Shelby Co. Health Administrator urges that the public's health must be top priority

SHELBINA, MO -- Audrey Gough, who has been the Administrator of the Shelby County Health Department for more than 30 years, stated to the Home Press on April 2nd, that the biggest priority we all should have at this moment is the health of everyone. "Our primary focus right now has got to be everyone staying at home and only getting out for those essential needs," stated Gough. Moving forward, Administrator Gough also stressed the importance of Federal, State, and Local governments working in coordination with health officials and experts to make sure that the public is receiving an accurate, cohesive, and consistent message regarding the virus and preventive measures. Gough went on to state, "If we don't come to the public with the same message and with the same urgency, then this is going to explode in our rural areas." To make sure that the same message is being communicated to the public and for the virus to be addressed, Gough stressed the importance of working as a team from legislative partners, local public health agencies, to experts in the field of epidemiology and virology.

Providing a timeline of initial outreach/coordination from government officials, Administrator Gough stated that in the week of March 16th, US Senator Roy Blunt, US Senator Josh Hawley, US Representative Sam Graves, and State Representative Louis Riggs all reached out making sure that the county health department has adequate resources to aid in responding to the pandemic. Gough also included that yesterday, April 2nd, State Senator Cindy O'Laughlin reached out to the Shelby Co. Health Department inquiring about federal dollars coming to the local level while making sure that rural counties get adequate funding. On March 6th, the first case of the virus was reported in Missouri. On March 24th, the first positive case of COVID-19 was announced in Shelby County. As of 2 p.m. yesterday, the State of Missouri is reporting 1,834 confirmed cases of COVID-19 along with 19 deaths.

Promote, prevent, and protect. In conclusion, Gough reiterated the top priority at hand by stating, "Our job as Public Health is to Promote a healthy lifestyle - get plenty of rest, wash your hands, cover your cough, get some exercise. Prevent Disease – wash your hands, cover your cough, stay home if your sick, and Protect the health of our residents – PLEASE STAY HOME: SHELTER IN PLACE! Since we do not have a vaccine or an antiviral regime, these 3 points are going to save the most lives. This virus isn’t going away without a fight. So let’s ALL work together to make sure we have our best defensive plan in place. PUBLIC HEALTH." Administrator Gough encourages anyone who has questions about the virus, public messaging, etc. to contact the Shelby County Health Department. You can visit the website of the department by clicking on the following link: http://shelbycountyhealth.com/

Most recently, both the North Shelby and South Shelby School Districts extended school closure until April 30th. To the west, Macon R-1 announced on April 2nd that school will be closed for the remainder of the regular school year.