MONROE — Green County is healthy overall and COVID no longer a daily concern for most residents, but that doesn’t mean we don’t need public health services.
Far from it. The health department is continuing to battle for a more educated, healthier Green County and that fight continued along many fronts over the past year, among them in the areas of maternal child health, the fentanyl/opioid crisis, and even lingering dangers like lead abatement.
Those are likely the issues Green County Board will learn about as it is presented with the newest Annual Health Report at it’s meeting June 13. The 2022 report, included in the board member packet, is the most recent available from the health department.
“(The public) know a lot more about us, that’s for sure,” said Public Health Educator Bridget Craker, reflecting on the hectic days of the COVID epidemic, when health departments across the nation worked to helm the crisis.
Indeed, one good byproduct of the two-year public gaze on COVID and the work of public health in general, experts say, is that many more people have become familiar with what they do and the services they provide outside of a health crisis.
The annual health reports are typically released for the previous year but — along with the more in-depth, community needs survey — they help gauge the direction of public health at a given time. And as the pandemic fades from the headlines, such documents detail plenty of things to do.
“As the immediate threat of COVID-19 began to subside, our staff could take a breath, reflect on what we had accomplished, and begin to look forward,” Public Health Department Director Ro Ann Worden said, in her letter to the board. “If I had to sum up 2022, it would be the year of Transitions as we saw changes in staffing and program priorities surface.”
Examples of such priority issues include the area of Radon tests for homes; and well-water tests. The department helps the public, particularly the owners of private wells, to test for contaminants. The test kits are available free to residents but there’s a variable cost — in the $60 to $100 range — for the lab work to be completed in partnership with UW-Stevens Point.
Testing and education about lead in pipes and paint in Green County is another critical issue the health department wants to emphasize, officials said.
For more specifics about county health needs, Craker said that the most recent Public Health Needs Assessment and County Health Improvements Plans are the best places to start. Older reports are also accessible online, even as the health department is focused on future needs.
“In 2022 we released the Green County 2022-2024 Community Health Improvement Plan, which acts as our community’s roadmap for improving community health,” said Warden. “The plan directed us where to focus on building community relationships, listening to what our communities need, and planning how to allocate our resources.”