COVID-19 Update

Health Department offers telehealth, no longer accepting walk-in appointments

In order to protect everyone’s health during the COVID-19 pandemic, Orange County Health Department is no longer accepting walk-in appointments.

However we are offering telehealth appointments to meet your immediate medical needs. If you need medical attention please call 919-245-2400 to schedule a telehealth appointment. Please do not walk into the clinic to request an appointment. If you are having a medical emergency, as always, call 911.

Below are the hours for the Health Clinic at Whitted Human Services Center in Hillsborough.

Mondays: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. telehealth and by appointment only
Tuesdays: 9:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. telehealth and by appointment only
Wednesdays: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. telehealth and by appointment only
Thursday: 9:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. telehealth and by appointment only
Friday: 8 a.m. -Noon telehealth and by appointment only

Below are the hours for the health clinic at Southern Human Services Building in Chapel Hill:

Mondays: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. by appointment only
Tuesdays: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. telehealth by appointment only
Wednesdays: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. by appointment only
Thursday: 9:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. by appointment only
Friday: 8 a.m. - Noon telehealth by appointment only

North Carolina COVID-19 Cases:

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) reports 2,093 COVID-19 cases, 259 hospitalizations and 19 deaths as of April 3, 2020. For more information regarding live updates (NCDHHS updates the site every morning at 11 a.m.), please visit the NCDHHS website.

There are currently 44 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Orange County.

Orange County will not be sharing any patient demographics about positive COVID-19 cases. Information that identifies a person who has or may have COVID-19 is protected by NC’s communicable disease confidentiality law, G.S. 130A-143. When the information is maintained by a local health department, it is protected by HIPAA as well. The address alone is sufficient to make the information individually identifiable, even without the name. Therefore, the information must be managed in a way that complies with these laws. We will not ever share race, age, sex or zip code.

Social distancing is extremely important to limit the spread of COVID-19. Orange County encourages residents to practice social distancing along with other steps, such as proper hand washing, to combat the spread.

Spanish, Chinese, Kinyarwanda, Chinese and Karen versions of the graphic below is available here.

COVID-19 Updates

Website: Visit www.orangecountync.gov/coronavirus for the latest information.
Newsletter: Sign up for the COVID-19 newsletter from the Orange County Health Department.
Text updates: To receive daily text updates, text ocnchealth to 888-777.
Actualizaciones de texto: para recibir actualizacions diarias en Espanol mande mensaje ’OCNCSALUD’ a 888777
Hotline: Questions about COVID-19? Call (919) 245-6111 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday. Spanish language and other languages available.
Email: Email your questions to covid19@orangecountync.gov.

Meeting Change Notice for Commissioners' April 7 meeting

Pursuant to North Carolina General Statutes, NCGS § 153A-40, the Orange County Board of Commissioners provides notice of the following change in the 2020 meeting calendar.

The Business Meeting of the Orange County Board of Commissioners that was previously scheduled for Tuesday, April 7, 2020 at the Whitted Building, will now be held as a virtual meeting with the BOCC conferencing into the meeting remotely. The public will be able to view/listen to the meeting using the same methods as previous meetings.

Orange County Board of Commissioners’ meetings and work sessions are available via live streaming video at www.orangecountync.gov/967/Meeting-Videos and Orange County Gov-TV on channels 1301 or 97.6 (Spectrum Cable).

The full agenda is available on the Orange County website.

https://www.orangecountync.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04072020-989

Marcoplos to be guest on climate change webinar

Orange County Commissioner Mark Marcoplos will be a guest presenter in a free webinar April 7 sponsored by the Climate X-Change.org to discuss how local governments are working to address climate change locally.

As federal climate action continues to lag, counties and cities around the country have led the way in confronting the climate crisis, implementing ambitious and innovative policies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and transition to a clean energy economy.

Click here for more information and to register

Orange County reminds residents to complete 2020 Census

April 1 is the official Census Day, and the Orange County Complete Count Committee wants to remind residents of the importance of responding to the 2020 Census.

"Every household that responds brings in almost $1,800 per person in federal and state revenues each year for the next ten years," said Renee Price, Vice Chair of the Orange County Board of Commissioners and chair of the Orange County Complete Count Committee. "That's money for meals programs for our schools, transportation, roads, Medicare and many other programs that strengthen our community. The response to COVID-19 has demonstrated how important school meals programs are to our community."

For the first time, residents can respond to the census online, by phone, or by mail. Find out more about each of these methods below:

Through March 30, Orange County's self-response rate of 40.6 percent was the highest in North Carolina among our state's 100 counties. Wake County ranks second at 39.5%.

Carrboro has the highest response rate within the county at 43.1 percent. Chapel Hill (40.9) and Hillsborough (38.5) are well above the state average of 33.0 percent and the national average of 36.2 percent.

Click on the image below to play a video created by students at Cedar Ridge High School.

Orange County encourages residents to transact county business online or by phone

Orange County urges residents to remain at home if possible during this COVID-19 outbreak. Any residents who need to transact business with Orange County Government are asked to use our available online services or the telephone.

Below is a list of which departments are offering limited functionality during this time, either over the phone or via the website. If it is an urgent or emergency situation, staff will respond appropriately. Some offices may be able to schedule an in-person appointment, but residents must call before visiting the office to arrange an appointment.

Click here for a list of which departments are accessible during this time.

www.orangecountync.gov