From vaccines to vital inspections: Kiwanians discover the diverse services of Dunklin County Health Department

From vaccines and car seats to restaurant inspections and replacement birth certificates, the Dunklin County Health Department provides a wide range of services to the community.

Dunklin County Health Dept. Administrator Lisa Johnson was the guest speaker at Wednesday's meeting of the Kennett Kiwanis Club.

A former Kennett High School Key Club member, Johnson led her talk with a stroll down Memory Lane and recalled her service as a teen official during Kiwanis-sponsored basketball games.

"Most people don't even know what we do at the Health Department," Johnson said. "I didn't know what we did at the Health Department, all the different programs that we have until I started working at the Health Department seven years ago."

Johnson reminded Kiwanians that the department had relocated and said the move provided more spacious, comfortable accommodations for both the public and the staff.

"Some of the programs that we do that you all may be aware of are typical vaccines that we give," Johnson said. "From children's vaccines from birth all the way to death.

"You can come and get senior vaccines," she continued. "Flu, RSV, COVID, shingles ... we do those for our older clients."

The department also offers school vaccinations, Johnson said.

"My nurses today are doing fluoride at Malden schools," the administrator noted. "We go and do fluoride twice a year into our county schools.

"It's a free program," she added. "It's great for the kids. They get free toothbrushes and things like that. Some kids don't have those things, so it's a good program and it's good we're able to work with our schools."

The department provides CPR training, car seats, family planning, and mammograms at Sikeston.

"We have WIC, as well," Johnson said. "That stands for Women Infants and Children.

"We have almost 1,100 clients that we see a month for the WIC program," she continued. "Other counties around us have 200 or 300. We have almost 1,100. It's a great program, and all of or clients who are pregnant get a free blood pressure cuff so they can monitor their blood pressure while they're pregnant. That's one of the issues with a lot of pregnant women. We have a lot of deaths from high blood pressure. It's a great program that we provide."

The Health Department's environmentalist inspects all food service facilities, including restaurants, food trucks, school cafeterias, hotels, and nursing homes, Johnson said.

"If you're interested in seeing any of his inspections, they're all on our website," she explained. "You can see every one of them.

"Some of them might surprise you," she continued. "Some of them may not."

Johnson added that the department's social media pages are filled with calendars, announcements, and information anyone might find useful.

For more information about the Dunklin County Health Department, log on to www.dunklincountyhealth.com

The Dunklin County Health Department is located at 402 Recovery Rd, Kennett. Phone (573) 888-9008.

Kiwanians wish to remind the community that its Inaugural Spring Soccer Program kicks off its premier season in the coming weeks.

The Kennett Kiwanis Club meets at noon every Wednesday at The Grecian Steakhouse of Kennett, 1108 S. Bypass.

For more information about The Grecian, log on to https://kennettgrecian.com/blog-2/

For further information about the Kennett Kiwanis Club, please see the organization's website at https://kennettkiwanisclub.org/