Prevent problems before they happen. Make use of Worcester County Health Department services to help improve your health and well-being.
We have the experts to help, including prevention specialists, nurses, health educators, outreach workers, social workers, exercise physiologists, and nutritionists.
Check out our services below...
12 Days of Just Walk & Wellness Scavenger Hunt 2023
This guide will show you which nature items to find in the local parks - just snap a photo, and check off the items you find!
Please email all photos and completed Scavenger Hunt guides to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. All entries will beentered into a free raffle drawing for a wearable fitness tracker!
For more information, or to request a physical copy of the Scavenger Hunt guide, please call 410-632-1100 ext. 1108.
22nd Annual Alcohol & Tobacco Licensee Event
22nd Annual Alcohol & Tobacco Licensee Event
The following retailers successfully denied distribution of alcohol and/or tobacco products out of the hands of anyone under the age of 21. It is important to note that not all 325+ alcohol licensees nor all 145 tobacco licensees received a compliance check during this time. There are 146 alcohol licensees and 62 tobacco licensees being recognized.
View the full video here:
Addictions in the Workplace
Could you spot the signs of substance use in the workplace? Even when it takes place off-the-clock, substance use can take a heavy toll on workers’ productivity, health, and happiness. Worcester County Health Department can provide material and training to help managers and owners understand the signs of addiction in employees and to connect those in need to local treatment resources.
Do You Know the Signs?
Excessive tardiness or absenteeism
Changes in appearance
Physical symptoms
Mood changes
Multiple trips to the bathroom
If you or someone you know struggles with substance use and needs help finding recovery resources, dial 2-1-1 or call 410-213-0202. Local treatment options are available through the Worcester Addictions Cooperative Service Center at 410-213-0202.
Binge Drinking Risks
Binge drinking is the most common, costly, and deadly pattern of excessive alcohol use in the United States. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking that brings a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 grams percent or above. This typically happens when men consume 5 or more drinks or women consume 4 or more drinks in about 2 hours. Most people who binge drink are not alcohol dependent.
Binge drinking is a pattern of drinking that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels to 0.08 g/dL. This typically occurs after 4 drinks for women and 5 drinks for men—in about 2 hours.
1 in 6 adults binge drink.
Binge drinking is most common among younger adults aged 18–34 years, but more than half of the total binge drinks are consumed by those aged 35 and older.
Binge drinking has serious risks such as:
• Unintentional injuries such as car crashes, falls, burns, and alcohol poisoning. • Violence including homicide, suicide, intimate partner violence, and sexual assault. • Sexually transmitted diseases. • Unintended pregnancy and poor pregnancy outcomes, including miscarriage and stillbirth. • Chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, and liver disease. • Cancer of the breast, mouth, throat, esophagus, liver, and colon. • Memory and learning problems. • Alcohol dependence.
Signs of Alcohol Poisoning:
• Mental confusion, stupor, coma, or the person cannot be roused • Vomiting • Slow or irregular breathing • Hypothermia or low body temperature, bluish or pale skin
Alcohol poisoning can lead to permanent brain damage or death, so a person showing any of these signs requires immediate medical attention. Don’t wait. Call 911 if you suspect alcohol poisoning. (Source: CDC) (Source: NIH – National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)
Diabetes Prevention and Education
Contact:
Snow Hill Health Center Prevention Program Phone:410-632-1100 option 4. Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Healthy Lifestyles include services such as; Nutrition Counseling, Physical Activity Assessment, Chronic Disease Prevention, Just Walk and Worksite Wellness.
Marijuana refers to the dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the Cannabis sativa or Cannabis indica plant. Marijuana is a psychoactive drug that contains close to 500 chemicals, including THC, a mind-altering compound that causes harmful health effects. People also smoke or eat different forms of marijuana extracts, which deliver a large amount of THC and can be potentially more dangerous.
Risks Include:
Brain Health: Marijuana can cause permanent IQ loss of as much as 8 points when people start using it at a young age. These IQ points do not come back, even after quitting marijuana.
Mental Health: Studies link marijuana use to depression, anxiety, suicide planning, and psychotic episodes. It is not known, however, if marijuana use is the cause of these conditions.
Athletic Performance: Research shows that marijuana affects timing, movement, and coordination, which can harm athletic performance.
Driving: People who drive under the influence of marijuana can experience dangerous effects: slower reactions, lane weaving, decreased coordination, and difficulty reacting to signals and sounds on the road.
Daily life: Using marijuana can affect performance and how well people do in life. Research shows that people who use marijuana are more likely to have relationship problems, worse educational outcomes, lower career achievement, and reduced life satisfaction.
(Source: SAMHSA)
Maryland's Good Samaritan Law
Maryland’s Good Samaritan Law protects people assisting in an emergency overdose situation from arrest, as well as prosecution, for certain crimes.
The purpose of the law is to encourage any person, regardless of age, who experiences or observes a medical emergency caused by the ingestion or use of alcohol or other drugs to seek medical assistance without fear of arrest or prosecution for:
Possessing or using a controlled dangerous substance
Possessing or using drug paraphernalia
Providing alcohol to minors
The Good Samaritan Law applies to any person who seeks, provides, or assists with the provision of medical assistance as the result of a person ingesting or using alcohol or drugs.
We provide parent education to a variety of families. We utilize evidence-based programs such as Nurturing Families, Nurturing Fathers, Co-Parenting, Parenting Wisely, Guiding Good Choices and Parenting Inside Out. Through these courses, we offer free tips, advice, stories, and guidance. Parenting can be a difficult job, but it can also be the most rewarding job you’ll ever have.
Colonoscopy exam every 10 years at no cost to the eligible patient. Must be a Worcester County Resident. Age 50-64 years, younger if at high risk; no health insurance or under-insured (including having a deductible); and meet income requirements
True You is a youth teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention education program.
Community-based applicants: To be eligible for up to $6,500 grant funding, your program must be an organization that serves young people in Worcester County. Funded organizations will be expected to deliver the True You Maryland Teen Health Community education program to a minimum of 20-25 Worcester County youth ages 14-19.
A virtual pre-proposal orientation meeting will be held through Google Meets on December 12th, at 2pm. If you plan to attend this orientation session, RSVP to Kelly Shockley at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Proposals should be submitted to the Worcester County Health Department by 4:30 pm on January 5th, 2024. For more information or to request an application packet, please call the Worcester County Health Department Prevention Services at 410-632-1100 ext. 1103.
From October 4th-8th, residents can walk through any of the participating parks and search for the hidden Just Walk sneakers with health messages on them. Those who fill out their tracking sheet with how many sneakers they found, what park they were found at, and the message on the sneakers, will be entered into a raffle drawing for a chance to win a free prize.
Submissions should be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or physical copies can be dropped off at the Snow Hill Health Department (6040 Public Landing Rd, Snow Hill, MD).
To Email:
Download Fillable Tracking Sheet PDF
Fill out the tracking sheet with your scavenger hunt findings
Save the filled PDF
Attach filled PDF to email for submission
What's Cooking in Worcester?
What's Cooking in Worcester?
What’s Cooking in Worcester is a cooking series that features delicious, nutritious takes on some of our favorite recipes including meals, snacks, and desserts. What’s Cooking in Worcester premieres on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube every last Friday at 5:00 pm. Check out the recipes below that have already been featured on the show. We love getting recipe ideas from our viewers. To submit one, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.