Jackson County Public Health Making a Difference One Step at a Time

~Written by Andrea Kyser, Banner Journal Editor. Published in the December 13, 2023, Banner Journal.

Jackson County is lucky to have resources available for the community, but it’s not every day that a department receives recognition for their hard work and determination.

This year, the Office of Rural Health recognized community heroes who have made an impact on health in their rural communities. National Rural Health Day provides an opportunity to acknowledge the work being done on the ground in these communities.

Jackson County is home to over 21,000 people. Just 10 of those people make up the Jackson County Public Health Department (JCPH), which promotes a healthy, strong community for Jackson County through prevention, education, preparedness, and partnership.

Jackson County Public Health is made up of a team of 10. In November, they received recognition for their work and determination in making Jackson County healthy and safe. Pictured (front left to right) are staff Amy Gunderson, Nikki Clark, and manager Tammy Handly. (back left to right) Amelia Leis, Heidi Krenz, Dawn Jacobson, Maggie Lass, and Kathy Rumsey. Not pictured are Liberty Belter and Ben Rodenberg.

Jackson County Interfaith Volunteers and Caregivers executive director, Lori Chown, was proud to nominate the local department. “JCPH continues to grow and serve our community, working on prevention and intervention programs to strengthen the health of our community,” shared Chown. “They continually evaluate ways to bring our community partners together to evaluate community needs and opportunities to improve our overall health, by focusing on prevention, education, preparedness, and partnership. Even through COVID-19, this agency thrived and enhanced partnerships during a very difficult time. They respected the diversity of our community and found ways to navigate unprecedented circumstances. We are proud to partner with this agency and extremely appreciative for their dedication.”

JCPH values togetherness, empowerment, acceptance, and moving forward with future planning and continuous improvement.

“One of the most significant barriers to serving rural populations is identifying where gaps exist,” shared Jackson County Public Health manager and health officer Tammy Handly. “JCPH recently completed a Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan to help identify these gaps. Moving forward, JCPH will be working with community members and local organizations on the identified priorities form the assessment and plan.”

The department received the Community Hero Recognition Award from the Office of Rural Health back in November. They continue to work every day with the sole priority revolving around bettering the health of the community.

“This is truly an honor, and our public health team is grateful for the recognition,” expressed Handly. “Our team expresses appreciation to Jackson County Interfaith for taking the thought and time in nominating us. Our rural communities face some of the greatest health care challenges in the country, and JCPH would not be able to do the work they do without our community members and local organizations. This recognition is just another way to show how important our rural communities truly are.”

JCPH has evolved through the years. February 1, 1971, Verna Larson, RN, started as Jackson County’s first county nurse after Jackson County was identified as the last county in Wisconsin to not have a local health department. Larson was a one-woman show and attempted to serve all parts of the county by planning and developing health programs. In her annual report, she contributed her success to, “several organized groups, health committee members, school nurses, and other interested citizens who have given freely of their time in the interest of promoting health for the people of Jackson County.” In 1971, the staff of JCPH included Verna Larson, RN, county medical advisor Dr. Robert Krohn, and county dental advisor Dr. Donald Delebo.

Since 1971, JCPH has expanded. To date, the department spreads awareness with their health promotion in chronic disease prevention, substance misuse prevention, injury prevention and community education. Along with prevention, the department specializes in healthy families with their WIC program, Birth to Three program, Child Car Seat program, and maternal child health. A person that visits the department will see a group of professionals who work with communicable diseases, provide immunizations, and childhood lead poisoning. While working with all health aspects in the community, the department is also responsible for environmental health, which includes licensing and inspections, food handler’s certification, water supply and well water testing, and healthy homes. JCPH features a water testing lab within their department as well.

“JCPH will continue to devote our lives and careers to help heal, rebuild, and make Jackson County the healthiest and safest county in which to live, learn, work, and play,” shared the Jackson County Public Health team.