By Charlene Sims, info@linncountyjournal.com
MOUND CITY – Linn County Health Department Director Amanda Snyder updated the commissioners on upcoming events and other activities of the health department on Monday, April 20.
Snyder listed out the following upcoming activities:
• May 13 – 17, Women’s Health Week. The health department will be hosting a series of events by the health department for the Linn County employees. An educational activity will be planned for each day and information will be sent out about the days and times.
Snyder reminded employees that this counts as a point toward the county health insurance to reduce your yearly premiums.
A Men’s Week will be held in June at a date to be announced later.
• May 20, Safe Sitter course will be held to provide education for baby sitters.
• May 22, Safe Sitter Essential course, which is a little different because it includes CPR training.
• May 29, Spray for a Cure will be held for promotion of skincare awareness.
• May 29, the health department will be at the La Cygne Block Party to provide information about the services offered.
• June 13 through July 18, Becoming a Mom courses.
• Aug. 3 through Aug. 10, the health department will have a booth to promote the services of the health department at the Linn County Fair.
Snyder said that the physical activity sponsored by the health department is finding painted rocks which have been distributed throughout the county for kids to hunt. When the children find them and return them to the health department, small prizes will be provided and their rock will used to build a large snake, “Reba,” around the health department.
Snyder reported to the commissioners that from April 1 through April 26, the health department served 174 clients, four new babies and moms were accepted in the women’s, infants and children (WIC) program, making the total of WIC participants 198 in April.
Snyder said that the Community Baby Shower and Kid’s Fair was cut short because of the weather last Friday night after hotdogs were served and raffle prizes were awarded. There were 108 people in attendance and 20 support organizations and health businesses were on hand to meet the families.
She thanked Deputies Clayton and Tyler Parscale and the emergency management department for monitoring the weather and letting them know when they needed to take shelter; to health department staff who worked numerous hours on setting up the event; and to Jason Hightower for attending and grilling the hotdogs.
Hightower said that it was an event that was very well run.
Snyder also thanked the Centerville Church for donating 30 New Mother’s Baskets. The health department presents these to new moms that come in.
She informed the commissioners that the health department staff was working on updating policies and procedures including their emergency plan.
Snyder said that she has been meeting with the grant coordinators from Johnson County to go through the department’s current plans and making necessary updates and changes. She said that most of these plans were based very heavily on what the health department did during the Covid epidemic.
She also reported that the staff was working on website updates for a prescreening WIC application and an Ask a Nurse feature. The application would allow people to put in a short application for the WIC program to see if they were eligible for the WIC program. The Ask a Nurse feature on the website would not be for in-depth questions about health issues but for things like what to do if your child has poison ivy.