Wadena County Commissioners: Citizens want “friendly” zoning ordinance
by Trinity Gruenberg
trinity@inhnews.com
The Wadena County Commissioners held a work session at the Sebeka Senior Center on Tuesday, May 9.
Public Health Annual Report
Public Health Director Erica Keppers reviewed the highlights of Public Health in 2022.
Vaccinations included 63 routine, 1079 COVID-19 and 371 influenza. Since December 2020, they have administered 4712 people Moderna COVID-19 vaccinations. They provided 149 Directly Observed Therapy for Tuberculosis, including one active case. There were 40 car seats distributed. There were 156 Child and Teen Checkups, early childhood screenings; and 320 WIC participants and 25 essential service requests for groceries. With the public health crisis coming to an end, there will be in-person visits again for WIC in August. They have radon test kits.
Their 2023 budget is $1,316,995 and much is grant funded. Public Health had 16 new grants for 2023 including $68,037 for five years, for staff training and retention, and a suicide prevention grant of $100,000 annually for five years.
They are also waiting to hear back on other grants, such as the Stop Act Grant to reduce alcohol use among youth and young adults.
Keppers is co-chair of the state infectious disease continuous improvement board. They are working on rewriting the outdated framework. . .