1117 Center Street, PO Box 543
New Ulm, MN 56073-0543
Home
Employment
Special Interests
Department Directory
Cities/Town
Maps
Home
Employment
Special Interests
Department Directory
Cities/Town
Maps  |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
|
Public Health
Main Menu |
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
WHAT'S
NEW IN PUBLIC HEALTH
|
|||||
|
|
|
|||
WHAT'S NEW IN PUBLIC HEALTH
Welcome to Public Health!
If we would ask 100 people in Brown County to describe the work of Brown County Public Health, we would likely get 100 different answers. Each tends to understand what Public Health is from previous experiences or from what others have told them.
Actually, Public Health is one of the many departments of county government, dedicated to Protecting, Promoting and Improving the Health of ALL persons in Brown County! Government has a responsibility to protect the public's health in areas such as disease prevention and control. That responsibility includes assessing the overall health of groups and individuals in Brown County through health data collection and analysis; assuring that all persons have access to needed health services and resources; and enacting policies and ordinances to promote the public's health. All persons living in the county benefit from the services of the Public Health department.
Public Health looks at the world in a different way than other health care organizations. We focus on "groups" or "populations" of people with similar health risks and needs in the county, and look to do "the greatest good for the greatest numbers" with the funds available. For example, annual vision and hearing screening for all school children is a quick and efficient way of identifying children who may have vision or hearing problems from those who do not. Children with possible problems are referred to health professionals for proper treatment and will learn better in school with improved vision and hearing.
"Prevention of disease, injury or disability" is a part of everything we do in Public Health. That includes educating people about how to protect your family from illnesses such as West Nile Virus or Lymes Disease, how to properly install car safety seats to prevent possible injuries of children while riding in vehicles , or working with youth to prevent tobacco use or other risk behaviors. Today, it also means preparing the community for responding to pandemic influenza or other infectious disease agents that may impact our entire community.
Public Health Nurses are Registered Nurses with a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing, and make up the greatest numbers of Public Health workers in our state. There are also Registered Nurses, Environmental Health Sanitarians, Home Health Aides, Homemakers and many support staff who work in Public Health for Brown County.
Local Public Health is like a public road, in a sense. We don't really appreciate it or notice it when it is in good repair. However, when a pothole develops, we all realize it. Just like roads are essential for communities to carry on everyday business, so public health activities provide services that keep the population healthy and protect the quality of life in the county. Call us for more information at (507) 233-6820 or toll free at 1 (888) 359-2809.