The Edgar County Public Health Department was formed by resolution by the Edgar County Board in 1994. The Department operates under the guidance and direction of the Edgar County Board of Health.
Our Staff:
We have a total of 20 staff members working diligently to provide services to the residents of Edgar County:
- (1) Administrator
- (1) Assistant Administrator / Hygienist
- (1) Director of Nursing
- (1) Communicable Disease Registered Nurse
- (1) WIC Registered Nurse
- (1) Health Educator / Registered Nurse
- (1) Part time Breastfeeding Peer Counselor
- (1) Registered Dietician
- (1) WIC Clerk
- (2) Receptionists
- (1) Dentist
- (1) Part time Dentist
- (2) Hygienists
- (1) Dental Clinic Coordinator / Hygienist
- (2) Dental Assistants
- (1) Environmental Sanitarian
- (1) Billing Clerk
Some of our many services:
Breastfeeding Peer Counseling
Car Seat Safety Checks
Communicable Disease – Animal Bite Investigations; Child and Adult Immunizations; Free HIV/Hep C Testing; Lice education and treatment; Laboratory Testing at Reduced Cost; Pregnancy Testing; STI Testing; TB Skin Tests
Dental Services ‐ General Dentistry: Fillings, Extractions, Crowns; Dentures & Partials; Preventative Services: Cleanings, Fluoride, Sealants, Exams & X-rays; Emergency Services; Referrals
Emergency Preparedness & Response
Environmental Health – Food, Well, & Septic Inspections; Food, Gambling, Liquor, Septic, & Tobacco Permits; Food Sanitation Classes; Nuisance Complaints; Water Testing; West Nile Virus Surveillance & Testing; Mosquito Abatement Assistance
Health Education – Tobacco/Vaping/E-cigarettes; Be Proud, Be Responsible (Teen Pregnancy, STIs, Drug/Alcohol Abuse); Oral Health/Dental Hygiene; Brain Power (Drug/Alcohol Abuse); Safety; General Health Topics; Health Fairs and School Presentations; Vision and Hearing Screenings
Illinois Tobacco Free Communities – Smoke-Free Illinois Compliance; Tobacco Cessation (Illinois Tobacco Quitline Referrals); Smoke-Free Outdoor Spaces Initiative
Lead Prevention – Education; Testing; Follow-up Case Management (home visits, nutrition education, counseling)
WIC / Family Case Management – Health and developmental screenings; personalized 1:1 nutrition education and counseling; breastfeeding education and support
Women’s Health Clinic – Annual Exams (Breast/Pelvic); Family Planning; Pregnancy Testing; Contraception; STI Testing; Referrals for Mammograms
We served more than 10,302 clients and presented at 47 different community events and/or schools in 2019, serving Edgar County residents and the surrounding areas. Call or stop by to see what we can do for you!
Our Mission:
To prevent premature death and disease and to increase the quality of life among all residents by promoting the health and wellness of its’ citizens through intervention, public education, and by providing direct health services.
Message from the Board President:
What an unusual and challenging year 2020 was. Obviously the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all of us, but the staff at ECPHD certainly had a unique and unenviable position this year.
I have been honored to continue to serve as President of the Edgar County Board of Health this past year. This board is responsible for overseeing the operations of the Edgar County Public Health Department, while providing direction and support. I must say, I received more calls regarding public health this past year than I ever have before, so I’m sure the staff can say the same.
During 2020, certain ECPHD services may have closed their doors to the public, but that did not mean staff weren’t busy still meeting our community needs. The public looked to ECPHD for guidance in the midst of confusion and chaos. ECPHD went above and beyond, working tirelessly on prevention and protection efforts, while quickly adapting and re-adapting previously offered services to a “new normal.”
In my role as a Hospital CEO, I am well aware of the physical and mental strain COVID-19 placed and continues to place on healthcare staff. This certainly extends to our partners at ECPHD. Janet and her employees, as well as additional temporary personnel, have been crucial to Edgar County’s COVID-19 response. They are often unsung heroes of this pandemic as they performed hours upon hours of contact tracing, daily data reporting to multiple agencies, fielding hotline calls, vaccination efforts, and working and communicating with other county and state agencies and industries on a weekly, if not daily, basis on top of their regular duties.
The Board is thankful for the continued dedication of the staff at ECPHD, and we would like to recognize their hard work and achievements this past year. Our success is directly correlated to their service. On behalf of the Board and the staff, we look forward to continuing to serve the needs of our communities.
Sincerely,
Oliver M. Smith
Board of Health President
Dear Residents of Edgar County,
The Edgar County Public Health Department (ECPHD) worked diligently during 2020 to continue our mission to prevent disease, promote health, and protect our community against health threats. This was a challenge in the face of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Our department had to focus our efforts on mitigating the risks associated with the Coronavirus. Many of our normal activities had to take a back seat as we adapted our emergency/disaster response plans to address the specific threat posed by COVID-19. ECPHD staff was frequently called upon to engage in activities that were outside the realm of their everyday duties and experience. Responding to the pandemic required long hours, working on weekends and holidays, and learning new skills in effort to protect our community against the spread of the virus.
As you review our annual report, it is impossible to miss the significance of COVID-19’s impact on our normal day-to-day activities. To the extent possible, ECPHD programs were adapted and accomplished. These programs include Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, Family Case Management (FCM), the Edgar County Dental Clinic, Illinois Tobacco-Free Communities Programs, Environmental Health Programs, Emergency Preparedness, Health Education, the Lead Prevention Program, and the Chronic and Communicable Disease Program. In addition to these programs, we created a COVID-19 response team, who lead our efforts in COVID-19 case investigation, contact tracing, COVID-19 data reporting, hotlines, a large scaled mass vaccination program, infection control reviews and risk assessments for businesses and schools, and continuous adaptation of plans and guidelines in the face of the quickly changing circumstances.
On behalf of the staff at ECPHD, I wish to thank our community for their continued support and our Board of Health for their support and guidance. We remain committed to our public health mission and to the residents of Edgar County. We look forward to serving you in the coming year.
Sincerely,
Janet Mason, Administrator
Edgar County Board of Health:
Oliver Smith, R.PH, President
Rahat Sheikh, MD, Medical Director
Jason Graham, DDS
John McNary
Dan Bruner
Cindy Belt
Kathy Lientz
