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109 W. Madison Mt. Ayr, IA 50854 View Location

Jan 5

Ringgold County Public Health Turns 40

 

Ringgold County Public Health was formed in 1972 thanks to a three-year federal grant and a portion of county funding.  At that time, the agency employed two nurses and a secretary.  Today the agency is operated efficiently under a variety of funding sources including service fees, grants, state, federal and minimal county funding.  The yearly budget, currently at $915,000, has required less than 8% of revenue from county funding over the last ten years.

Employees include home care aides Janet Haley, Kim Hensley, Brenda Karr and Karen Pettinger; nurses Sue Beck (also Assistant Administrator), Carol Anne Galloway (also HCA Supervisor), Sharla Norris, Robin McDonnell (also Parents as Teachers Coordinator) and Becky Fletchall (Nurse Administrator and CPC); office manager Debbie Gilliland; Elderly Waiver program case manager and Parents as Teachers educator Angela Reynolds; and CPPW grant program staff Chris Doster, Jennifer Hawbaker and Vicki Sickels.

The agency’s primary service is home health care.  Skilled nursing, home care aide, and homemaker services are provided by the agency to people in need within their home.  Physical therapy services are contracted with Teena Jones through Greater Regional Medical Center.  Other duties and programs include communicable disease follow-up, Parents as Teachers early childhood education, case management for Elderly Waiver, immunizations, tobacco use prevention, post-partum visits to newborns, BASICS nutrition education programming, management of county mental health and disability funding, and public health emergency preparedness.

Environmental health services are contracted through a 28E agreement with Clarke County.  Environmental health programs include radon awareness, wastewater treatment/disposal systems, private well testing and plugging through grants-to-counties programming, and nuisance complaints.

Ringgold County Public Health is a county agency directed by the Ringgold County Board of Health.  Volunteer members appointed by the Board of Supervisors include Bruce Ricker, DO; Max Mekus, DVM; Darla Sobotka, PA; Raydeen Derscheid, ARNP; and Monte Akers.  The agency also receives guidance for programming from Iowa Department of Public Health, Iowa Department of Human Services, and Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals.