CVHD sees demand for its services continue

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The budget for Central Valley Health District increased by approximately $200,000 in 2011, as local and state shares increased while money from the federal government and fees and donations dropped.

The health district’s budget was $2.18 million in 2010 and $2.40 million in 2011, its annual report shows.

“We do see some shifts from federal funding being decreased,” said Robin Iszler, CVHD’s unit administrator.

The health district has taken on some new projects, which helped keep its funding steady, Iszler said.

One of those projects is the development of a community health assessment and community health improvement plan, which will help guide CVHD in prioritizing future projects. It was one of 12 districts nationwide to receive the $35,000 in grant funding for the assessment and plan.

Another project, funded by state dollars, helped form a collaborative network of local public health departments between Stutsman, Logan, Wells, Barnes and LaMoure counties.

“We only had about a year to do that project. We feel it was beneficial. We feel that services increased to our areas,” Iszler said, noting legislators are looking at more cooperative efforts between public health departments in the future.

In the course of that regional network project, a billing system was developed for all health departments involved, according to the annual report.

The health district also participated in a school-based flu clinic study for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2011. The CDC hopes to learn how to reach children, who often serve as flu vectors, and to determine perceptions of school staff and nurses at school-based flu clinics.

Results from the study are not yet available, but CVHD vaccinated more than 600 students and staff in Stutsman County schools in 2011.

Environmental health continued to be a focus for the health district, which conducted 178 restaurant inspections and 93 school inspections in 2011, along with inspections and consultations for facilities for body art, child care, water supplies, pools, tanning and group homes.

Much of the health district’s local funding goes to pay for those environmental health costs, Iszler said.

Local dollars also support CVHD’s nursing services, which in 2011 totaled 1,272 hours of nurse time.

The most popular service the nurses provided was medication set-up, in which nurses help people organize and maintain their medications. Blood pressure screenings, home visits and heart/lung care were also provided, as well as other services.

“The demand for our services continues to stay steady or increase,” Iszler said.

The health district provided school nursing services to schools in Stutsman and Logan counties in 2011, with the most time spent at Jamestown Public Schools, which pays for that time.

The James Valley Career and Technology Center also pays a nurse to teach classes there in health careers, medical terminology and sports medicine.

CVHD continued to work on emergency preparedness, chronic disease management and tobacco use prevention and control in 2011 as well.

Many of its programs focus on keeping pregnant women or mothers healthy, such as Baby and Me, which helps mothers quit smoking or stay smoke-free. WIC (Women, Infants and Children) helps with nutrition.

“Our services really are open to everybody. Even if you don’t fit the guidelines for income, we can still help you as much as we can,” Iszler said. “Some are income- and family-sized based, and some are open to anybody.”

Sun reporter Kari Lucin can be

reached at 701-952-8453

or by email at

klucin@jamestownsun.com

Tags: local news, news, health