The Hyde County Health Dept. is here for everyone, said Interim Director Luana Gibbs when she was on Ocracoke recently for a meet-and-greet.
“It’s all about community,” Gibbs said between greeting islanders in the first-floor meeting room of the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department. “Education is a big piece of public health.”
The Health Department, located in Swan Quarter, is a working health clinic open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. While they perform pre-natal care, family planning, sexually transmitted disease screening and treatment, they also handle many other medical issues.
Kelley Newman is the nurse practitioner there, Gibbs said.
All fees are based on a sliding fee scale and they accept many of the major insurance plans.
“We’re not just there for the indigent,” she said. “We’re there for everyone.”
Gibbs said that Hydeland Health, the home health provider, is in the process of being sold to Liberty, which also owns the Cross Creek nursing home in Swan Quarter.
“If you need home health care, your doctor orders it,” she said.
She also said hospice care in the county has resumed under the auspices of Amedisys of Plymouth.
Gibbs, a registered nurse, has worked in the health department for many years.
“I thoroughly love it,” she said about her new responsibilities.
She is pursuing an undergraduate degree in interdisciplinary studies with a concentration on nonprofit administration.
After she completes that, she will have the credentials to become the actual health director.
For more Hyde County Health Dept. information, click here.
For Ocracoke news, click here.
