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Public health highlights mobile clinic, cancer-screening slots and measles outreach
Summary
Linn County Public Health described ARPA-funded mobile-clinic deployment, added breast and cervical screening slots, and ongoing measles messaging while noting uncertainty about a CDC violence-prevention grant.
Dr. Pramod Dvivedi, director of Linn County Public Health, told supervisors the department is preparing for reaccreditation and focusing on workforce development, preventive screenings, and communicable-disease readiness. "We are very grateful to the board of supervisors for giving us, approximately $500,000 ARPA money, which allowed us to create this nice resource in our community, the mobile health clinic," Dvivedi said, describing the vehicle's role delivering vaccinations and services to schools, daycares and community partners. He and supervisors discussed where the vehicle would be stored when not in use.
Dvivedi said the department is expanding slots for the "Care for Yourself" breast and cervical cancer screening program to about 225 slots and that the department will work with local hospitals and the federally qualified Eastern Iowa Health Center on referrals. He also announced a May 29 presentation by the University of Iowa College of Public Health’s "99 Counties" cancer project, available in person and by Zoom.
On measles preparedness, Dvivedi told the board that public outreach is underway and urged vaccination: "Scenes are the only way to fully protect ourselves from it," he said, adding that herd immunity of about 95% is needed and that vaccination rates have declined in recent years.
Dvivedi said the county is operating two air monitors (ozone, PM2.5 and sulfur dioxide) and provided a recent count of "25 days as we categorise them as good days and 6 days as moderate." He also noted that the CDC-funded violence-prevention grant ($1.25 million over five years) is entering its fourth year and said federal-level staffing changes at the CDC make future funding uncertain.
The health director also reported a $50,000 private-well grant awarded to the county for well testing, abandonment and repairs, and listed ongoing inspections and safety work for food, aquatic facilities and tattoo/tanning operations. Dvivedi asked supervisors to support continued partnerships and noted that refugee services remain paused. The department will pause its strategic-plan process while state and federal program changes play out.
