root cause level.”

Organizations partnered with the department include the Family Success Alliance and the Campus and Community Coalition to Reduce the Negative Impacts of High-Risk Drinking.

“The health department is partnering with other important community organizations to make sure we can really address some of these issues with all of the resources we have available in Orange County,” explained Bridger.

The Family Success Alliance was created with assistance from the department in 2014 to provide support for local children in financially unstable living situations.

“We have 20-some community-based organizations that are working with us in these two neighborhoods to really make sure that these kids have everything they need,” stressed Bridger.

Bridger is also a member of the Coalition, which was formed in 2013 to mitigate the risks inherent to local drinking culture without dampening the vibrancy of the community.

These initiatives are intended by Bridger to maximize the organic footprint of the department while enabling it to surpass its status as “a bureaucratic entity.”

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