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Public Health Educators answer questions and provide information on environmental health topics such as mold, radon, and rabies. They perform inspections only for property complaints deemed public health nuisances, such as dumping garbage or exposed sewage. Radon home test kits are available for $2 as supplies last.

Helps families create safe, nurturing environments for children through health screenings, education, support services, and resources that promote physical health, safety, nutrition, and development. Services include:

• Blood Lead Testing: Screening services to detect lead exposure in children and adults to prevent lead poisoning.

• Child Passenger Safety: Information and services related to child car seat safety and proper restraint use.

• Clinic Services: Health services such as birth control options, pregnancy testing, and sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening and treatment.

• Family Home Visiting: Home-based support programs for families, including developmental tracking and postpartum/newborn visits to help parents meet goals and connect with support resources.

• Immunizations: Vaccination services and information for both children and adults to protect against preventable diseases.

Freeborn County promotes healthy families and safe, nurturing environments for children. The Family Health program supports families as they learn about:

• Childhood safety and injury prevention

• Family and community relationships

• Health and nutrition

• Healthy pregnancies

• Infant and child growth and development

• Positive parenting

Provides services to promote healthier and safe living for residents. In collaboration with community partners, the Public Health Division is responsible for determining and addressing local public health needs as well as community health initiatives working with individuals, communities, healthcare, and schools. Principles and initiatives include community health improvement plan, healthy communities and equity, and policy/system changes. The Disease Prevention team works to prevent and control infectious and communicable diseases through ongoing public health measures such as:

• Public education and sharing information and resources

• Outreach planning and disaster response

• Monitoring and reporting infectious disease occurrences

• Refugee health screening

• Takes reports on possible outbreak, disease, or illness, or suspected foodborne or waterborne illness

• Tuberculosis screening/Mantoux test

• Blood pressure and sugar screenings

• Car seat safety

• Childbirth classes

• Child and teen check-ups

• CPR and AED training courses

• Disease prevention and control

• Emergency preparedness

• Environmental health hazard information on mold, radon, lead and meth

• Fall prevention program

• Follow along program for child development tracking

• Foot care clinics

• Health fairs

• Immunizations

• Lactation Education

• Medication disposal information

• Outreach for pregnant women, parents of infants and young children

• Postpartum home visits

• Prenatal education

• Tobacco use and exposure prevention

• Well child checks

• WIC program

Provides environmental health services to protect community health. Services include:

• Environmental health licensing and ordinance enforcement

• Inspection and licensing of food, beverage, lodging, mobile home parks, recreational camping areas, and public pools

• Investigation and response to environmental complaints, including nuisance and sanitation concerns

• Lead testing and inspections for homes and other properties

• Radon testing and education

• Water testing for private wells, including analysis for fluoride, iron, coliform bacteria, nitrates, lead, hardness, and sulfates

Offers low-cost vaccines for eligible children 18 years and younger by appointment.

County public health nurses visit families in homes or in offices to offer health promotion screening and health education. Visits are voluntary and tailored to the individual family's interests and needs. Nurses can offer a variety of discussions about:

• Breastfeeding

• Child health, growth, development, and safety

• Family planning

• Infant care

• Nutrition

• Parenting

• Pregnancy health

• The General Assistance (GA) Program provides single adults and childless couples with monthly cash grants for vulnerable persons whose income and resources are less than program limits

• GA participants are also eligible for help with medical costs through the General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC) or the Medical Assistance (MA) programs and Food Support

• Can apply online at www.mnbenefits.mn.gov

Direct Access allows an individual to go directly to a provider they choose to receive a comprehensive assessment and access care immediately. The county will assess individuals who need help paying for a chemical use assessment or treatment services through the Behavioral Health Fund. Services also include:

• Designated staff that provide chemical dependency assessments

• Referral to local community service providers for chemical assessments or treatment services. Also, directs individuals to visit www.fasttrackermn.org for additional resources.

• When legal intervention is required, staff can assist with mental health and chemical dependency commitments

Services include:

• Communicable disease education, monitoring, and surveillance

• Communicable Disease Investigation - Investigates outbreaks of communicable diseases in Rice County in conjunction with the Minnesota Department of Health

• Covid-19 vaccines

• Emergency Preparedness includes coordination, planning, and communicating with partner agencies, organizations, and local community members

• HPV vaccine

• International Travelers' Health Immunization Information

• Naloxone overdose prevention kits (visit website for additional information)

• Sexually transmitted disease testing and treatment for chlamydia and gonorrhea (provide free condoms)

• Tuberculosis testing and treatment

• Vaccination (see Immunizations Program)

• Vector-borne disease information and prevention (Zika virus)

Partners with families to promote healthy lifestyles and nurturing environments. Family health services support families with the following services:

• Breastfeeding support

• Child passenger safety: specialists can answer questions regarding child safety seats and check your car seats

• Family Home Visiting: provides a variety of home visiting programs including prenatal, postpartum and ongoing parenting support services.

• Family education and resources

Offers the following health services:

• Blood pressure and blood sugar screenings

• Child and adult immunizations

• Cholesterol screening

• Dental varnishing/fluoride treatment

• Disease prevention and control

• Flu shots

• Foot care

-Hearing and vision screenings

• Height and weight checks

• Hemoglobin testing

• Hepatitis C and HIV screenings

• Lead testing

• Mantoux (TB) testing

• WIC clinics

Provides:

• Control of reportable communicable diseases (as well as clusters/outbreaks of diseases of unknown origin/agents)
• Surveillance and investigation of communicable disease
• Outbreak reporting
• Outbreak investigation

Health care providers are mandated to notify Public Health of reportable diseases as defined by the Minnesota Department of Health.

Provides environmental health services to protect community health. Services include:

• Environmental health licensing and ordinance enforcement

• Inspection and licensing of food, beverage, lodging, mobile home parks, recreational camping areas, and public pools

• Investigation and response to environmental complaints, including nuisance and sanitation concerns

• Lead testing and inspections for homes and other properties

• Radon testing and education

• Water testing for private wells, including analysis for fluoride, iron, coliform bacteria, nitrates, lead, hardness, and sulfates

Helps families create safe, nurturing environments for children through health screenings, education, support services, and resources that promote physical health, safety, nutrition, and development. Services include:

• Blood Lead Testing: Screening services to detect lead exposure in children and adults to prevent lead poisoning.

• Child Passenger Safety: Information and services related to child car seat safety and proper restraint use.

• Clinic Services: Health services such as birth control options, pregnancy testing, and sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening and treatment.

• Family Home Visiting: Home-based support programs for families, including developmental tracking and postpartum/newborn visits to help parents meet goals and connect with support resources.

• Immunizations: Vaccination services and information for both children and adults to protect against preventable diseases.

Provides family home visiting programs and other health services from a public health nurse, including:

• Breastfeeding services

?- Follow Along Program

• Postpartum support

• Prenatal support

Works with other entities to coordinate public health nuisance complaints, provides information and referral for food safety complaints or food handling programs, and participates in countywide coordination for water planning. Provides information on the following public health issues:

• Carbon monoxide household hazards

• Foodborne illness

• Lead poisoning screening

• Methamphetamine education

• Mold in the home

• Public health ordinances

• Radon

Monitors the occurrence and reporting of infectious diseases, helps develop and implement prevention and control strategies, and provides related services, including:

• Education on infectious diseases and vaccines to help prevent disease spread and inform residents

• Immunization information and guidance, including recommended vaccine schedules and how to access immunizations

• Information about tuberculosis (TB) and links to state TB resources, including prevention and control efforts

• Sharps disposal services: Residents can purchase an approved container and have used sharps (needles/syringes) safely disposed of

• Blood Pressure clinics

• Diet counseling

• Foot Care clinics

• Educational Programs

• Influenza vaccination clinics

• Referrals to emergency response system installation

Provides a range of public health functions that protect and promote the health of residents. Services include:

• Collaborative Wellness Initiatives: Works with community partners, schools, workplaces, and organizations to create policies and programs that support healthy lifestyles and prevent chronic diseases (e.g., tobacco-free living, active living).

• Community Health Assessment and Planning: Leads or contributes to regular assessments of community health needs and develops improvement plans to address priority issues in the service area.

• Contagious disease/life-threatening illness investigation

• Contracts with school districts to provide pre-school screenings, hearing and vision screenings, scoliosis screenings, school health services, and health education

• CPR Training and Certification are available for a fee

• Environmental Public Health Assessments: Partners with regional teams to identify and address environmental health hazards in homes and communities (e.g., healthy homes approaches).

• Investigation and follow-up regarding reports of public health nuisance in which the health of the public is at risk or in danger

Monitors diseases and promotes a healthy community. Services include:

• Adult and children vaccinations and information. Vaccinations are offered at the Horizon Public Health Office in Alexandria.

• Community education resources to protect and prevent diseases from insects, common infections, lead poisoning, and viruses.

• Safe drinking water testing: helps address common concerns, including: arsenic, coliform bacteria, lead, manganese, and nitrate and support treatment of contaminants in private wells.

• Substance misuse prevention resources

Direct Access allows an individual to go directly to a provider they choose to receive a comprehensive assessment and access care immediately. The county will assess individuals who need help paying for a chemical use assessment or treatment services through the Behavioral Health Fund. Services also include:

• Designated staff that provide chemical dependency assessments

• Referral to local community service providers for chemical assessments or treatment services. Also, directs individuals to visit www.fasttrackermn.org for additional resources.

?

• When legal intervention is required, staff can assist with mental health and chemical dependency commitments

Services provided:

• Investigates and treats Tuberculosis (TB)

• Provides control function of managing communicable disease outbreaks

• Schedules immunization clinics for child/adolescent/adult immunizations.

• Screens and supports refugees and immigrants

Vaccines provided under the Minnesota Vaccines for Children Program and the Uninsured /Underinsured Adult Vaccine program:

• Adults: Tetanus, pneumonia, HPV (Gardasil), MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Influenza, chickenpox, and shingles vaccinations. Any adult aged 19 or older who is underinsured or uninsured can receive these immunizations.

?- Children: All required vaccines for day care, Headstart, and school (preschool - high school). Plus recommended vaccines including Hepatitis A, Human Papillomavirus (HPV), Rotavirus, and Influenza.

Provides environmental health services to protect community health. Services include:

• Environmental health licensing and ordinance enforcement

• Inspection and licensing of food, beverage, lodging, mobile home parks, recreational camping areas, and public pools

• Investigation and response to environmental complaints, including nuisance and sanitation concerns

• Lead testing and inspections for homes and other properties

• Radon testing and education

• Water testing for private wells, including analysis for fluoride, iron, coliform bacteria, nitrates, lead, hardness, and sulfates