WNIN is launching a monthly conversation in partnership with both local health departments that serve much of the listening area. WNIN’s Tim Jagielo spoke with both Merritt Bates-Thomas, the Health Education Director and Public Information Officer with the Green River Health District, and Lynn Herr, the Director of Clinical & Outreach Divisions at the Vanderburgh County Health Department about their organizations and National Public Health Week.
Note: Above audio is the long version of the interview. The broadcast feature is available in the web post as well.
Timothy Jagielo
Both of you — one at a time — share the overall role of your agencies. And maybe you can also talk about how they're similar and how they might be different.
Merritt Bates-Thomas
Okay, well, Green River District Health Department serves seven counties in Western Kentucky, Davis, Hancock, Henderson, McLean, Ohio Union and Webster. The overarching goal of public health is to promote, protect and prevent. Those three things — promoting health and wellness, safe communities, preventing disease and serious chronic conditions and protecting the public. Most notably, I think, if we think back over the last several years protect came to the forefront with protecting folks from COVID-19.
TJ
And Lynn — what's your area?
Lynn Herr
so Vanderburgh County, so we serve all of Vanderburgh County. But then we also partner and give services to all of the district, which is 10 counties, which goes from Posey up to Knox over to Martin County and down to Perry County, with certain services. And again, our role is the exact same. But we add one more 'P' to ours and which is 'partner.' And that's what we're doing today. And so on our logo, we added one more 'P' to it. And because it is really important to partner with agencies within your community, or across the river, so that everybody is taken care of, because not one agency can ever support everything that's going on.
TJ
Are there any ways in which your agencies are different? The ways that you function, daily tactics?
LH
I'll take that one. So there are the 10 essential core services for public health. So we're all kind of heading in the same direction and have the same focus to serve the most vulnerable populations and to make sure that our community is healthy. So I don't know that there's a whole lot of differences in between the things that we do, because it's kind of laid out for us and, and as both accredited health departments. We make sure we hit all those core services.
MBT
We do. And I think the key thing, all public health departments are operating under those 10 essential public health services. I think most notably, we're focusing on health equity, assuring that there's access to care, ensuring that the most vulnerable have their needs met, and what we can do to reduce and eliminate those barriers for folks. So that there's a level playing field for all and that ultimately, we have a healthier community, not just a healthier community — when I think of 'community,' growing up here in the region, I think of a healthier tri-state, so we are one big community.
LH
People don't stay on their side of the river.
TJ
What are some short term and long term goals for both your agencies?
MBT
Well, Lynn referred to the fourth 'P' partnership, that's kind of the silent 'P' we focus so much on — promote, protect, prevent. But partnering has been a key goal of ours over the last decade-plus. Well, actually, public health is probably known as the convener and collaborator in a lot of cases. So that's why those partnerships are so important.
We don't want to duplicate services. One of the things we focus on is a Health Needs Assessment, we'll be doing that, again, creating another cycle of health improvement in our region. So looking to see what the actual needs are in the communities we serve, what the interest level is, for the residents. And what they see is those key priorities, long-term goals.
We'll then be doing the work to address those needs within the community, working to meet all the deliverables for all the programs that that we offer through our health department, but then also working to to address the emerging needs within our communities.
LH
And I'm going to ditto that — and I hate to say that, that we're all working on the same things, but we completed our Community Health Needs Assessment a year ago. So right now we are in the the 'improvement' part of of things and making sure that we meet those benchmarks. Like Merritt said, for the most vulnerable to make sure that there's equity.
You know, some of the things that we also work with here locally is our talent EVV group so that we can address some of the inequities within health, like our infant mortality, which is very high that I know we've talked about.
Also transportation — transportation is a huge issue and I know Merritt fights that as well, so that our most vulnerable populations can get to the health care that they need. It's hard in public health to make this initial initial, see this 'oh bump up in two or 3 percent.' So we have to be patient, and we have to take baby steps and celebrate our small successes.
TJ
Well, then you got the health needs assessment completed a year ago. Is there anything that that's that you're changing just briefly, based on that information?
LH
Well, I mean, it kind of changes every time we do one. But it seems that we focus on some of the same things. So for for Vanderburgh County, it is mental health and substance misuse, that we're really focusing on our infant mortality, and then chronic disease, or hypertension, or obesity, or our high smoking rates, all those things are very important. And that's what our community decided it wasn't what the health department decided. It's what our community decided that were the three things that we were going to focus on. And I'm sure that that I was brought in in in Kentucky is is not a whole lot different than what ours is.
MBT
No, in fact, is Lynn was mentioning their key areas are almost identical. And I think the key thing is going into the Health Needs Assessment, it's always interesting to see how the community works to prioritize, and how they really see what is going on, at a very grassroots level within their community. And then in trusting us to begin the work continuing the work to address those needs.
TJ
Well, it is springtime, what are the needs of the community change? When the season changes? Do you have any examples either of you for that?
LH
Once it gets pretty out, everybody gets outside, and we have our mobile services. So we do have a mobile unit that goes out and gives vaccine, not just the COVID vaccine — but all vaccines that all folks need. We also test for sexually transmitted diseases, when there's more festivals, and when there's when there's more folks out and more opportunity. That's when we can really get in front of the community.
They may not know, we have a stop smoking program 'Freedom from Smoking.' They may not know that we have a home visitation for vulnerable populations — to impact infant mortality. There's a lot of things that I tell Merritt, I think we're the best kept secret for healthcare, and meeting the health needs in the community. But when it gets pretty outside, it's a chance to see everybody.
MBT
And I think the key thing too, is the health department does not have to provide a service. But we can be that key linkage to the provider. Many of our programs meet specific needs, for example, our WIC Program for Women, Infants and Children, getting out into the community creating that awareness. It's amazing to realize some people aren't even aware of the program. They don't know it exists. They don't know it provides nutrition education, supplemental foods to meet their nutrition needs, and connects them to valuable community resources as well that they can tap into.
LH
And even meeting other folks that are at health fairs that are at the parades or are all over the place, it's a chance for us to connect with each other. And once we connect and partner, then those referral services just come in so much easier for everybody that that needs them.
MBT
And much as we think we're working together, you mentioned like long range goals. I think another key long range goal, especially emerging after the pandemic, and getting out and working more collaboratively face-to-face.
Again, it's reminding ourselves of how important it is to connect and collaborate. Because the patients we see, the people in our communities, they can benefit from our services, but they can also benefit from the services of partners. People are sensing as our COVID numbers do decrease. It doesn't mean COVID Isn't among us. It still continues to be present, but not at the significant levels. It has been over the last several years.
LH
I think that you know, the hospitals have dropped their masks here locally, everybody's kind of, you know, our numbers are way down. It like like Merritt said, it's never going to kind of go away. This is going to be something that's going to be with us forever. It just changes.
MBT
And it's important to to remember some of the good lessons that we've learned we don't have to stand immediately close to people. When we're waiting in a grocery checkout line. We can distance a bit. We don't need to be on top of each other. washing our hands. If we feel more comfortable wearing a mask because of an immunological compromised situation just for personal reassurance.
Lynn Herr
It's certainly okay. It's socially acceptable now, as it should be.
TJ
its National (Public) Health Week. And so what is the focus for agencies during this week and what Should people know?
MBT
So the theme this year is 'Centering and Celebrating Cultures in Health.' They theme it every year. And each of the seven days, if you go to National Public Health Week, their specific website, you can find the daily themes.
But the key thing in terms of celebrating cultures, is our health habits typically tend to be rooted in our culture; the way we were brought up our community environments, it's based on what we know.
And so as we work to address those health habits, those concerns we have, we have to realize we can't change what we don't know. So the education piece continues to be important. And I think the other key thing is remembering we're learning from each other, respecting each other starting with where we are, and learning from each other to move the health and safety of our communities forward.
LH
And this is also a chance for us to even celebrate internally, I mean, we're doing the same thing and bringing awareness and, and trying to get these stories picked up so that everybody keeps public health in the forefront. But it's also a time for us to celebrate internally, we've got we got hard jobs we do. I think a lot of people don't realize that we do have hard jobs and and so internally, celebrating every day, this next coming week with our co workers, I think is an important strategy to keep everybody energized and retained in their positions.
MBT
And partnering as health departments — it's we're doing today to move that work forward. Because as we've highlighted, the listening area that you serve covers such a broad range of listeners, but they're also from from different areas geographically, but to highlight the fact that we are working together and throughout the pandemic, working behind the scenes together, just to stay on top of things and make sure we weren't missing something.
LH
And because we're both certified with 'public health accredited,' we've been working together for a while. Green River was a couple steps ahead of us a couple years and and they supported us as we went through the accreditation process. And we continue to support each other with these kinds of initiatives, which is really important because we're we're providing the highest level of public health to our to our communities.
TJ
Do you want to talk about anything else with National Health Week — any communications that people are going to be getting? Anything that else that people should know about National Health Week?
MBT
Well, I think one of the key things to think about is that while this is National Public Health Week, public health is happening in our communities, seven days a week, 365 days a year. And this is the one week that set aside to really call attention to it. But it's so important to remember the work we're doing behind the scenes assuring that restaurants are operating safely, that so many resources are available in our community programs tapping into and meeting the needs of young families through some of our home visitation programs, helping them be stronger, more resilient and healthier as a result.
TJ
We mentioned that sometimes health practices are cultural. Do you want to provide any examples of that even the examples?
LH
Well, I mean, even in our black population through COVID. You know, we know that there was a mistrust in which … there should have been. In the past, our black population was used to study special things within health.*
So we have to break down those those barriers, provide education, and then let folks make their own decisions on their health. I know that we try to make sure that that we any program, any services that we provide the health department that they're linguistically appropriate.
So that does mean using a lot of interpretive services, and it's also providing services to folks in which their provider looks like them. So we need to make sure that our hiring practices reflect our community so that we have people from all cultures providing services, because when folks are provided services with someone that looks like them, and someone that speaks like them the level of trust goes up.
MBT
Exactly. And I think to encouraging members of the community to speak up about the needs, they have the things that they see and look to public health as a trusted source. We truly are there to make an impact, to make connections to listen, and to guide people toward healthier lifestyle choices and decisions. But at the same time learning from those folks respecting their cultural backgrounds, and truly learning from them.
TJ
Are there any new initiatives that you're going to be rolling out soon that you'd like to talk about or share?
LH
The Governor's Commission on Public Health that's happening here in Indiana, which is a little bit different. Our funding in between the two states is much different, and Kentucky does fund public health at a higher level than what Indiana did. Our governor put together this commission and actually has legislation that has now passed on to the next chamber that hopefully we will hear about and have final closure on and know the level of funding that will be increased for public health at the end of April.
*Possibly referring to the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis study