Public Health Week: Many local public health services available by VMH Community and Home Care and 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 elderly 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 from being hospitalized or put into a group home such as a nursing 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 third Wednesday at the Southridge Apartments Community Room, and every second Wednesday at the Waukon Wellness Center Mealsite.  All Blood Pressure Clinics are complimentary.
Foot Clinics are offered the first Tuesday afternoon of each month at Veterans Memorial Hospital.  Please call 563-568-5660 for an appointment.  The cost is $20 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 first and third Wednesdays from 1-6 p.m. and all other Wednesdays from 1-4 p.m.  Immunization clinics are also held by appointment the first or second Monday or Tuesday from 10:30-3:30 at Luana Savings Bank (depending on WIC Clinic schedule), and the third or fourth Monday or Tuesday from 10:00-2:00 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Waukon (depending on WIC Clinic schedule.)  WIC Clinics are held each month offering well baby checks and information for parents by the trained home care staff. Call Community and Home Care at 563-568-5660 to make an appointment at the WIC Clinics.
Free lead poisoning testing and information is also available from Community and Home Care at each immunization clinic.
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, or visit www.idph.state.ia.us/adper/nphw.asp.