Health Department to buy cancer vaccine with $3,000 funding from N.C. Healthy Start

Rowan County Health Department will receive $3,000 to buy Gardasil, a cervical cancer vaccine, to administer to low-income women.

The Health Department is one of 47 nonprofit organizations to receive funding in March from the North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation.

In celebration of the foundation's 20th year, it distributed grants of up to $3,000 to a variety of organizations and government agencies working to improve the health of women of reproductive age.Gardasil is a cervical cancer vaccine that helps protect against four types of human papillomavirus.

A portion of the grant funds will be used to buy new database software.

Leonard Wood, health director, said the funds will enable the Health Department to improve the effectiveness of the Health Link program.

"The funds will allow us to document, monitor and track clients more effectively," Wood said. "In addition, we will be able to provide the Gardasil vaccine to seven low income women between the ages of 19 and 26."

Janice Freedman, executive director of the N.C. Healthy Start Foundation, said the one-time grant program will help improve the health of women and young children in the state.

"Given the difficult economic climate, we know many nonprofit organizations struggle to fund all their important initiatives," Freedman said. "We are grateful to be in a position to be able to provide financial assistance to these outstanding organizations. These grants will help fund community based programs dedicated to the health and well-being of women and children in our state."

Priority was given to counties with high rates of infant mortality, teen pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, drug use, smoking, inactivity, obesity and other at risk behaviors. Funds could be used for new initiatives or to expand existing services and programs.

For more information about the NC Healthy Start Foundation and its services, please visit www. NCHealthyStart.org.