Coles County Health Department
Nursing Division
Program Report for Public Health Board Meeting
The mission of the Coles County Health Department is to provide quality health services through prevention, education, health promotion, and protection efforts in a manner that promotes optimal health for the individual, the community and the environment.
Women, Infant and Children Nutrition Supplement Program (WIC) / Family Case Management
The caseload for WIC at the end of August was 948. The caseload for the Charleston office was 377, and caseload for Mattoon was 571. The caseload continues to fluctuate and is in line with other WIC Programs across the state of Illinois. There has been a decrease experienced
everywhere. We have completed another successful Farmer’s Market program for both clinic sites. There was a total of 350 Farmer’s Market coupons handed out this year. The clients enjoy the variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, they had access to three locations for Farmer’s Market this year. Coles County Health Department parking lot hosts a Farmer’s Market on Saturday morning this year.
Brenda Warren (WIC Coordinator) and Renee Smith (Peer Counselor) completed an update at Sarah Bush Lincoln for area Physicians and nurses on June 2, 2014. This update informed personnel of WIC education to Mother’s in regards to newborn and infant behavior. It also included laid back breastfeeding information/education. Dr. Timothy Camden, Jamie Forsythe, PNP, FNP-BC, as well as some nursing staff all came from Carle clinic in Mattoon. There was also one nurse from Dr. Snowden’s office at SBLHC in attendance as well. There was a lunch provided from the Loving Support Breastfeeding Task Force grant. Brenda Warren attended the United States Breastfeeding Coalition in Arlington, VA. Brenda was one of two people who represented Illinois at this Coalition.
The newest additions to the WIC staff, Jackie Irons & Kendra White are training and adjusting well to the working environment. Brenda Cooper is floating to fill in for immunizations, as well as taking on HealthWorks and APORS. Mrs. Irons also floats to fill in for immunizations when needed.
HealthWorks
Michelle Boatman, the HealthWorks Supervisor through Macon County Health Department spent a morning in August with Brenda Cooper and Mara Hildebrand in order to give proper training on the Program. The total HealthWorks caseload is 20 clients. There are 9 clients in Charleston and 11 clients in Mattoon being followed at this time.
APORS
The current caseload for APORS, High Risk Infant Follow-up is 18 cases. There are 13 cases in Charleston and 5 cases in Mattoon at this time. Brenda Cooper is following these APORS clients, she is familiar with this due to her experience as a WIC nurse.
Family Planning
Mary Tolliver, our State Nurse Consultant, was here for our follow-up visit after the Annual Review. The meeting was very positive. Mara Hildebrand, Diana Stenger, and Shan Brown successfully submitted the Family Planning Grant for Fiscal Year 2015. We included in the grant that we would be looking to include the Mattoon site for Family Planning services. Shan Brown, Nurse Practitioner for the program has felt that there is a need to provide services at least one day per week in Mattoon. Shan feels that transportation for services in Charleston continues to be an issue, as well as reaching out to Lake Land College students. We are excited to explore this option for clients in need of this beneficial service. Mary Tolliver was very receptive to the idea of expanding services to the Mattoon site. The first step in doing this is writing a letter of intent in which Mara Hildebrand and Shan Brown are in the process of doing.
Shan is scheduled to speak again at Mattoon High School health classes in October. The first class she spoke at was this past spring, the teacher asked her to come back each semester. Shan is planning to do the same for Charleston schools.
The Illinois Healthy Women card will be no longer available for use at the end of this year. Family Planning is informing their clients who use the card of this change. They are letting them know that they need to go to the Market Place to see what their options are, as far as Medicaid or Insurance. If the clients cannot afford insurance at this point and are not eligible for Medicaid, the Program will still be able to take care of them. They will be assessed financially and adjusted to the sliding scale fee schedule.
Our Chlamydia and Gonorrhea timeliness to treatment is at 100%!
Shan will be helping with the scheduled flu clinics this fall in the community.
The Information and Education Committee will be meeting this month. This is mandatory to comply with the Family Planning Grant. One member has moved out of state, we are looking to find a new member.
Linda Sigler, Family Planning secretary will be retiring in December. Shan would like to have the position filled with a LPN, if possible. This would help Shan with covering supply hours when she is out, also the Family Planning Program is currently and has been short a clinic nurse. Communicable Disease / Chronic Disease
There was an increase in immunizations, as expected, due to school starting in August. We held two successful school immunization clinics at the Charleston and Mattoon sites. The clinics were all day long and on a walk-in basis. There were also appointments done outside of these clinics to address all of the school immunization needs.
We are anticipating a successful influenza vaccination season. We have several flu clinics scheduled throughout Coles County to vaccinate our community. It seems that each year more entities are offering flu vaccine, such as Walgreens, CVS, and Wal-Mart. It is important to CCHD that our community thinks of Public Health nurses in regards to their immunization needs. We will be offering quadrivalent influenza virus vaccine as well as the High Dose influenza vaccine for the adults aged 65 years and older.
We (Mara, Diana, and Cathie) wrote for and received a VFC (Vaccine For Children) Grant for funding at Charleston and Mattoon VFC sites. The Grant is to specifically fund equipment that is required or soon to be required for the VFC Program. We have purchased data loggers for
temperature recording purposes in the vaccine refrigerators and freezers at both sites. The amount of money that was allotted in the VFC Grant has already been exceeded with this purchase alone.
We are still in need of stand-alone refrigerators and/or freezers at both Mattoon and Charleston sites. This is something that Mara Hildebrand and Diana Stenger are still looking into at this time.
Some communicable disease investigations done recently include: Histoplasmosis
Salmonella
Malaria (isolated event in international traveler) Hepatitis C
Chlamydia/Gonorrhea
Hepatitis C and Chlamydia continue to be a large majority of the CD cases that are seen in Coles County.
We have kept up to date information from CDC and IDPH on the Ebola Virus Outbreak in Africa. We disperse the information we receive to the appropriate entities, including SBLHC, Carle Clinic, EIU, and Lake Land College.
We are still in the process of replacing the CD/Immunization Nurse position that opened when Mara Hildebrand assumed the role of Director of Nursing. We have offered the position to two highly qualified candidates who both unfortunately declined due to salary and/or insurance benefits. We have interviewed one more nurse since our last offer, this nurse is a new graduate with a strong work ethic, enthusiasm, and ready and willing to learn as much as possible. We are contacting her references, which have been excellent so far, she excelled academically in the Nursing Program. This candidate has also had a lot of life experiences that will benefit this position, such as time management and communication. We have one more interview scheduled for the second week in September, after that point we will offer the position a third time in hopes of filling that vacant position.
Mara Hildebrand has continued to cover the Communicable Disease program. Mrs. Hildebrand and Diana Stenger have also helped in immunizations and other areas as needed.
Health Education
Lee Ann Bryant left Coles County Health Department to move to South Carolina, her last day was July 31st. She has been missed, however, we welcomed Danielle Morr (Danielle Robling) to the Health Educator position. Danielle was previously working for Coles County Health
hard. The Illinois Tobacco-Free Communities 2015 Grant was successfully submitted for this program. Danielle has scheduled our community flu clinics for the nurses this fall.
Lead
From May 1, 2014- July 31, 2014 there were 49 children screened for lead. There are 2 new cases reported during this time period. There are currently a total of 3 open lead cases that are being followed. Lead testing is done for all clients over 6 months of age that are “at risk” due to residence or zip code.
Vision and Hearing
Jeri Moffett completed the end of year reports for Fiscal Year 2014 Vision and Hearing. The reports are attached. Screenings are currently being scheduled for FY15 and are set to begin September 9, 2014.
Miscellaneous
Mara Hildebrand has been asked to fill the vacancy on the Coles Community Health Program Board due to Cathie Reynolds retirement. Mara will be accepting that invitation and taking the appropriate steps to become a member of the Board. Mrs. Hildebrand has also attended a Multidisciplinary Team meeting in the vacant position due to Cathie Reynolds retirement. She will be filling that vacant position on the M-Team as well.
The Nursing Division has had to pull together to make ends meet with the shortage of nurses at this time. We are short a nurse in the CD/Immunization position, as well as losing a nurse in the Health Educator position with Mrs. Bryant leaving and not being replaced by a nurse. The nurses are pulling together and will get through this transition together.
Program Staff
AdministrationMara Hildebrand, BSN, RN Director of Nursing
WIC/FCM
Brenda Warren, MS, RD, LC WIC Coordinator
Brenda Cooper, RN, BS Staff Nurse/Case Manager Jackie Irons, RN Staff Nurse/Case Manager Bobbie Phillipi, RN Staff Nurse/Case Manager Jan Dust, RN Staff Nurse/Case Manager Kendra White, RN Staff Nurse/Case Manager Jeri Moffett, BA Cornerstone Liaison /
Case finding Coordinator / Vision/ Hearing Technician
Whitney Stewart Secretary
Christy Christenholz Secretary
Rene Smith, MS Peer Counselor
VACANT Peer Counselor
Family Planning
Shan Brown, RN, WHNP Nurse Practitioner / Clinic Coordinator
VACANT Clinic Nurse
Linda Sigler Secretary
Communicable Disease/Chronic Disease
VACANT Communicable Disease Investigator
VACANT Communicable Disease Investigator
Tamara Morgan Secretary
Health Education