Henry County Public Health stays busy

MT. PLEASANT — Henry County Public Health Director Katie Reuter updated the Henry County Board of Supervisors on her department’s first Senior Health Fair, immunization clinics, and new programs.

At the Oct. 3 board of supervisor meeting, Reuter counted the very first Senior Health Fair, which took place Wednesday, Oct. 2, as a success with 53 seniors signing into the event. The success of the event could be attributed in part to volunteers, nursing students from Southeastern Community College, and a variety of vendors.

The nursing students administered flu and COVID vaccines with instructions at the event. Other services at the health fair included health screenings for hearing, blood pressure, depression and anxiety, and fall risks. Additionally, the vendors connected the older population with community resources.

Henry County Veterans Affairs set up a booth at the event among the two dozen vendors.

“It was a pretty good turn out and a pretty good thing,” Henry County VA Director Roger Pittsenbarger said.

“Overall, we had a good first year, and there was a lot of networking that was done,” Reuter agreed.

After closing the Public Health office for the morning of the Senior Health Fair, the doors opened the very same afternoon so the department could continue their important work serving the community.

According to Reuter, Public Health is seeing far more adults attending immunization clinics for flu and COVID vaccines.

With the arrival of cold and flu season, Public Health will make rounds for immunization clinics around Henry County at a variety of locations to conveniently administer these vaccinations. According to Reuter, there is now a new vaccines for adults program which she says mirrors Public Health’s vaccine for children program.

“Folks that are eligible are people that are truly uninsured,” Reuter said. “Medicaid is not covered with that or Medicare, because they do provide coverage for vaccines. So, it is more for those people that don’t have insurance or are underinsured.”

Reuter said Public Health sees a “fair amount” of immigrants and migrant workers use this program.

Henry County Public Health also recently accepted grant money from the state to immunize dairy farmworkers because of the Avian Flu. Reuter explained that each county in Iowa was given a base grant they could choose to accept. The grant offered an optional coverage of $20,000 and then certain counties with higher concentrations of dairy farms were given additional funding.

Supervisor Marc Lindeen asked Reuter if this funding was designed to include poultry farmers. Rueter told Lindeen that it did not.

“There were a lot of questions as to what the funding was for, and it was for messaging for folks to get influenza vaccines,” Rueter explained. “So, they said can still use it toward our staff hours. We provide a lot of immunization clinics through the week and then off site. So we said we would accept because we'll more than use it for staffing hours.”

Staying busy, Public Health also launched their Happy Feet program this month which provides foot care for the public for a small charge.

“That’s been very well received,” Reuter said.

In the not-too-distance future, Public Health will launch a fall prevention program. Tentatively the first class will launch Oct. 29. This program comes to the county through a partnership with the University of Iowa thanks to a grant.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com