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Hardin County health officials report service increases, WIC expansion to Fort Knox
Summary
Lincoln Trail District Health Department reported higher clinic visits, new adult vaccine services and expanded WIC access including an on-post agreement with Fort Knox; officials also flagged temporary drops in some reported education visits caused by staffing and phone-based service delivery.
Sarah Jo Best, public health director for the Lincoln Trail District Health Department, told the Hardin County Fiscal Court on June 10 that many public-health service lines have grown compared with the prior year.
Best said fiscal-year-25 numbers through April show total clinic visits already exceeding the full prior fiscal year and that environmental inspections and hands visits were each “just right at 3,000.” She also highlighted program details and short-term reporting effects tied to staffing: “For a period of time we were short on nursing staff and so we were doing some of the WIC benefits issued by phone…when we do that it doesn't count in our service numbers as education visits,” she said.
The district runs on a July 1–June 30 fiscal year and the figures Best presented covered a 12-month FY24 baseline and FY25 through April. The health department reported 2,724 WIC enrollments with 2,658 currently participating; 517 immunization appointments (resulting in 892 immunizations) after an adult vaccine program began in September; and a rise in tuberculosis-related services after expanding PPD skin testing availability.
Best described several operational details, including how the health department classifies and removes unsafe food: “pounds of adulterated food product…this year we're at 462 pounds removed.” She also said the department has distributed 1,392 Narcan kits through 12 Narcan boxes in Hardin County this fiscal year and that the office fielded roughly 196,000 incoming calls districtwide through April.
Best told the court the health department has an executed memorandum of agreement with Fort Knox to provide WIC services on post for active military families and residents of on-post housing; the agreement cleared state and federal review and was expected to begin in June. She described the department’s mobile unit, community partnerships with organizations such as Warm Blessings and Goodwill, and prevention programs with local schools and medical providers.
Court members thanked Best and her staff for outreach and communications work; the presentation noted Melissa Phillips handles public relations for the district. Best closed by reminding the court of the public-health department’s digital resources including its website, social media and a mobile app that lists mobile-unit schedules.
The presentation was informational; no formal action was taken by the court on the public-health report.
