Winneshiek County Public Health Nursing Service has been proudly serving the residents of Winneshiek County for over half a century with their public health and home health care needs. This agency is dedicated to maintaining the health of our community through communicable disease surveillance, safe water and sanitation issues and prevention of health problems. We are an official Home Health Agency, certified as a participating agency under the Health Insurance Benefits Program XVIII and XIX (Medicare and Medicaid).
Our staff provides health education programs (CPR, farm safety, prevention of HIV and AIDs, Child Passenger Seat Safety, lead poisoning, radon, etc), health promotion clinics (immunization, foot, blood pressure, etc.) and monitoring of current health issues in the community.
We also provide skilled nursing care at home for individuals needing treatments, diet and medication management, blood work, care management and health teaching. To help individuals stay in their homes, we have excellent care provided by Home Care Aides who assist with personal cares, exercises and light housekeeping.
Office visits are also available for health supervision and counseling, blood pressure and blood sugar checks, and lead screening.
Winneshiek County Public Health Nursing Service is governed by the Winneshiek County Board of Health, which consists of 5 individuals who donate their time in service to the county. As a county agency, we are also under the wing of the local Board of Supervisors, one of whom serves on the Board of Health. The Board of Health determines agency policy, controls budget, and monitors health issues in the county.
Anyone in Winneshiek County, regardless of age, race or socio-economic status, is eligible for our services. Home health services are provided if the doctor and nurse believe care can adequately and safely be given in the home. Anyone can contact our agency and request service – physicians, nurses, social and health agencies, schools, families and individuals.
The agency accepts Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance for payments. For those without a payment source, a sliding fee scale is adjusted to fit their income. No one is denied service because of finances.
Salmonella illnesses associated with FDA recall are preventable
The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), along with state and federal regulatory partners, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and several state health departments, is participating in the investigation of Salmonella Enteriditis (SE) illnesses associated with the FDA recall of Wright County Eggs.
To date, no illnesses in Iowa have been directly linked to the egg recall; however, last year in Iowa, SE caused 84 cases of illness and so far in 2010, 86 cases of SE illness have been identified in Iowa. Eggs can be contaminated with SE, but are safe when properly handled. To reduce the risk of SE illness, you should:
• Keep eggs refrigerated at all times. • Discard cracked or dirty eggs. • Wash hands, cooking utensils, and food preparation surfaces with soap and water after contact with raw eggs. • Eggs should be cooked until both the white and the yolk are firm and eaten promptly after cooking. Do not keep eggs warm or at room temperature for more than two hours. • Refrigerate unused or leftover egg-containing foods promptly. • Avoid eating raw eggs.
If you believe you may have unknowingly eaten eggs that were included in the FDA recall, you should not be concerned about illness as long as the eggs were cooked thoroughly.
For more information about the FDA egg recall, visit www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm222501.htm. For information about Salmonella, visit www.idph.state.ia.us/adper/common/pdf/epifacts/salmonella.pdf.
Summer Food Safety
Simple precautions can reduce risk of food-borne illness
Warm weather means more outdoor activities, including picnics and cookouts. Every year, Iowa sees an increase in food-borne diseases when summer starts, and often after summer holiday weekends. The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) reminds Iowans that a few simple precautions can reduce the risk of food-borne illness.
“Basically, preventing food-borne illness comes down to four simple rules: cooking food thoroughly, keeping cold food cold, hot food hot, and keeping your hands clean,” said IDPH Medical Director, Dr. Patricia Quinlisk. Always remember to: • Cook meat thoroughly. Use a meat thermometer to measure the internal temperature of meat and poultry. Cook hamburger, pork and beef to 160 degrees F and poultry to 165 degrees F. If a thermometer is not available, cook meat (especially ground meats) until no pink remains and all juices run clear. • Wash your hands with soap and water before preparing food. Don’t prepare food for others if you have diarrhea. • Avoid cross-contamination by always washing hands, utensils and cutting boards immediately after they’ve been in contact with raw meat or poultry, and before they touch other food. Use one platter for cooked meat and another for raw meat. • Keep meat refrigerated when marinating. Do not use the sauce you used to marinate raw meat or poultry on cooked food. • Clean your grill between each use. • Refrigerate or freeze leftovers promptly. Don’t keep foods that need refrigeration on a serving or picnic table longer than two hours (or one hour if the temperature is above 90 degrees F). • Pack your cooler with 75 percent food and 25 percent ice or cold packs. A cooler that is packed full stays colder longer.
For more information, including recommended cooking temperatures for other meats and seafood, visit www.foodsafety.gov.
It's time to get 'Ticked Off'
Summer time increases outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, lawn mowing and any outside activity- in town or out in the woods- putting people at risk for being bitten by a tick. Inevitably, concerns arise as to the risk of Lyme disease and how best to protect oneself. Lyme disease is at its peak from May through October. The most commonly infected persons are males aged 5 to 19 and over 30. There are three species of ticks found in Iowa: Dermacentor variabilis (dog or wood tick), Ambylomma americanum (Lone Star tick), and Ixodes scapularis (deer tick). The most likely transmitter of Lyme’s disease is the deer tick nymph stage, an extremely small arachnid. Lyme’s infections in Iowa have gone up from 8 in 1993 to 119 in 2007. Most of the infections in Iowa are in the northeast corner.
Lyme disease is most commonly transmitted to humans through the bite of a deer tick infected with the Borrelia b. bacterium. It may affect the skin, nervous system, heart and joints. Anyone can get Lyme disease, especially if they spend long amounts of time outdoors in areas where infected ticks are found or have pets that are outside.
Lyme disease usually starts (68�as a large circular red rash at or near the site of the tick bite. The rash may increase in size and can eventually look like a "bull's eye" with a clear center. Often, the rash is overlooked or not identified. Other flu-like symptoms may be present, including fever, headache, fatigue, stiff neck, muscle and joint pain (33� These usually begin within a few days to a month after the tick bite and can last for several weeks. Some symptoms can last for years if the infection is left untreated. Treatment is with antibiotics. Cure is likely if the infection is diagnosed early. See your physician if you develop a rash and/or have flu-like symptoms after being in a tick-infested area.
The best way to prevent Lyme disease is to avoid being bitten. To protect yourself, follow these tips:
• Wear light colored clothing with long sleeves and pants. Tuck pants into socks. • Apply an insect repellent containing DEET (no higher than 15�oncentration for children and 30�or adults), Picaridin 5 -10�which has a very low toxicity rating, though does not last as long and may not be as effective on ticks as DEET), oil of lemon, eucalyptus or IR3535. Permethrin is a repellant that can only be applied to clothing, not to exposed skin. • Stay on trails when walking or hiking and avoid high grass. • Check for ticks every two to three hours while outdoors in tick areas. • After an outing, check yourself, your children, and your pets. Areas ticks prefer most include the back of the knee, armpit, scalp, groin, and back of the neck. • Remove any attached tick using fine-point tweezers (don't use bare hands) or, a specialized tick remover available at Winneshiek County Public Health for $3.00. If you have tweezers, grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull it straight out. Don't twist, prick, burn, or squeeze the tick during removal. Do not use a burnt match, or nail polish to remove them. Wash the site with soap and water and apply antiseptic.
Ticks may be sent in for species identification only (not to see if they have Lyme Disease). Place tick in plastic bag with a tissue and one to two drops of water, seal, place in envelope with your name, address, and phone number and mail to: Iowa State University, Department of Entomology, 440 Science II, Ames, IA 50011-3240.
If you have further questions, call Winneshiek County Public Health at 563-382-4662. On the web at http://www.winneshiekhealth.org
Beat the Heat!!
Temperatures and heat indexes are high. Use the following measures to prevent heat related illnesses such as heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps and sunburn. • NEVER leave a person or animal in a closed, parked vehicle. • During extreme heat, stay indoors, preferably in an air-conditioned building. If air conditioning is not available in the building or home, try to spend a few hours a day in a library or shopping mall that is air-conditioned. Other ways to help stay cool include using an electric fan (if the temperature is in the high 90’s, fans will not prevent heat related issues) and taking a cool shower or bath. • Drink plenty of fluids, but avoid drinks with alcohol, caffeine or large amounts of sugar. Drink lots of water. • For those who must be out in the heat, limit activity to the morning and evening hours when it is cooler, drink plenty of fluids and stay in the shade when possible. Try to cut down on exercise if able. • To protect from sun exposure, wear a hat and use a sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher. Check on elderly neighbors, friends 1-2x/day if they have no air conditioning.
Contact Winneshiek County Public Health at 563-382-4662 for more information on heat related illnesses or visit www.cdc.gov
Keep these three points in mind when you encounter wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa)
Everyone can get it. Unlike poison ivy, you don't need to be sensitized by a prior exposure. Wild parsnip causes a non-allergic dermatitis that can occur with the right combination of plant juice and sunlight exposure afterwards. The burn and blister will develop in 24 to 48 hours.
You can touch and brush against the plant -- carefully -- without harm. Parsnip is only dangerous when the juice gets on skin from broken leaves or stems. Fair-skinned people, however, may be extra-sensitive to tiny amounts of juice. It leaves a brown mark which blisters and then a scar the size of the blister.
Mission Statement: To promote, preserve, enhance and protect the health and well-being of all persons in the community... realizing that HEALTH CARE is the fundamental right of every human being without distinction because of race, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, mental or physical disability, social or financial status.
