What’s happening at the Health Department the week of April 4th –

Happy Public Health week! Public Health is where you are – physically, mentally and socially affecting our health and our lives. We can all work together to make our communities healthier and safer for all. Public health focuses not just on what we can do as individuals, but what we can do as a community to protect and prioritize the health of our county as a whole.

The Macon County Health Department is here to offer services to help improve the health of all residents of Macon County. Our knowledgeable staff are your public health experts who are here to answer questions or discuss concerns on any topic of public health.

We will be holding a public health open house on Wednesday, April 6th from 8-10 am with free cholesterol and blood sugar screenings (you must be fasting), free blood pressure checks, healthy snacks, the smoothie bike and information about our health department services. We hope to see you there!

We will be sharing information about all of our Health Department services throughout the week on our Facebook page.

1. COVID-19 vaccine clinic – Thursday, April 7th. We have Moderna, Pfizer and J&J vaccines available for initial, second, and booster doses. Booster doses are available for ages 12 and up, 5 months after the initial series is completed for Moderna and Pfizer and a second booster was just approved for 4 months after your first booster. We know the correct information about boosters, so if you have any questions or to schedule an appointment – give us a call. Vaccines are by appointment, call us at 660-395-4711 or request an appointment online at www.maconmohealth.org/appointment

2. WIC – certifications on Monday and pick-ups on Tuesday.

a. Another temporary increase to the fruit and vegetable voucher was approved through September 2022. This increase allows families on WIC to get more money to buy fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables each month! If you have already received April’s WIC benefits, you will have to come back to the office as soon as possible. Unfortunately we cannot change benefits for April if you have used any of your benefits for this month, but we can get your card updated for May. The increase goes from normal amount of $9-$11 to:

i. $24 per month for children

ii. $43 per month for pregnant women, some and non- breastfeeding women

iii. $47 per month for exclusively breastfeeding women

iv. $70.50 per month for exclusively breastfeeding women of multiples

3. Breastfeeding Support Group – Tuesday, April 5th at 3:30. Open to all pregnant and breastfeeding moms who would like to connect to other moms or are looking for support during their breastfeeding journey.

4. Immunizations

a. Adult immunizations: flu, pneumonia, shingles, tdap, tetanus, COVID-19

b. Childhood immunizations to protect against preventable disease. This is a great time to make up missed immunizations or get ahead on required back-to-school immunizations. Our nurses are our vaccine experts and can take a look at your child’s immunization records to get them up to date. We are able to bill most insurance and have VFC vaccine available for individuals who are uninsured or underinsured.

5. Clinical: blood draws, blood pressure checks, allergy injections, ear cleaning and more.

**Looking Ahead - We will be having a CPR/First Aid/AED training on April 19th at 9 am if you are interested in learning the life-saving skill and earning your certification. There are only 8 spots available, it costs $40 per person. You must register in advance.

Our staff is very knowledgeable on all aspects of public health and we are here to help! If you have any questions or concerns, give us a call and we can help answer them: 660-395-4711