Public Health Week: Many local public health services available


Community and Home Care Health Supervisors at VMH ... The first week in April is National Public Health Week. Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care, in its role as the public health agency for Allamakee County, offers blood pressure clinics every Wednesday afternoon during the immunization clinics at Veterans Memorial Hospital. Blood pressure clinics are also held every second Wednesday at the Waukon Wellness Center Mealsite. All blood pressure clinics are complimentary. Pictured, left to right, are the Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care Public Health Supervisors Sheryl Darling-Mooney, RN, Lisa Moose, RN and Cindy Johnson, RN. Submitted photo.

by Veterans Memorial
Hospital Community and Home Care and the Iowa
Department of Public Health

Public health plays an important role in Iowa’s high standard of living. Prevention is its vanguard. The goal of public health is helping to create an environment where people can live in good health. Public health helps make good health happen in Iowa’s homes, neighborhoods, schools and workplace.

Public health is more than just state and local government agencies. The public health community works together to fight disease and promote healthy lifestyles through the use of nutrition education, physical activity, immunization clinics, disease surveillance  and home nursing and home care aide visits.

Besides the Iowa Department of Public Health, there are local health personnel in every one of Iowa’s counties. Those local workers may be home care aides who visit the homes of clients and allow them to live in the comfort and familiar surroundings of home. That local health worker may be a public health nurse who also visits people in their homes and helps them remain as independent as possible in their own home.

Veterans Memorial Hospital began managing the Allamakee Public Health Department in 1995. The nurses, home care aides and receptionists at Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care do offer these in-home services listed above, plus many public health services to the communities each month.

Blood pressure clinics are offered every Wednesday afternoon during the immunization clinics at Veterans Memorial Hospital. Blood pressure clinics are also held every second Wednesday at the Waukon Wellness Center Mealsite. All blood pressure clinics are complimentary.

Foot Clinics are offered the 1st Monday afternoon of each month at Veterans Memorial Hospital.  Please call 568-5660 for an appointment.  The cost is $30 and is not covered by Medicare.

Immunization Clinics are held each Wednesday in the Community and Home Care office located on the upper level of Veterans Memorial Hospital.  These Immunization Clinics are offered the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays from 1-6 p.m. and all other Wednesdays from 1-4 p.m.

In addition to these local services, public health agencies such as Community and Home Care hold the responsibility of  preventing epidemics and the spread of disease, protecting against environmental hazards, preventing injuries, promoting healthy behaviors and teaching everyone how to prepare for, respond to and recover from public health emergencies.

To learn what public health does for you, contact your local public health service at Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care at 563-568-5660.