By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any country can have. In that regard, work at the Barton County Health Department never stops. Tuesday morning, Public Health Director Karen Winkelman opened her presentation to the Barton County Commission with the aforementioned quote from Winston Churchill, then explained what the health department is doing locally to increase services to residents.
"We expanded our operational hours, and we increased that accessibility to meet the community needs, with support of you as the board of health and as commissioners," Winkelman said. "We have a staff meeting every Monday morning from 8-9, and that truly is about the only time our staff is all together in one space, because after that hour, we disseminate and do our programs, activities, and visits, or whatever is required."
The Barton County Health Department is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and from 8 a.m. to noon on Friday. Services are offered during the lunch hour.
"Originally, we had tried some hours and we closed through the lunch hour," said Winkelman. "Surprisingly, my staff said no, we need to be open because it's too hard to turn people away who come in from 12-1, and we don't have nurses available to provide those services."
Winkelman also credited county IT staff for increasing the department's digital outreach. The health department now operates several digital platforms that can be updated with educational material.
"In the past, we would have to have posters pasted to the wall," Winkelman said. "Sometimes, it was hard to keep it updated and make it look nice."
White noise has been added inside the facility to help maintain privacy. Approximately three years ago, the health department purchased a mobile pull-behind camper for outreach services. This year, more than 60 flu vaccines were dispersed to residents around the county who may have otherwise had difficulty getting to Great Bend. Outreach services also extend to area businesses, and once a month, the health department visits Barton Community College for an outreach program.
The health department recently purchased PurpleAir to monitor air quality in the area. Staff is still determining how to use that data, but an update on the health department's page allows residents to compare local air quality to other locations around the state.
Since 2016, the health department has collaborated with the Barton County Sheriff's Office for National Drug Take Back, which is scheduled for this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the west side of the health department at Lakin and Kansas Avenues. To date, the organizations have collected and destroyed nearly 4,000 pounds of unwanted, unused, or expired drugs.