Daviess County Health Department Celebrates 40 years

This Public Health Week, April 6-10, the Daviess County Health Department will celebrate 40 years of service to the citizens of Daviess County.

Annual reports dating back to 1974 tell the story of how a health center beginning with one staff member expanded to seven to meet the continuing health needs of an entire community.

State law was changed in 1948 to allow the establishment of county public health agencies supported by a tax levy and governed by an elected board of trustees.

By 1973, Daviess County was one of 38 counties in the state which still did not have a public health agency. About $2.5 million was set aside in federal funds to help these counties establish public health agencies. These early agencies were called “demonstration units” and were funded for about a year.

The Daviess County Health Department began operating out of the courthouse in February, 1975, with one county health nurse C Mary Wheeler, R.N. Mrs. Wheeler received her nursing education from Kansas State University, and had experience as a nurse in World War II.

Counties where the demonstration units were established were expected to put on the ballot a tax levy to support the agency within 18 to 24 months.

The Daviess County Health Department provides discounted labs every year at its Health Fair, but this year, to give back to a supportive community, the Health Department will offer the labs for FREE to Daviess County residents April 6 and April 8. The staff will start taking appointments March 20. Call 660-663-2414.

Beth Wheeler of Jameson, Mary’s daughter, believes her mother’s acceptance and fulfillment of the opportunity to serve as the first county nurse demonstrates the positive and long-term impact that each of us can make by using our abilities to serve others in meaningful ways.

“When our mom accepted the opportunity to serve the people of our county by establishing the Daviess County Health Department in 1975, she recognized the importance of the mission and stepped forward to help,” said Beth Wheeler. “She believed that by serving everyone equally and well, the voters would support the tax levy, when it came to a vote, and thus continue the Daviess County Health Department with funding from Daviess County taxpayers.”

Mrs. Wheeler was right. In 1976, the funds ran out for Daviess County and voters were asked to vote for a mill tax. Voters overwhelmingly approved a 10 cent tax, with 1,776 votes for and 317 votes against.

The health center now operated under a five member Board of Trustees which set policy. The original board consisted of: Terry Hoover, Lucille Downey, Lloyd Rissman, Eddie Binny and Wayne Howard.

Today’s board includes Misse Tolen, president; Betty Trimble, vice-president; Shelly Sims, secretary; Johnny Sterneker, member; and Mary Beth Pittsenbarger, member.

Interest in the department increased and programs quickly expanded.

Jean (Robert) Gibson and Linda Sandy were added to the staff which began with Mrs. Wheeler and Dolores Gatton, secretary. The center continued to operate out of the first floor of the courthouse. Within the first year, the nurses made 580 home visits and 775 people came into the office.

In 2014, nursing staff had contact with 6,909 people, either through home visits, visiting the office, by phone, or through educational settings.

By 1993, the Health Department had grown too big for the courthouse and moved to 117 North Main on the east side of the square. The building formerly housed the offices of Missouri Telephone Company.

At the 20th year anniversary in 1996, staff consisted of Sherri Carder, clerk, Jackie Kirkendoll, LPN, Dana Urton, administrator, Debbie Gatton, LPN, Valerie Bonderer, RN, and Dolores Gatton, clerk.

Dolores Gatton retired on Sept. 26, 1997. She had worked through five successive administrators: Mary Wheeler, Jean Gibson, Valetta Dannull, Sherry Gastineau, and Dana Urton.

In 2001, voters approved a 26-cent tax levy for general funding.

That same year, the health department relocated to its current home at the Lambert building or former “cap factory” at 609A South Main. Remodeling was done by Gallatin Sand & Construction. Space was converted into six offices, a conference room, lab area, and a small children’s play area in the entrance foyer, besides other necessaries such as a weight/height measuring room, storage space and bathrooms.

There are more services, products and employees at the Health Department today. Staff has gone from one to seven.

Daviess County Historical Highlights

Dr. Larry Dickinson has been the only Medical Director for the Health Department. He started in 1976 and volunteered his time.

Misse Tolen has been on the Health Department Board for 20 years, the longest of any member.

Daviess and Worth Counties were placed on a rabies alert in 1982. Two Gallatin people, Mr. and Mrs. Howard Thomas, took the series of rabies shots after working with a heifer that had become sick and was confirmed to have rabies. It was believed that the heifer was bitten by some other infected animal.

Mary Wheeler, the county’s first nurse, retired in 1983.

Individuals utilize local health departments to get their certified birth certificates and death records. Requests stepped up in 2005 when state law required a birth certificate to obtain or renew a driver’s license.

In 2007, the Health Department and Dockery Park joined together to get a paved walking trail that was hard-surface and handicapped accessible.

Buzz the Bee with the state’s slogan “Bee Wise Immunize” was started by Jackie Nichols in 1996 and because the health department had very little money then to do any extra programs she applied for The Davis/Aulgur Family Foundation Grant and has received it ever since then.

Present staff includes Administrator Cheryl Alexander, R.N. Staff Nurses: Kristie Smith, R.N./M.S.N., Debbie Gatton, L.P.N., and Jackie Nichols, L.P.N.; Clerical Staff: Janet McMahon, Office Manager, and Sherri Carder, WIC Coordinator; Environmental Specialist: Colt Bohannon, B.S.,/EPHS. The health department contracts with WIC Nutritionist: Ryann Rosier, R.D., and Breastfeeding Peer Counselors: Angela Wayne and Jessica Nelson.

There is little turn over at the health department. Mrs. Carder has been there for 34 years; Mrs. Nichols 20; Ms. Gatton 20; Mrs. Alexander 19 1/2; Mrs. McMahon 18 1/2; and Mrs. Smith 16.

Faces may not have changed much, but other things have. Office equipment has gone from simple machines to computers. But there is an old saying “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”

Public health nurses today provide many of the services Nurse Wheeler provided in the early days: home visits and office calls, immunizations and T.B. tests, eye and ear screenings, diabetes and blood pressure clinics, parenting classes and well baby programs.

“The biggest difference between now and forty years ago, is in what we do behind the scenes,” said Mrs. Alexander. “We don’t do as many home visits or one-on-one patient care. There is more emphasis now on communicable disease reporting and surveillance and environmental public health tracking. State law and some contracts determine what services we provide.”

Forty years ago Nurse Wheeler vaccinated school children for  D.P.T. (diptheria, pertusssis and tetanus), D.T. polio, measles and mumps and checked for head lice. Today’s nurses still check for head lice and vaccinate for many of the same diseases. They also do vision checks in schools and monitor for scoleosis (curvature of the spine).

The average number of immunization shots for a five-year-old in Mrs. Wheeler’s day was about 10. Now it is about 26…not including oral vaccinations!

Increases in illnesses, such as Respiratory Illness Enterovirus, for which there is no vaccine, prompts the health department to remind the public of simple solutions to prevent the spread of disease, like washing hands and staying home if sick.

Missouri began to provide public health services in 1883 to prevent deadly diseases like smallpox, typhoid, and cholera. Today, the health department continues to be dedicated to the prevention of disease and the promotion of good health.

“I worry that we will have a pandemic one of these days,” Mrs. Alexander said. “We are ready to mobilize a whole community in the event of a mass immunization campaign. In fact, we train and practice often for this and coordinate at Region H.”

The health department has a public health preparedness plan and also partners with the Daviess County Local Emergency Planning Commission.

County health department staff are trained in bioterrorism and emergency planning and will play a lead role in the event of natural or man-made disaster.

In 1883 the average life span in our nation was 43. In 1976 it was 74. Today it is 77.

Data taken between 2002 and 2012 reveals the leading cause of death in Daviess County was C all causes 933; heart disease 260; all cancers 233; (lung cancer 67; breast cancer 13; stroke 73); chronic lower respiratory disease 58; unintentional injuries 46 (motor vehicle accidents 24); alzheimer’s disease 15; diabetes mellitus 28; pneumonia and influenza 18; kidney disease 39; suicide 13; septicemia 14; chronic liver disease 13; homicide 2; HIV/AIDS 1; smoking 168; alcohol/drug induced 9; all injuries and poisonings 62; firearm 8; injury at work 4.

WIC, a supplemental food program for pregnant women, infants and children was added to the Health Department in June 1978. It began in Daviess County as a pilot program for the State.

The program has gone from hand written vouchers, to computer print outs, to electronic EB cards, which will be introduced within the next couple of years.

“Writing every item out by hand took a lot of time,” said Sherry Carder, W.I.C. Coordinator. “As you can imagine, computers made a big difference for the health department.”

Starting with 60 clients, the program increased to 80 in 1981, and is now between 210-225.

“At one point we also handled Caldwell County,” said Mrs. Carder. “That doubled our caseload, reaching about 600 at one time, until they took the program back.”

Educating the public about nutrition was a fun challenge for the WIC staff.

“We did our own group skits,” said Mrs. Carder. “We dressed as vegetables, milk cartons, peas and carrots.”

Nutritional education is much more complicated and has improved over the years. Food packages have changed rapidly over the past two years due to the diverse cultures served by the Health Department. Those cultures include the Amish, Mennonite; Mormon and Hudderite. In the last five years, a few Spanish-speaking families have moved into the county. The Health Department has someone available to interpret for them when necessary.

County, along with some state, federal and miscellaneous monies still help fund the health department. Most services are free and serve a wide variety of people, from newborn to the elderly. Some services might surprise you. For instance, did you know:

The county health department provides quality control through sanitation inspections of restaurants and schools.

• The health department inspects septic systems.
• Semi truck wrecks involving the transportation of food must be investigate and released by the Health Department.
• All dog bites are reported to the Health Department and followed up by the staff.

Peer counselors are a vital part of WIC’s “Circle of Care” for breastfeeding mothers.

You cannot correct any health-care condition without addressing the cause; thus, the priority needs to be on healthier lifestyles and prevention. Heightening awareness of this relationship is among the goals of the Daviess County Health Department. As its mission statement reads:

Daviess County Health Department strives to promote and protect the health, safety and wellness of our community through health education, prevention, and other public services.

“The vision of the Health Department is for Daviess County to be a healthy community where all people will be free to pursue and achieve their full life’s potential,” said Mrs. Alexander. “We appreciate the communities support over the years.”