Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Health Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Health department wins CMS revalidation, expands lactation, safe-sleep and car-seat services amid building repairs
Summary
Health Department Administrator Amelia March reported completion of the county’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services revalidation, a Gold‑level breastfeeding workplace designation, and the start of a billable lactation consultation service while describing grant‑funded safe‑sleep and car‑seat programs and ongoing warranty repairs at the department’s renovated facility.
Health Department Administrator Amelia March told the county commission the department has completed the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services revalidation and received a Gold‑level workplace breastfeeding designation from the Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition for Coffee County government facilities.
March said the CMS revalidation “was a pretty lengthy process” and that the county’s Gold‑level breastfeeding designation covers county government buildings and recognizes lactation space and supports the department recently renovated. “We have a registered nurse that just completed her certified lactation consultation certificate,” March said, identifying the nurse as Susie Stroven. The department is billing insurers where appropriate and offering services including prenatal lactation education, breast pump fittings, infant weight checks, lactation troubleshooting, mood‑disorder screenings and referrals. March said some items and supports are grant funded and “available free for patients who attend or who schedule these appointments.”
March also reported the department’s certified safe‑sleep instructor, Sheila Lane, is providing infant safe‑sleep education and that successful participants may receive a free portable crib (pack‑and‑play) and age‑appropriate swaddles, also provided through grant funding. Chelsea Sowder, the department’s certified car‑seat technician, continues to offer education and limited grant‑funded car seats for eligible families.
The health department’s seasonal flu‑vaccine plan was also described: the department is scheduling employee clinics that bill insurance first and use wellness funds to cover remaining costs, and is offering public flu vaccines by appointment and at library and business visits during October and November.
March reviewed Environmental Health activity: four wastewater lagoon permits, two septic tank permits and several site approvals and inspections. The department is working with economic development on a water and wastewater study tied to a local development and has initiated private well testing services for landowners, March said.
March described several construction and warranty issues at the health department facility. She said manufacturer representatives and BG Consultants inspected delaminating doors and validated the problem; the doors remain under warranty and replacement is under review. Exit‑sign testing revealed at least one failed sign which the contractor will correct and which may require an electrician to ensure generator backup functions. She reported a bulge in LVT flooring in a patient hallway that poses a trip risk and said the contractor will repair it. March also documented leaking window sills at the interface with countertops; contractors have proposed enlarging drainage weep holes but March said she is awaiting further analysis and photos showing bubbling caulking. She asked for commissioner assistance if needed to get contractors on site.
March closed by thanking commissioners and said she will return if the department needs assistance to get warranty work completed.
No formal county action was taken on program or capital items during the update; the board heard the report and offered to help secure contractor attention if necessary.
