Program links people with care they need

MT. PLEASANT – Henry County Public Health has several initiatives that aim at helping community members improve their health, mental health, and well-being. One program, in particular, takes a hands-on approach to help the residents of Henry County.

Henry County Public Health's Care-Links program is a free program aimed at helping individuals find the care, services and support they need to improve their lives. Spearheaded by Public Health nurses Angie Rhum and Lori Bolin, the program aims to 'provide assistance with connecting people to services that they need,” according to Rhum. Wheter it is for basic needs, to help to figure out how to pay bills, to health needs, to needing someone to talk to they do it all.

'We provide assistance with connecting people to services that they need. Which can be anything from food, clothing, other basic needs. We help them fill out forms if needed, we can do some medical disease process education, Help them try to better their lives,” Rhum said.

Currently, the program has been doing outreach with local health organizations and has been focusing on helping those with High Blood Pressure. They provide health counseling, a free blood pressure cuff, and advice on how to lower blood pressure.

However, the program is funded by grants through state and federal programs, currently, they are about to run out of grant funding at the end of this fiscal year. According to Rhum, they have another grant in line to continue most of the program. Currently, their services come at no cost to those seeking them.

Due to a future lack of funds, they might not be able to continue their program aimed at high blood pressure suffers due to a lack of funding for blood pressure cuffs that they provide to people who need them. Thus, at the end of the year, they will have blood pressure cuffs while supplies last.

Not only does the program focus on helping those who suffer from high blood pressure, but they also help those in need of basic needs such as food and housing.

'The biggest issue [in Henry County] is sometimes finding food or other basic needs like housing and sometimes just ways to make funds, their income pays all their bill,” Rhum said.

Ultimately the program is aimed at assisting county residents to find the services and things that they need, according to Rhum.

'Well right now everybody is so overwhelmed with daily life and trying to survive. So this is just somebody who is kind of an outsider from their normal peers and can look at things objectively,” Rhum said.

'We can assist them in making goals and trying to make those goals: whether it is health or just something to better their lives and sometimes it's just someone to talk to, we're not therapists, but we can listen,” she added.