CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – On Wednesday, October 30th, Linn County Board of Health and Linn County Board of Supervisors released the Linn County Public Health FY13 Annual Report. The release was part of the joint meeting between the Linn County Board of Health and Linn County Board of Supervisors. During the meeting the Health Director Pramod Dwivedi highlighted the successes and challenges of public health in Linn County over the fiscal past year (July 2012 to June 2013).
Director Dwivedi discussed many of the accomplishments LCPH achieved this past year and the important role LCPH and other public health partners play in protecting community health. “Public health monitors food, water and air quality, prevents the spread of communicable disease, and supports people’s efforts to live healthier lifestyles. All of these services help ensure Linn County’s children and adults are healthier,” Mr. Dwivedi said.
Highlights from this year’s report include that LCPH has forged significant partnerships with community organizations and stakeholders, implemented many successful activities and programs, and increased its capacity for data collection and analysis. For example, LCPH:
• Expanded its breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening programs to cover more counties and increased its immunization outreach to every school district in Linn County.
• Partnered with the City of Cedar Rapids to receive a $2.5 million federal grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to protect children and families from the hazards of lead-based paint and other sources.
• Continued its work with local industry and business to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local environmental health rules. In 2013, this included working with over 1,300 retail food establishments and 300 hundred industrial and commercial sources of air pollution
• Partnered with the Area Substance Abuse Council to increase the availability of smoke-free apartment buildings and worked with local governments to make areas more walkable and bikeable.
The joint Linn County Board of Health and Board of Supervisors meeting has occurred annually since 2009. In Iowa, County Boards of Health are appointed by the County Board of Supervisors and have responsibility for overseeing the health of the public within their jurisdiction by assessing needs, setting health goals and priorities, communicating public health information, developing policy to protect the public’s health and enforcing reasonable rules and regulations to improve the health of residents.
The FY13 Linn County Public Health Annual Report is available to the public online at www.linncounty.org/health. For additional updates, residents can also like LCPH on Facebook and follow LCPH on Twitter.
ABOUT LINN COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH: LCPH’s mission is to prevent disease and injuries, promote healthy living, protect the environment and ensure public health preparedness. Its vision is a healthier Linn County. LCPH consists of 5 divisions: Assessment and Health Promotion, Clinical Services, Environmental Public Health, Laboratory Services, and Administrative Services.
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