The commissioners’ second meeting of the month included presentations from many doing work in the community. Here’s what we learned.

Dave Peterson of Trillium Health Resources spoke to the board about services offered by his company. Trillium manages mental health, substance abuse, and intellectual and developmental disability services in several counties throughout North Carolina.

In Pamlico, they serve 381 individuals. This includes 279 with a primary mental health diagnosis, 57 with intellectual or developmental disabilities, and 91 with substance abuse disorders. A number of people are served for both mental health and substance abuse issues.

Services they offer in Pamlico include a mobile clinic, reentry simulations for individuals leaving in-patient care and a summer camp. Trillium also purchases and helps distribute Narcan kits in the county. 

Since 2017, the county has been working to expand high speed internet access in Pamlico County. Beth Bucksot, the county’s economic development director, brought commissioners up to speed on the progress that’s been made.

The first hurdle was proving that the county did not meet the FCC definition for high-speed access. Over a period of a few years and with the assistance of the Eastern Carolina Council of Governments, they were able to map the current availability of broadband and plan for expansions.

Through the county’s efforts, Pamlico now is in the 99th percentile in the state of North Carolina for broadband access.

With a combination of state and federal grants, they were able to expand the number of locations with high-speed access from 222 to 7,558. The current challenge is what is known as “last-mile” programs, where individuals living in more remote parts of the county get access to high speed internet. The commissioners approved a grant application that would allow Brightspeed to continue to expand access in the county. 

Capresha Mattocks-Washington is a Pamlico County native who graduated from Pamlico County High in 2008. After graduating from North Carolina State University, she returned to the county and founded Eastern NC Community Transport, a non-emergency medical transportation company.

Eastern NC Community Transport has been working with Craven County since 2021 and Pamlico since 2024, using a fleet of five vehicles to help residents get to medical appointments.

Mattocks-Washington told the commissioners that they have observed a need among uninsured and underinsured residents for transportation not just to healthcare providers, but to essential resources like grocery stores and employment opportunities.

The company has proposed a county-funded transportation partnership designed to address accessibility challenges. 

The commissioners were presented with a vendor who is willing to offer print-on-demand (POD) shirts, hats, and other items with the county logo. For now, these would be available to county employees, but there are plans to offer Pamlico-branded items to the public.

The commissioners said they preferred to find a local vendor if possible in order to keep money in the county.

The commissioners also briefly discussed trademarking the county logo. The Pamlico County seal is public domain. 

The meeting segued into the first Consolidated Health and Human Services meeting, with reports from several departments.

Brian Caudle of the Veterans Services Office (VSO) discussed the VSO’s role and the services it offers to the community. VSO services are not need-based services; instead, they are earned through military service. Caudle said that moving services to the Pamlico County Courthouse building both increased awareness and accessibility. The office had a total of 347 client visits, an increase from last quarter’s 208. This reflects not just an increase in clients, but also an increase in intensive casework and follow-ups.

Caudle has asked the county manager for an increase in hours to provide timely service to more clients.

The Department of Social Services observes Child Abuse Prevention Month in Aoril. They engaged in an awareness campaign that included a display of blue pinwheels on the lawn of the courthouse. DSS currently has 12 children in county custody due to child maltreatment. About half are in residential therapeutic or psychiatric treatment. The remainder are residing with relatives.

There are three children up for adoption in the county. The county anticipates completing the adoption of two of them. 

Additionally, there are 15 adults in the county who are under county guardianship. DSS has observed an increased number of younger adults who are found incompetent due to rising issues related to substance abuse.

There are 3,700 adults in the county receiving Medicaid. The department anticipates an increased workload due to new requirements to recertify for Medicaid coverage twice a year. 

DSS is also getting ready to launch an online documentation system that will help with data collection. 

The Senior Center is celebrating Volunteer Recognition Month with a volunteer appreciation breakfast on April 30 from 8:30 to 11. The Senior Center has 47 volunteers who work with paid staff to serve elderly clients in the community.

Recent services at the Senior Center included providing free tax preparation for 300 clients through the VITA tax program. The Senior Center also has a senior health insurance program (SHIP) that helps clients save money on healthcare costs. Last year, they helped recipients in the community save over $70,000 in Medicare premiums and prescription drug costs. 

The Senior Center’s home repair program has built around 80 ramps for older adults in the county this year.

They also offer a home meal delivery program that currently serves 60 clients. 

The center is expanding their offerings to include exercise classes, including a free yoga class on Thursdays from 1:00 to 2:30 pm. The class is up to 17 participants. 

The Environmental Health Department has updated their pool inspection service to comply with new, more complex state guidelines. Inspections are currently on schedule. 

The county now has a full-time food inspector and is also on schedule for restaurant inspections.

The health department’s public health clinic has a mission to not just treat illness but to prevent disease, improve health outcomes and to reduce disparities across the county. They offer traditional public health services, communicable disease control, reproductive health, and limited child health services. The clinic offers a mix of in-person and telehealth services. 

In their most recent quarter, they completed 487 office visits, a 19.7% increase over the same period last year.

The Health Department also oversees the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). WIC has seen a 44% decline in enrolment over the last year, which is largely due to understaffing.

To maintain funding, the WIC program must serve at least 236 participants per month. To increase participation, WIC services are now offered four days per week, an increase of the previous two days per week. They are also increasing focus on outreach and enrollment. 

These agenda items were passed without discussion:

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