Health center returns to normal activities

The Nodaway County Health Center Board of Trustees met June 15.

After two years of pandemic response due to COVID-19, the health center is finally getting back to its regular programs and activities.

Administrator Tom Patterson said the program billing payments have started coming in from the state. He estimated the center was waiting on approximately $50,000 in program billings.

Tabitha Frank’s May nursing report showed 82 cases of COVID, 14 cases of influenza A and 1 case of influenza B.

The audit is still underway. Patterson said he anticipated the report would be completed by August.

In Patterson’s report, he discussed the Summer Food Services Program contract which has been completed for Nodaway and is being worked on for Atchison. This is done yearly to provide sanitation inspections to any registered summer food services program to help them fulfill the program requirements.

“This is a USDA/DHSS program that supports meal services during the summer when school is out,” he said. “Sadly, many food servers drop out of the program due to reporting and menu requirements, red tape. This program is probably better suited to urban or large facilities where they have staffing available to focus on administering the program.”

On communicable disease, Patterson reported COVID and flu are slow. The health center is providing COVID immunizations as requested, mostly boosters. It is monitoring and keeping up with changes in vaccine availability.

The health center building has not leaked during the recent rains.

There have been issues with an ADT sensor showing errors and resulting in after-hour calls and visits to clear codes. Patterson believes the problem has been resolved.

There have been more confirmed rabies cases in Missouri this year than last. To date there have been six cases, all bats, in Boone, Cole and St. Louis County. Last year, to date, there were two cases.

Total animal heads examined by the state to date have been 634: 236 were dog, zero positives; 115 cats, zero positives; 206 bats, five positives; three skunks, one positive; three horses, zero positives; and 39 raccoons, zero positives.

Patterson also gave out a map showing the monkeypox cases in the US.