‘Public health focuses on community as a whole’

Kathy Haskins, director, Lapeer County Health Dept.

LAPEER TWP. — The Lapeer County Health Dept., located at 1800 Imlay City Road in Lapeer Township, has a number of services under its umbrella, but they all have one thing in common — functioning for the best interests of public health as a whole in Lapeer County.

“While we do work with individuals, public health focuses on the community as a whole,” said director Kathy Haskins.

Services out of the health department include immunizations, which are designed to reduce the risk and spread of vaccine-preventable diseases in the community; environmental health, which includes things such as well, septic and restaurant inspections; and senior services, which isn’t typically something that is housed under a health department, but it is here in Lapeer County.

Immunizations are one of the main focuses of the public health nursing division of the health department’s operations because, said Haskins, “the more people who are immune to an illness, the less likely it is to spread.”

The Lapeer County Health Dept. is located at 1800 Imlay City Road, between Morris and Maple Grove roads, in Lapeer Township. Photo by Krystal Moralee

The immunizations department is not intended to be a replacement for one’s regular physician, but they do have the ability to look up an individual’s vaccination history and advise whether there are any vaccines which are recommended or overdue. They also can offer certain vaccines. For information, call 810-667-0448.

Communicable diseases are another facet of the public health nursing division — and while it might seem quiet until there’s public notice of an outbreak, behind the scenes there is a lot more investigation than meets the eye.

“There are all kinds of different outbreaks that we explore,” said Haskins.

The nursing division can take a hit in the public eye at times, as community members may feel as if they are prying but they are actually just trying to figure out the source and potential spread of an outbreak, as well as ways to prevent them in the future. Investigations can include things like meningitis, animal-related diseases, influenza, tuberculosis, measles, foodborne illnesses, rabies exposure and more.

They also assist the hospital and long-term care facilities with infection prevention and control, assist the schools if they have questions about an illness that has been detected or need help in creating informational releases for parents, and educate the public when necessary about an outbreak.

The health department also administers additional services for women and children, including WIC, which is nutrition education for pregnant women and mothers with children up to age 5 who qualify by income; food supplemental coupons; and children’s special healthcare services, which assists families with children who have been diagnosed with serious illnesses with obtaining medication, equipment, care and more.