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Elbert County Public Health outlines clinic expansion, staffing and community programs
Summary
Acting public health director Sarah McIntosh briefed commissioners on staffing, clinic services, vital records issuance, well-water permitting and community mental-health initiatives during the board’s Jan. 22 Board of Health session.
Sarah McIntosh, acting director of Elbert County Public Health, presented a quarterly update at the board’s Jan. 22 meeting covering staffing, clinical services, environmental-health permitting, vital records issuance and community health programs.
McIntosh said the public-health clinic currently operates part time with two nurse practitioners—one pediatric and one family nurse practitioner—and that the department contracts with LabCorp and Quest for blood draws. Primary services include same-day sick visits, well visits, immunizations, CDL/DOT exams, and drug-and-alcohol testing. Cash-pay clinic visits were described as typically $20, with more complex lab testing up to about $100 depending on the tests requested.
Staffing updates included a newly hired environmental health specialist (Marissa Ginger), a health educator (Lisa Healthseth), administrative assistant (Iris), and a finance/grant manager (Teresa Klaus) whose time is shared with human services. McIntosh said the department is recruiting a new medical director (contract position) to provide up to about 15 hours of annual consultative service.
Environmental health activity and on-site wastewater (OWTS) permitting were reviewed; McIntosh said permitting numbers rose during renovation trends and have since stabilized. The department also resumed issuing vital records in 2021 and has seen growth in that program’s revenue. Community outreach work includes mental-health first-aid training, coffee-and-chat community gatherings, quarterly blood drives and collaboration with CSU Extension on suicide-prevention billboards.
McIntosh said the county will receive Board of Health training from CDPHE via the COTrain platform and will notify commissioners when modules are available.
Ending: McIntosh invited commissioners to contact the department with questions and said staff will provide follow-up materials, including fee schedules and clinic statistics, as requested.
