December marks the anniversary of the creation of the Green County Health Department, and this year, we’re celebrating 89 years of service. In March of 2023, I published an article in The Monroe Times with an overview of the history of our department that I encourage readers to go check out to learn more about our department’s past. In 89 years our department has accomplished so much and helped improve health across Green County.
Green County Public Health works to promote and protect the health of Green County residents. Our department is overseen by the Green County Board of Health, which is made up of Green County Supervisors, a Medical Advisor, a Dentist, and a Registered Nurse. The Board of Health governs the health department, assesses health needs, and advocates for reasonable and necessary public health services. Our department has nine staff members, including a Public Health Nurse, an Environmental Health Specialist, a Public Health Educator, a Program Assistant who is also a Spanish Translator and Interpreter, a Dietician, and Director of our WIC program, and a Fiscal Clerk; all of our staff are overseen by the department’s Director. These staff members are the people who provide the programs and services we offer to our community and who work with other organizations in the community to improve health in Green County.
Some of the programs our department provides are required by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to be offered by counties, and some are programs that were created to meet the health needs of people in Green County. Our department offers services related to a wide variety of health topics. One of our largest programs is the maternal, child, and family health program, which includes the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) supplemental nutrition program, home visiting services, and breastfeeding education and support. The communicable disease program is a hallmark of public health; we work with people diagnosed with diseases like salmonella, chickenpox, or Lyme disease to identify how they might have become ill, and work together to prevent further spread of that illness. We also offer vaccinations to eligible children and adults to help prevent communicable diseases in our community. Our chronic disease and injury prevention program includes free car seat installation services for anyone, as well as providing free medication lock boxes to help prevent medication misuse. We also work to provide education to the community to help prevent injuries and chronic diseases. The environmental public health program focuses on offering radon test kits, well water test kits, and working with families to prevent children from lead exposure. We also provide access to some clinical care services like blood pressure checks, TB skin tests, as well providing referrals for people to other healthcare services.
In addition to the services we offer to the community, we also work behind the scenes to help create a healthier community. We work with other organizations in the community to work on policy, systems, and environmental changes that create a healthier community for the residents of Green County. Our staff works closely with organizations like healthcare, human services, businesses, schools, nonprofits, other governmental agencies, and other people who are passionate about health. By working with groups, we are not duplicating efforts, we’re pooling resources, and we are more likely to make changes together. Our department is a part of several workgroups, coalitions, and committees that work to address various health issues. Some of the workgroups we’re a part of are focused on promoting breastfeeding, preventing elder abuse, ending human trafficking, improving health among youth, preventing overdose deaths, and so many other topics.
Our office also works to provide education on health in lots of different ways. We work with schools to offer presentations on vaping prevention, we offer educational presentations to service groups, we attend health fairs and talk with community members about the services we offer, and we work with local libraries to offer educational programs. We’re also open to new opportunities to offer education or attend an event, so please reach out to us if you’re interested in a presentation.
Overall, Green County Public Health exists to help create the conditions for everyone in Green County to be healthy and thrive. This is just a brief overview of some of the services we offer, and the kind of work we do, but there is so much more that we do. To learn more about our department, community members can explore our website and read through our annual report from last year at gcpublichealth.org. People can also contact our department to talk with a staff member about any questions regarding what we do or the services we offer; please feel free to call us at (608) 328-9390 or email us at info@greencountywi.org.
— Bridget Zimmerman is the Public Health Educator for the Green County Public Health Department and can be reached at bzimmerman@greencountywi.org or 608-328-9509.
