Hamilton County Public Health presents Saint Bernard community health assessment; council hears concerns about lead exposure

Hamilton County Public Health officials presented the Village of Saint Bernard’s 2025 community health assessment to the village council on Feb. 26, outlining demographic trends, health outcomes and recommended local actions.

Leslie Aguilar, population health specialist with the county’s We Thrive Initiative, opened the presentation and summarized the report’s scope and recommendations. Alex Warren Cowell, an epidemiologist with Hamilton County Public Health, said the assessment relies primarily on 2023 endpoint data where possible and on five‑year American Community Survey estimates for smaller measures. “Saint Bernard at the time of the 2023 American Community Survey had 3,998 residents,” Cowell said, and he cautioned that some indicators are based on small counts and cannot be reliably compared across time.

The presentation listed key health and social indicators: an uninsured rate of about 1.6% in 2023, preterm births at 6.4% and an infant mortality metric reported in the assessment; age‑adjusted mortality rates showed heart disease at about 6.3 deaths per 1,000 residents and cancer at 3.5 per 1,000. Cowell also reported diagnosis rates for sexually transmitted infections (2019–2023) as chlamydia 5.7 per 1,000, gonorrhea 3.3 per 1,000, syphilis 0.4 per 1,000 and HIV 0.2 per 1,000, and he noted that several of those measures reflect fewer than 20 events across the five‑year window and therefore are limited for trend comparisons.

A point of particular local concern was lead exposure. Cowell reported that 2.7% of children age 5 and under had elevated blood lead levels between 2019 and 2023 and explained that 82% of the village’s housing stock was built before 1979 — the year lead paint was banned — which increases exposure risk. Aguilar recommended continued partnership with the county’s lead hazard reduction program to support abatement and temporary relocation assistance where needed.

Aguilar and Cowell also highlighted village assets — above‑average walkability, 37% green space, active community events and a local composting program — and identified opportunities: establishing fall‑prevention programming for people 65 and older, adding idle‑free signage to reduce vehicle emissions, expanding overdose‑prevention outreach (including naloxone access) and working with the American Heart Association to promote heart‑health programming.

Council members asked questions about the population estimate methodology and the choice to compare Saint Bernard with other villages in Hamilton County. Cowell explained that the American Community Survey’s five‑year estimates combine sampling with birth and death records to produce the most reliable small‑area estimates between decennial censuses. Presenters said comparisons were limited to other villages (municipalities under 5,000 population) to achieve greater similarity in size and resources.

A council member said the lead numbers were the most alarming takeaway. Presenters reiterated that small sample sizes limit some comparisons but stressed that the lead prevalence and the age of the housing stock justify targeted abatement and prevention efforts.

The council thanked the presenters. The presentation materials and the county’s data notes were made available to council and the public; Aguilar invited council members to contact We Thrive staff for follow‑up questions.