counties healthy , especially since no two counties are alike .
“ Every county has their own local staff , but we also have an executive team that is based throughout the 10 counties that helps me manage all of the overview of the programs ,” Tomlinson said . “ It ’ s challenging . We are certainly the largest district in the state as far as number of counties . We ’ re one of the largest geographically . Every county has their own personality and their own needs . We do a community assessment so we know what the personalities are and what the needs are within our communities , so we have everywhere from very small counties – rural with no physicians and no hospitals – to Pulaski and Taylor counties which are more like medical hubs for the region that they serve .”
Some people may only recognize the health department as that place where you get immunizations and testing for things like hepatitis or rabies , and it ’ s true that the department does those things .
But as Tomlinson points out , there are a lot of community based services , environmental services and ham reduction services that make up the department ’ s work week as well .
For example , the department is in charge of the WIC Program – Women , Infants and Children – a federal program that helpsB3 out families with pregnant and postpartum women .
“ If you qualify for WIC ... you can
get up to $ 100 of extra groceries every month that help with things like nutritious foods , cereals , milks , fruits and vegetables , things like that ,” Tomlinson said .
The program is income based , so anyone who has an income that is 185 % of the poverty level or is on another food supplemental program could be eligible .
“ The stigma for [ participating in such programs ] has gone away some recently , and I ’ m thankful for that , because , especially in the communities we serve , a lot of people used to be too proud to accept help , to take those benefits . So I ’ m very thankful that that stigma has kind of gone away and that people are willing to accept these benefits ,” Tomlinson said .
Plus , the WIC program also helps buying formula for babies .
LCDHD also has a peer breastfeeding support program , Tomlinson points out . “ If a mamma is trying to breast feed and is having difficulty or needs extra attention or support or encouragement , we do that too . We have breast feeding peer counselors that help with that .” She noted that regional breast feeding numbers have gone up , but also reiterates that there is “ nothing wrong with formula ,” especially in cases where mothers are having difficulty producing enough milk on their own .
LCDHD also conducts diabetes classes for those struggling with that condition .
“ Our diabetes program is national accredited . Our programs have accredited , certified educators that teach the classes . And it ’ s usually a series of classes ,” Tomlinson said .
The classes can be attended either in person or online , and they go over topics such as how to manage glucose numbers and how to eat healthier .
While many of the department ’ s programs aim to keep the community healthy , it ’ s an unfortunate fact of life that sometimes illness and accidents happen to the youngest members of the community . That ’ s why LCDHD also conducts reviews of child fatalities .
“ It ’ s something we ’ ve tried to do for years in some of our counties . Unfortunately , it ’ s tragedy ,” Tomlinson said . “ It takes a child loss to really push that along , but we have had several tragic losses of children 18 and under that have come to light in a number of our counties . The purpose of a child review team and the meetings is to review the circumstances around that death and see if there ’ s anything that can be done to educate and prevent those types of things in the future . It isn ’ t to place blame . It isn ’ t to litigate or have any kind of legal action . It ’ s to learn how we can , as a community , not have to go through this again .”
With the end of the COVID pandemic , Tomlinson said that the health department is getting back to normality and many of those review teams have started up once more . The teams review
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May 2023 SEKY - Life in Southeast Kentucky • 11