LISBON — The Columbiana County Health District recently unveiled its 2024 annual report to members of the health board, with plans to eventually post the numbers on the agency website at www.columbiana-health.org.

County Health Commissioner Dr. Wes Vins shared some of the figures during the January meeting, including 19 home births registered in the county. During the February meeting, he noted the slimmed down version of the annual report representing activity during 2024.

“I’m very proud of this annual report,” Vins said, noting that it communicates all that the health district does. “We do a lot with a small staff.”

He said the modernized redesign, which is basically a cover, two inside pages and a back page, reduced printing costs significantly and reduced staff time associated with preparing the report.

The report was divided into three categories, with a page for the nursing division, a page for the environmental division and a page for the administration division.

The nursing division reported 184 car seats distributed, 30 TB (tuberculosis) tests given, 37 sharps containers collected, 81 cribs distributed, 169 animal bites reported, 222 complex medical health program patients served, 15 Narcan kids provided to law enforcement, 350 patients received 979 vaccines and 292 cancer clinic patients were served.

The report also listed infectious diseases and counts reported for the county, with COVID-19 the highest at 1,492 cases. The next highest was 101 cases of chlamydia infection, followed by 91 cases of Lyme disease and 52 cases of influenza-associated hospitalizations. There were 39 cases of hepatitis-C, 22 cases of gonococcal infection (gonorrhea), 13 cases of campylobacteriosis (which causes diarrhea), and 11 cases of pertussis (whooping cough). The rest of the infectious diseases listed were at least nine cases or under and included E.coli, hepatitis B, salmonellosis, shigellosis and syphillis among others.

Under the environmental division, numbers reported included 435 real estate inspections, 94 nuisance complaints received, nine public health emergency preparedness grant deliverables, 31 public health emergency preparedness trainings, 552 private East Palestine well samples, 960 food inspections, 62 pool inspections, 44 camp inspections, $104,206 septic grants administered, 12 East Palestine subject matter expert presentation requests fulfilled, 235 plumbing permits issued, 36 new septic permits, 73 replacement septic permits, seven septic alteration permits and 123 well permits.

Under the administration division, a 2024 summary of receipts and expenditures was listed, noting that the total of state remittance for program funds sent to the state of Ohio totaled $90,416. There were 1,513 birth certificates issued, 2,646 death certificates issued and 361 burial permits issued.

The county health district serves all communities and townships in the county, with the exception of the cities of East Liverpool and Salem, which have their own health departments.

The health district headquarters is located at 7360 state Route 45, Lisbon and can be reached at 330-424-0272. Visit the district’s Facebook page or the website at www.columbiana-health.org to learn more.

The health district earned accreditation by the Public Health Accreditation Board in 2022. The health district’s District Advisory Council, made up of representatives of the townships and communities served, will meet March 17. The next health district board meeting will be 4:30 p.m. March 19.