Page 63 - Harnett Life Fall 2020

CCCC graduate making a difference

as public health educator

It didn’t take Central Carolina Community College graduate
Dorothy Rawleigh long to establish herself as one of the state’s
top public health educators, though it was hardly a lifelong
goal. In fact, when she started to chart her career, it wasn’t
even on the map. But after just six years as Childcare Health
Consultant for Chatham County Public Health Department, her
reputation has spread well beyond the locals.

First came recognition from the GlaxoSmithKline Foundation
as recipient of their 2018 Child Health Recognition Award, an
honor presented annually to innovative organizations and indi-
viduals for improving the lives of children. What earned Raw-
leigh the accolade was her work to enhance nutrition and boost
immunization rates in local childcare centers.

According to the foundation’s news release announcing her
award, Rawleigh helped increase the proportion of childcare
facilities filing an annual immunization report from 62 to 100
percent and, more importantly, the number of centers with all
children up-to-date on their vaccinations from 25 to 96 percent.
Now, virtually all children in the centers are vaccinated, which
is critical, since 95 percent is the magic number to prevent dis-
ease outbreaks. “Dorothy is viewed as a model public health
professional and an inspiration to all who work with her, and Journey to Public Health
those who benefit the most are the children being cared for,” All of the accolades must be pretty heady stuff for someone
the release said. who swerved fairly recently from environmental work into
public health. Ready for something beyond the classroom after
Then came appreciation from her own colleagues as their 2020 her high school graduation, the Julian native hit the road. She
Employee of the Year, an award presented by the Chatham worked food service and as a nanny, cleaned office buildings,
County Board of Health for Rawleigh’s “tireless efforts to keep taught outdoor skills as a school counselor in Black Mountain
Chatham’s youngest residents healthy.” and did some farm work. She even spent five seasons as a wil-
derness ranger in the Mount Baker–Snoqualmie National For-
Interim Public Health Director Mike Zelek, who has worked est, 140 sprawling miles along the Cascades’s western slope
with Rawleigh for six years and served as her supervisor for between Seattle, Washington, and Vancouver, British Colum-
about half of that time, has nothing but good things to say. bia, where she would hike into the wilderness for 10 days at a
He describes her as approachable, well trained and “incred- time to develop trails framed by glacier-covered peaks. It all
ibly dedicated” to a job that covers a lot of ground — every- makes for an intriguing and eclectic resume, but none of it ex-
thing from immunizations to healthy food access to physical actly screams public health.
activity to training designed to prevent Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome. “You name it, she does it with childcare facilities,” When she decided it was time for school again, she made the
Zelek says. “It’s a big ask of one position, but Dorothy not only trip back home and began looking for somewhere to combine
does what’s asked of her, she constantly works with childcare her interests. The Sustainable Agriculture Program at Central
facilities to ensure Chatham’s youngest residents grow and de- Carolina Community College’s campus in Pittsboro seemed
velop in healthy environments.” like a good option, so that’s where she began, later studying in
the honors program at Durham Technical Community College

Harnett Life ~ Fall 2020 Page 63