The public health nurses provide generalized public health nursing services by geographical district. These services include school-based public health nursing services, communicable disease follow-up, Bureau for Children with Medical Handicaps services, newborn screening, follow-up on SIDS deaths, home visiting, and other services.

To learn more, please follow these links:

Shots 4 Tots
SCHOOL HEALTH NURSING SERVICES
SIXTY PLUS PROGRAM
BUREAU FOR CHILDREN WITH MEDICAL HANDICAPS
COMMUNICABLE DISEASE PREVENTION
WELCOME HOME
SUDDEN INFANT DEATH SYNDROME
TUBERCULOSIS PREVENTION

For more information on Nursing, try the American Nurses Association.

Shots 4 Tots

In 1993, the now Toledo-Lucas County Health Department organized an Immunization Action Community Coalition that developed Shots 4 Tots, a comprehensive community based project, to increase access to immunizations.

When Shots 4 Tots began, the immunizations rate for 2yr. olds having completed their immunization series in Lucas County was 33%. This was the lowest immunization rate in the state of Ohio and Ohio had one of the worst immunization rates in the entire country. Therefore, Lucas County had one of the worst immunization rates in the entire country.

Within 2 years of the program’s inception, the immunization rate had risen to 72%. In 2000 the rate had increased to 78%.

The goal of the program is to increase the immunization levels of children in Lucas County by 10% per year until 90% or more of Lucas County children are immunized by age two.

Immunizations are FREE to all babies and children regardless of income or insurance status. They are administered throughout the county are various times and locations. For additional information call 213-4121 or click on the Monthly Calendar for times and locations.

SCHOOL HEALTH NURSING SERVICES

The primary goal of public health nursing services in the school is to strengthen the educational process. Good health is essential to learning and development. Public health nurses provide public health nursing services to schools in Lucas County school districts, outside Toledo City limits. Maumee, Sylvania Schools received weekly school visits by public health nurses.

It is important to note that the role of the school nurse has been defined by the American School Health Association and the American Nurses Association. It is the goal of the health department to support the creation of comprehensive school health services, including school nursing services in the county schools. The public health nurses will continue to provide the basic level of public health nurse services in the schools to those systems who choose to contract with us and we continue to advocate that adequate school nursing services are instituted in all the county schools.

Routine vision, hearing and scoliosis screening are done by the use of trained staff and/or parent volunteers. Emphasis on teacher observation and referral is critical to the screening process. Rescreening and follow-up is provided by the public health nurse. Visual acuity (sharpness of vision) screening is done at kindergarten and grade levels 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9. Eye muscle balance and 2+ lens testing for farsightedness is provided for children in kindergarten. Routine postural screening to detect possible scoliosis and other spinal deformities is performed by physical education teachers, under guidance of public health nurses. Individual school systems screen pupils in grades 7 and 8.

Students new to the school system and special education pupils are routinely screened, as well as are those referred by teachers, doctors, parents, and other school personnel. Vision and hearing screenings are done on all students that are being referred for psychological evaluations.

For pupils with suspected deviations from normal, rescreening, referral and follow-up are done by the public health nurse assigned to that school. For the families of children requiring referral, the public health nurses provide information, provider referral lists and sources of financial assistance. Follow-up is provided through communication with students, parents and/or providers. Occasionally a home visit, with referral to affordable resources, is necessary to ensure that the student receives adequate care.

The public health nurses also support the employee health programs of the school systems, and participate in curriculum planning, health fairs, and other special events.

SIXTY PLUS PROGRAM

The Sixty-Plus program was developed in 1978 by staff of the nursing division of the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department in response to documented community need. This program is jointly funded by the Area Office on Aging and the health department. The program goal is to provide free health promotion/disease prevention services through public health nursing intervention to urban, suburban and rural elderly individuals who have limited access to preventative health care. This service area includes all of Lucas County.

Services are provided free in satellite locations throughout the county, and in residences of selected homebound elderly individuals.

The Sixty-Plus program provides the following free services:

HEALTH ASSESSMENTS
> This includes taking and recording health histories, weight, pulse rate, and blood pressures.

HEALTH COUNSELING
> Results of the assessment process, proper use of prescription medication, good nutrition, exercise, and health risk factors are reviewed with the individual client.

REFERRAL
> Possible health problems are discussed with the client and referrals are made to private physicians, clinics, or other appropriate sources of care. Referrals are followed up by the Sixty-Plus nursing staff to insure resolution/treatment of the problem.

HEALTH EDUCATION
> Formal group sessions are scheduled at selected sites throughout the service area. Topics are chosen which promote a healthy lifestyle and/or of special interest to the population served.

BUREAU FOR CHILDREN WITH MEDICAL HANDICAPS

The purpose of this program is to assure that families with children with special health needs receive comprehensive care to minimize the handicapping affects of certain health conditions. Children with congenital and chronic physical handicapping conditions are covered.

Public health nurses identify children with possible health conditions and refer them to a physician in the program for diagnosis, and if needed, a plan of care. Once they are identified as having a qualifying health condition and meeting certain financial criteria, they are enrolled in the program.

Once children are enrolled in the program, they receive coverage for the costs of medical treatment for the condition through an Ohio Department of Health administered program. Public health nurses make home visits, do health and family assessments, provide coordination of care, and help families in implementing the child's plan of care. They also provide emotional support, education, and referral to other needed services.

For more information call (419) 213-4113 or visit the Ohio Department of Health online.

COMMUNICABLE DISEASE PREVENTION

The purpose of this program is to prevent epidemics of serious infectious diseases. Area physicians are required to notify the Board of Health within twenty-four hours of all suspected and confirmed cases of communicable diseases. Hospital Infection Control Departments, area laboratories, school officials and/or families frequently report such diseases to the health department. Investigation by health department personnel (i.e., public health nurses, sanitarians) is indicated for many of the diseases reported to assure that the case is under medical supervision and following appropriate medications and restrictions, and in some cases treatments of persons in contact with the infected person. Early identification of infected persons employed in a sensitive occupation, such as direct food handling, care givers in day care centers, nursing homes and hospitals, is essential to prevent further spread of diseases such as viral hepatitis, salmonella, and shigella. Family members and other close personal contacts are also identified to study the potential for spread of the disease under investigation. Teaching is provided to help prevent further outbreaks of the disease and to give instruction on specifics regarding the disease, including the importance of good hand washing and other infection control techniques.

A close working relationship exists between the Lucas County Health Department and area hospital infection control departments. The majority of communicable disease cases are reported by the infection control departments of the seven area hospitals. The importance of prompt reporting of communicable diseases cannot be over-emphasized to enable our staff to perform their duties in control and prevention of communicable diseases in the county.

All tuberculosis cases continue to be reported to Tuberculosis Control at the Toledo Department of Health. All sexually transmitted diseases are reported to and investigated by personnel at the Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinic at the Toledo Lucas County Health Department(TLCHD).

Follow this link for information on emerging infectious diseases.

WELCOME HOME

A program of free home visits by registered nurses that helps all first time and teen mothers feel more confident in understanding the health needs of their babies.

Feeling confident and understanding the needs of a new baby is not easy. Every new parent has lots of questions, and a new mother or teen mother may not always feel comfortable asking questions or may not know who to talk to. Welcome Home is a program to help make asking questions and getting answers easier.

Welcome Home is a new program that provides for up to two free visits to first time or teen mothers in their home by a registered nurse within the first six weeks of life. Welcome Home visits will make it possible for a new or teen mother to ask questions in the comfort of her own home. Often new mothers need reassurance to become confident in caring for their baby. They may want to know if their baby can see and hear. Lots of new and teen mothers wonder how to feed, dress, and bathe their baby and when their baby should go to the doctor or get shots. These questions often come up after a new or teen mother leaves the hospital.

The Welcome Home nurses making the visits can help with all these questions and much more. They are under the direction of the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department. These nurses understand different families and their needs and are especially trained just for this program.

The Welcome Home nurses will answer any questions about the baby's health and will help refer families to support services in the community when needed. Understanding how to get help for a baby can be confusing, but this community has a lot of programs that can really help get a baby off to a great start. Welcome Home is an important new link in the community's chain of connecting mothers and babies with services they need.

For more information call: 213-4113

The Welcome Home program is endorsed by r\the Academy of Medicine of Toledo and Lucas County.

SUDDEN INFANT DEATH SYNDROME

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS is the sudden death of an infant under the age of one year, which remains unexplained after a thorough investigation. Visits are made to families and care givers who have lost a child under these circumstances.

Upon receipt of notification of infant death from the coroner, the public health nurse contacts the family and makes a home visit within a few days.

To better understand and respond to these families, the public health nurse attends the Northwest Ohio Sudden Infant Death (SIDS) support group meetings once a month. His or her focus is to provide an integrated, comprehensive and compassionate support to anyone this tragedy affects. This group also tries to promote understanding of SIDS and recently, the public health nurse was involved in a training session for foster and adoptive families. The public health nurse assigned to the program has an active role as a board member acting as liaison between SIDS foundation and the Lucas County Health Department. While primary mission of this program is to provide support, and referral services to these families, a form is filled out for the Ohio Department of Health, which provides data for statistical purposes.

In 1999, expanded activities to prevent SIDS were carries out planned. The most important is the “Back to Sleep” campaign which teaches parents and caregivers the importance on proper infant positioning. Research has shown that infants placed on their backs are much less likely to be a SIDS victim.

TUBERCULOSIS PREVENTION

The Toledo- Lucas County Health Department shall ensure effective surveillance/epidemiology of communicable diseases by promoting compliance with communicable disease reporting requirements of section 3707.06 of the Ohio Revised Code and chapter 3707-3 of the Administrative Code.

GOAL 1: Follow-up on all cases of communicable disease in the population reported to the Lucas County Regional Health District:

Objective 1.1 Ensure appropriate and adequate treatment through phone calls, home visits, letters, and other forms of health education;

Objective 1.2 Ensure isolation and disinfection, and medical treatment where appropriate by client education, case management and education and assistance with finding needed resources;

Objective 1.3 Identify and appropriately follow up on all contacts;

Objective 1.4 Assure adherence to all CDC recommendations in communicable disease prevention;

Objective 1.5 Coordinate with the Environmental Health Division where appropriate.

GOAL 2: Prevent and/or respond to all serious threats to the public’s health due to communicable disease or infectious agents. Determine and prioritize any major communicable disease problems by:

Objective 2.1 Developing a plan for rapid and effective response to communicable disease outbreaks

Objective 2.2 Reviewing the planned response to an outbreak annually;

Objective 2.3 Evaluating the response to each outbreak of communicable disease;

Objective 2.4 Conducting health education programs to reduce the spread of communicable diseases during outbreak;

Objective 2.5 Conducting health education programs to inform and educate the public to reduce the spread of clinic communicable disease such as food borne illness, STD's, and influenza.

GOAL 3: Prevent vaccine preventable illnesses in infants by promoting timely immunization of children by:

Objective 3.1 Providing infant and childhood immunizations in a variety of community locations, including the mobile "Shot Van";

Objective 3.2 Assist all schools within the jurisdiction in achieving compliance with the immunization requirements for school attendance (performance indicator: immunization levels of school children).

Objective 3.3 Inform and educate health care providers regarding appropriate immunization practices and standards;

Objective 3.4 Inform and educate community members, especially parents in the importance of timely childhood immunization;

Objective 3.5 Mobilize the community, through the immunization task force to maintain immunization

Objective 3.6 Implement all HHS Standards of care for Immunization in child health and prenatal services through nurses assigned to immunization

Objective 3.7 Provide immunizations on demand without administrative requirements, such as only providing immunizations at well child visits. (Clinical services)

Objective 3.8 Continue to provide a computerized data base and tracking system to identify children in need of immunization, and follow up with mailings, phone calls. (population based)

GOAL 4: Maintain a program to provide influenza vaccine to high-risk individuals in order to reduce mortality and morbidity from the disease.

GOAL 5: Provide technical assistance and support to organizations, especially public employers, to institute policies and procedures to prevent work place transmission of blood borne pathogens, including Hepatitis B and HIV.

GOAL 6: Implement a program to educate, inform, and empower the community to prevent STD and AIDS (see "Sexual Health").

Objective 6.1 Provide information and education regarding sexually transmitted disease, to clients served by the health department, and the general community through a planned program of outreach.

Objective 6.2 Provide clinical services to persons infected with STD’s, or who suspect they may have STD’s, in compliance with CDC guidelines for treatment

GOAL 7: Prevent the spread of communicable disease not endemic to this region and the U.S.A.

Objective 7.1 Provide information and education to persons traveling over seas, including enteric precautions, insect precautions, sexual practices, and vaccine preventable illness

Objective 7.2 Provide vaccines for international travel, including registering as a yellow fever center

Objective 7.3 Provide health examinations and vaccines to immigrants and refugees entering Lucas County.

GOAL 8: The Public Health Nurses of Toledo-Lucas County Health Department will prevent the spread of Tuberculosis by the following activities

Objective 8.1: Provide information and education to the community regarding the prevention and treatment of tuberculosis

Objective 8.2: Provide tuberculosis screening for immigrants, and persons in certain high-risk occupational groups

Objective 8.3 Ensure appropriate and adequate treatment of persons known to be infected with tuberculosis through phone calls, home visits, letters, and health education

Objective 8.4 Identify and appropriately follow up on all contacts;

Objective 8.5 Provide direct observation of treatment and case management for identified high risk individuals under treatment for tuberculosis