It is National Public Health Week and there are lots of services that Greene County Public Health provides.

GCPH Director Shelby Cooklin says one of the more popular community engagement activities is Healthy Rides Cooklin details that volunteer drivers assist individuals with their medical appointments at Greene County Medical Center or McFarland Clinic in Jefferson. 

“We offer one way rides or we can offer round trip rides. So, we’ll take you to your appointment and then we’ll pick you up when you’re done. We’ve offered close to 1,000 rides, just one way (last year). So it’s a pretty well used service and we do prefer if people can call and give us at least a 24 hour advance of when they’re going to need a ride that way we have time to line up drivers.”   

Cooklin points out other services that Greene County Public Health provides include dental and lead screenings for newborns to three year olds, immunizations, emergency preparedness and a loan closet, where people can rent for free of some medical equipment that is needed on a temporary basis, but with a deposit fee that is returned after the equipment is dropped off. She assures that the items people use from the loan closet are in top shape.

“Our equipment that we have is inspected regularly. It’s cleaned, every time it comes back, cleaned and sanitized. And we do regular checks of our equipment to make sure that it’s all in working order and that there’s nothing that is cracked or broken or that could cause harm to anyone.”

Cooklin mentions that the different programs they also conduct are Stop the Bleed and CPR training, and KEYS to Dementia Prevention. She states that they are also a coordinator for several other programs including the Early Presumption Eligibility for Medicaid for children, Lifeline, and Hawki for health insurance for those under 19 years old. 

Cooklin appreciates her staff for their time and effort toward making Greene County Public Health safe, effective and a helpful asset to the county. Her staff includes three registered nurses: Deb Hoskins, Libby Nelson and Lindsay Jacobs. The office clerk is Judy Murphy and the office manager is Anne Carstens.