On Dec. 16, the advisory council, made up of 22 representatives from local governments and non-profit organizations across the county, chose two zones within the county to pilot a cradle-to-career program for children in low-income families.
The two zones were chosen from six original zones that were determined by data such as the number of children in Orange County qualifying for free or reduced lunches and those eligible for Medicaid, said Stacy Shelp, spokeswoman for the Orange County Health Department.
“The specific reason the health department became interested was because of research about the long-term effects poverty has on people’s health outcomes,” she said.
Orange County is one of the wealthiest counties in the state, but it also has some of the highest rates of income inequality, said Orange County Commissioner Bernadette Pelissier. According to data provided by the Orange County Health Department, the number of children living in poverty in Orange County increased by 7.4 percent from 2001 to 2011.
“Sometimes families that are struggling within Orange County can fly under the radar,” said Dr. Michael Steiner, chief of the Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at UNC Hospitals and chair of the advisory council.
He said poverty is one of the most effective predictors of a person’s overall health and life expectancy.
“A very small portion of people’s overall health is related to the quality of the medical care they receive,” he said. “A big part of people’s overall health is related to what we call social determinants of health.”
The advisory council chose Zone 4 and Zone 6 to pilot the program.
