Talking Health with the Clinton County Health Department

We get it. The topic of STIs ( sexually transmitted infections ) is often something we’d rather avoid. It can be as awkward as a bumble date where they looked nothing like their picture. But the reality is, STIs are far more common than we think, and getting informed is the best way to protect ourselves and others. Whether you’re in a committed relationship, casually dating, or in a situationship, understanding STIs is an important part of taking care of your health. To help us dive in, we have Nichole Louis, Director of Health Care Services at CCHD. Nichole has been a registered nurse for over 25 years and has led CCHD’s communicable disease investigation team for the past 9 years. When a Clinton County resident tests positive for an STI, Nichole’s team connects with their provider to ensure anyone exposed can be tested and/or treated early and the risk of further spread is eliminated. Nichole, I know they can often be silent – or show no symptoms, but when it comes to STI’s what s...

If someone told you that doing two things could add years on to your life, would you do them? Well each of us can take two actions that reduce our risk of developing and dying from the most common types of cancer. One, make efforts to reduce harmful everyday habits that increase your risk of certain cancers (things like quitting smoking, reducing alcohol consumption, being at a healthy weight, exercising, eating right, etc.) Two, follow the guidelines for recommended cancer screenings . The way I see it, cancer screenings are the equivalent of working smarter, not harder. Early detection through screening reduces the likelihood you will die from cancers of the breast, cervix, colon and rectum (colorectal), prostate, and lung. Some screenings can even prevent cancers by finding and treating precancerous cells or lesions. A screening early, can save stress, money, and time later – and time can mean years added on to your life. This month, we are talking to Colleen Jackson, Community Out...

During a Q&A session at a community presentation last week, I was asked, “how does Clinton County stack up, health-wise, against other communities?” Now statistically we can say, we are better at this measure or worse at this one, but overall how do we know? How do you go about giving a community of almost 80,000 residents, spanning over 1,000 square miles a report card? Answer, a community health assessment (CHA). This month we are putting our usual host in the hot seat. Instead of asking the questions, Molly Flynn, Principal Public Health Educator at CCHD, will be answering them. Molly joined CCHD in 2018 and has been involved in three out of four iterations of the community health assessment resident survey. She is going to walk us through what the assessment is, why we need it, how we make sure it’s a good representation of our community, and more. Molly, we will start with an easy one. What is a community health assessment? A community health assessment, or CHA, is a snaps...

Every second, of every day, an older adult falls. Falls are the leading cause of injuries (both fatal and nonfatal) for older adults. As an elder-millennial – my mind can’t help but go to “help I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” . While not all falls are a LifeAlert© emergency, we want to do everything we can to avoid even minor falls. Falls, with or without injury, can alter someone’s quality of life or even make them more likely to experience another fall. Which makes taking steps to reduce the risk of a fall extremely important. This month, we are talking to Rachel Pierce, Public Health Sanitarian with CCHD’s Healthy Neighborhoods Program about ways to change someone’s home environment to make daily activities easier, reduce accidents (including falls), and support independent living. Rachel, we often think of age as the only factor that can increase someone’s risk of a fall, but what else can play a roll? You’re right, age is a factor that can increase someone’s risk of a fall, bu...

The holiday season brings with it nostalgia, excitement, joy and (sometimes) comfort. Let’s face it, it’s hard not to feel something when the neighborhood is lit up at night. Combine high expectations, with loneliness, stress or grief and it is no longer the most wonderful time of the year. In fact, NAMI reports that 24% of people with mental illness report the holidays make their conditions worse. Now, the holiday blues are different from mental illness, but even short-term mental health problems need to be taken seriously. They can lead to bigger things down the road. With us fresh off of Thanksgiving and the delight (and dysfunction) that can bring, this month we enlisted the help of our friend Richelle Gregory. Richelle is the Director of Community Services at Clinton County Mental Health and Addiction Services. Richelle, what make the holidays a difficult time for so many of us? The holiday season brings on additional stress for many of us. Family commitments, financial pressu...

The worst part about being an adult has to be the endless cycle of meal planning, shopping, preparing and cleaning up after preparing meals. I had no idea I would spend so much of my adult life thinking about what my family was going to eat. Add in the cost of food and it’s enough to keep you up at night. Did you know Clinton County’s food insecurity rate was almost 12% in 2020? And think about how much the cost of living has changed since then. Nutrition security means having consistent and equitable access to healthy foods, having them available in our stores, having them be affordable to us and knowing what to do with them. If our family is missing even one of those pieces, it can make us food or nutrition insecure. CCHD is working with local partners to try and combat the roadblocks our families face every day while trying to feed their families. In 2022, we created a Food Action Plan with local partners to set goals, priorities, actions and strategies intended to strengthen the l...