Welcome to Fall and all that it brings! A chance to experience the turn of the season. We are proud to share in the announcement that Sioux City is a certified Blue Zone community. This is the first step towards "making the healthy choice the easy choice." We need to keep this momentum going! The following information provides highlights of the contributions by Siouxland District Health Department in the overall goal to "Create a Healthy Community for All!"
Have a safe and healthy season,
Kevin Grieme, Director
I-Smile™ Oral Health Program
The I-Smile™ Oral Health Program at SDHD provides oral health screenings, fluoride varnish applications, dental education, and care coordination to children 0 through 21 years of age. Screenings are provided by our 2 dental hygienists at the health department, childcare facilities, and both public and private schools. An oral health screening is performed to assess the child’s dental needs, a fluoride varnish is applied to help prevent tooth decay, and oral health education is provided to the child and/or parents. Each child is referred to a dentist to continue their preventive care or address any identified treatment needs. If the child does not already have an established dental home, they are assisted in finding one. During FY 15, 1,503 oral health screenings have been performed with 1,462 fluoride varnish applications. Care coordination was provided to over 350 of these children for further dental care.
The dental screening is free of charge and children may be screened up to two times a year with fluoride varnish applications. The I-Smile™ Oral Health Program is grant funded through both the Siouxland Human Investment Partnership and the Title V Maternal and Child Health Grant. (Public Health Standard: Promote Healthy Behaviors).
Private Well Water Testing
If your family gets drinking water from a private well, do you know if your water is safe to drink? What health risks could you and your family face? Where can you go for help or advice?
The laboratory at Siouxland District Health Department is certified by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) to test water of many types, including private well water. In FY15, over 500 private well water samples were tested with 20% positive for coliform bacteria. The IDNR does have a grant program in which well owners can have their wells tested for free and it applies to residents in all counties in Iowa. Call the laboratory at 712-234-3908 or 1-800-587-3005 to get details on this program or ask other questions regarding water testing. (Public Health Standard: Protect Against Environmental Hazards)
Travel Shots Are you or a family member thinking about international travel in the next year? Do you know the required and recommended travel shots you should receive before leaving? It is important to plan ahead for any vaccines that you may need. You can check CDC’s website for vaccine information, or call the nursing clinic at SDHD. You may also want to check with your health care provider or health department for vaccine costs. (Public Health Standard: Prevent Epidemics and the Spread of Disease)
Community Health Needs Assessment On Aug. 27th, nearly 50 community partners gathered at Mercy Medical Center to provide input into the next Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) and Community Health Improvement (HIP) Plan. This is the first year that SDHD, Mercy, UnityPoint and Dunes Surgical Center will be completing a joint CHNA. These plans will help guide each organization on specific health needs to focus on over the next 3 years. (Public Health Standard: Community Assessment and Planning)
Emergency Preparedness Exercise A few SDHD staff took part in a regional emergency preparedness exercise in Storm Lake in Aug. with approximately 12 other NW Iowa counties. Participants unloaded pallets full of vaccine, prophylaxis, gowns, masks and other supplies that arrived through the Strategic National Stockpile. These items would be distributed out to area public health departments and hospitals during a possible pandemic flu or other medical emergency. (Public Health Standard: Prepare for, Respond to, and Recover from Public Health Emergencies.)
Live Healthy Siouxland Coalition In July, SDHD and our Live Healthy Siouxland Coalition, hosted our Project Officer, Dr. David Bang from the CDC. A special meeting was held at the Sioux City Art Center, where coalition members and community partners discussed successes of the Partnerships to Improve Community Health (PICH) Grant that SDHD received from the CDC in 2014. The focus of this 3 year grant is to increase access to healthy foods and physical activity throughout Woodbury County. (Public Health Standard: Promote Health Behaviors)
Ergonomic Evaluations Many SDHD employees sit at their workstations for several hours each day. It is important that those workstations are properly fit to each person. Upon orientation all new employees receive a workstation evaluation, which includes a checklist of about 30 questions. Once completed supervisors are sent a copy of the evaluation and are asked to address any issues within one month. Most improvements are simple and are no to low cost. To view an ergonomics checklist for your office click here.(Public Health Standard: Workforce)
