Le Sueur County Public Health has good check up

Even the county's Public Health Department undergoes an annual examination.

Le Sueur County's Public Health Director Cindy Shaughnessy and various program coordinators presented an overview of the department's healthy 2016 Annual Report to the Le Sueur County Commissioners on Tuesday, August 22.

For the 2016 reporting year, Le Sueur County Public Health earned all good marks by "fully" meeting all 37 of the key national public health measures, Shaughnessy explained.

"I would like to thank the Le Sueur County Commissioners for their support of public health programs and for their understanding of the importance of primary prevention," Shaughnessy said.

Beyond the commissioners, the data is used to track progress and outline how well the county's Public Health programs are meeting state requirements.

In 2016, a total of $305,330 in county taxes and $1,842,127 in federal and state grants, fees, and contracts were used to fund the county's various Public Health programs.

Adult Health Supervisor Darlene Tuma reported that nurses made 2,426 in-home visits to 110 elderly, sick and disabled people during 2016. Home health aides made 3,222 in-home visits. Homemakers made 1,647 visits, and 118 physical and occupational therapy visits were made.

A total of 286 county residents were enrolled in a wavered service program in 2016, including Alternative Care, Elderly Waiver, Community Access for Disability Inclusion, Community Alternative Care, and Brain Injury waivers. A total of 832 assessments, reassessments, and case management visits were completed in 2016.

The county recorded 110 cases of infectious diseases in 2016, an increase from 2015's 87 cases. Chlamydia was--again--the most prevalent with 45 cases. This was no surprise to Shaughnessy, who explained that....

To see more on this story pick up the August 31, 2017 print edition of The New Prague Times, Montgomery Messenger, Lake Region LIFE or the Elysian Enterprise.