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Broadwater County public health reports busy flu/COVID season, services and no free home tests
Summary
Public Health Director Ruby Taylor said the county has administered about 143 flu/COVID vaccines in the last two weeks, is running community flu clinics, has open capacity in its skilled nursing program but not homemaker services, and no longer has free home COVID tests because the state discontinued that program.
Ruby Taylor, director of the Broadwater County Public Health Department, told commissioners the department is handling a busy start to the seasonal flu and COVID vaccination period and described available services.
Taylor said the department administered roughly 143 flu and COVID vaccines over the prior two weeks and held two off-site flu clinics at local pharmacies that vaccinated 12 people at the first clinic and 11 at the second. “We are in full swing of flu and COVID season,” Taylor said, and added the county does not have any active COVID cases that she was aware of at that time.
Taylor described in-home programs the health department provides. The homemaker program is full, she said, but the skilled services program has capacity and can provide medication setup, basic wound care and short-term foot care. Those skilled services require a physician's order and can be arranged for short-term needs, she said: “If someone just needs, like, a couple weeks of [care],” the department can accommodate them.
On testing, Taylor said the state discontinued the program that provided free home COVID tests, and Broadwater County no longer has free home tests to distribute. She encouraged residents seeking vaccines, clinic dates or other public-health resources to call the health department and schedule appointments when possible so staff can verify insurance and arrange nursing coverage.
Taylor said the department has lots of other free materials and services available and welcomed residents to stop by the office for more information.
No formal actions or votes related to public health were recorded during the update.
