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Day in the life of...
Brian Hanft,
Deputy Director of Public Health
For most of us, college is where we find our true calling. College helps us to determine what path we want to travel that will help us further our lives. For Brian Hanft, Deputy Director of Public Health and Service Manager for Environmental Health, he found his calling at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). "I knew I didn't want to take a calculus class," Hanft said. "The guy sitting next to me in geology class was in the Environmental Planning Program and he didn't have to take calculus for this program. That was the end of my search and I ended up graduating from UNI with a degree in Environmental Planning." Throughout his educational journey, Hanft took an internship with the Black Hawk County Health Department, which is where he landed his first job as an Environmental Health Technician and then later as a Health Officer.
"As an environmental health technician, I walked the levees in Black Hawk County. The county helped to oversee rodent control for United States Army Core of Engineers," Hanft said. "My duties were to make sure that any woodchucks burrowing into the levees were exterminated." At the Black Hawk County Health Department, Hanft was also responsible for nuisance complaint investigations as well as water sampling. During his time with Black Hawk County, Hanft wanted a change in careers, so he took a position with Polk County as a Sanitarian. "This is where I got my feet wet in a lot of aspects that encompass traditional environmental public health programs," stated Hanft. "I worked with area restaurants to implement the Food Code, inspected septic systems, swimming pools and spas, tanning and tattoo facilities."
While at Polk County, Hanft accomplished two large achievements, getting his Master's Degree in Public Administration and passing the National Environmental Health Association's (NEHA) Registered Environmental Health Specialist credentialing exam, which serves as the premier measure for environmental health comprehension. Ironically, while attending the 2002 regional NEHA conference in Rochester, Minnesota, he learned about the Environmental Health Service Manager opening at the Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health. "I knew I was ready in my career to start managing and it just seemed like the right fit," Hanft said. "I started here on September 3, 2002, and it was the best professional move I have ever made."
Throughout his experience at the Health Department, Hanft believes he has been a part of some very positive changes and endeavors. "We were able to set the Septic System Time of Transfer Program in Cerro Gordo County three years before they passed it at the state level," noted Hanft. The Time of Transfer program states that all homes in Cerro Gordo County that are not connected to a public sewer system must have their septic system inspected prior to the house deed or sale being recorded. "We were also the first county in the state of Iowa to develop a healthy homes program," Hanft said. This shows how innovative the Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health is." Yet, Hanft believes the best thing about the Environmental Health Service Section and the Health Department, in general, are the people. "I am proud to work with the people here," stated Hanft.
For a career that Hanft stumbled upon, it looks like he made a fabulous choice. With Hanft's leadership in the department, he continues to pave the way for many future successes. |
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October 23-29 is Lead Poisoning Prevention Week
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is a phrase that has been repeated thousands of times throughout history and holds true today.
Public health professionals have strived to use this adage to the fullest to educate and improve the health of our communities. Public health uses its environmental health branch as a way to access our community members within the facilities where they work, play and live. Environmental health is essential to the health and well-being of the occupants of any facility and most environmental health issues are completely preventable. Lead poisoning is one environmental health issue that is 100% preventable, but still plagues one out of every 19 children in Cerro Gordo County.
October 23-29, 2011 is Lead Poisoning Prevention Week. Every year during this time the Public Health Department reiterates and encourages parents, homeowners, renters, landlords, maintenance personnel, and contractors to know and understand the facts about lead poisoning.
Children under the age of six are the most susceptible to lead poisoning because of body size and activity. Most acute exposures to lead have few to no symptoms, so testing your child for lead poisoning is the only way to know if they have been exposed to lead. We encourage any parent/guardian that lives, works, or uses a childcare provider outside their personal dwelling to know if the home or facility was built prior to 1978. Any home or facility built before 1978 has a potential to have lead-based paint and the only way to know if paint is lead-based is to test it.
Testing can be completed in a number of ways. Companies throughout Iowa have specialized equipment to test for lead-based paint or have the capability to send samples away to a lab for analysis. Often these types of testing can be costly. If testing is not an option for you, assume all paint within a facility is lead-based and keep it maintained by identifying and eliminating peeling, chipping, chalking, cracked, or deteriorated paint.
Keeping painted surfaces in good condition is the easiest and most economical way to prevent most lead-based paint hazards in the home. Other hazards may occur due to two surfaces rubbing together called a friction hazard, two surfaces hitting called an impact hazard, or a surface a child could chew on. These hazards do require extra precautions to help eliminate the hazard. Open soil around a home is also considered a lead based paint hazard because chips and dust might be contained in that area where your child might play. There are many ways to eliminate all of these hazards safely, so contact the Health Department to find out how.
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October is finally upon us and that means winter is just around the corner. Make sure your winter emergency kit for your car is packed and ready to go. Include the following items to ensure a safe winter:
- Flares
- Jumper cables
- Extra coat, hat, mittens, snow boots and warm blankets
- Non-perishable food items (granola bars, dried fruit, nuts etc.)
- First aid kit
- Ice scraper
- Small shovel and traction aides
Prepare for winter by taking advantage of our outreach flu clinics. There are only two more community outreach flu clinics :
- Ventura High School - Thursday, October 27 from 4:00 PM- 7:00 PM
- Rockwell Community School - Tuesday, November 1 from 4:00 PM- 7:30 PM
You can always visit our Immunization Clinic Monday - Friday from 10:00 AM - Noon and 12:30 PM - 4:00 PM for your flu shot or flu mist.
This month's edition of the Public Health Communicator includes an article about Lead Poisoning Prevention Week by our Healthy Homes Coordinator, Erik Gustafson. October is also nationally recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This month's newsletter highlights an article from our "Care for Yourself" Grant Coordinator, Teresa Symens. We also present the "Day in the Life of..." column featuring Brian Hanft, a story about our newest health partner, Howie Staywell and the Wellness Corner.
As always, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to stay up-to-date on all the current information surrounding the Health Department.
For more information about Public Health, visit our website,
e-mail webmaster@cghealth.com or call 641-421-9300.
Best wishes,
Nola Aigner
Public Information Officer
Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health
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Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October is breast cancer awareness month. The pink ribbon and pink breast cancer awareness products are everywhere. Whether or not you like pink, the opportunity to provide education and raise funds for research is priceless. Breast cancer remains a serious women's health issue in the United States. According to the CDC, in 2007 over 202,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer and over 40,000 women died from it. In Iowa, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women.
It is a well known fact that early detection is a very important step to treatment and survival of breast cancer. Unfortunately less than 70% of women over 40 have been screened with a Clinical Breast Exam (CBE) and mammogram in the last two years. Some researchers feel this rate is even lower. As with any screening test, the excuses for not getting them done are similar. It may be a scheduling issue, fear of what may be found or just avoiding the perceived discomfort of the test, but maybe the saddest reason is the inability to pay for the screenings. Let's face it, with the economy in its current condition, many people are scaling back on expenses. A number of people are unemployed and have lost their health insurance.
The Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health participates in the Iowa Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (the Care for Yourself Program). This program provides pap smears, CBE's and mammograms for women in Cerro Gordo County aged 40-64 who meet a certain income requirement and are uninsured or underinsured. The program, however has its limits. The funding is limited to a certain number of women screened per year and the payment for some of the follow-up diagnostics, such as biopsies are not fully covered. Sometimes the remaining bill is enough for the woman to choose not to have the biopsy. For others, it creates an additional financial hardship.
The Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health has created a fund to assist women with medical bills that result from health screenings. The Cerro Gordo County Women's Health Fund dollars are used specifically for medical bills. Existing county programs or tax dollars cannot be used for this account. Funds are raised by private donations, sale of Fight Like a Girl products and other fund- raising events. For example, recently, the fund received a check from the Motorcycle Awareness Group (MAG) in the amount of $500.00.
It is a challenging endeavor to build up the fund to accommodate the bills from screenings and biopsies. The average bill a woman in the program will incur from a breast biopsy is approximately $1,300.00 after the Care for Yourself Program has paid the covered amount. The fund is in its beginning stage and needs to grow considerably to cover bills this size. If you are interested in making a contribution to the fund, please contact the Cerro Gordo County Care for Yourself Program at 421-9315. The Fight Like a Girl items can be purchased on-line at www.signifypink.com. (You will be directed to select a fund raiser-Cerro Gordo County (IA) Women's Health Fund.) The program regularly receives positive feedback from the participants. The women enrolled in the program are very appreciative of the services they receive. Stay tuned for more announcements on upcoming fund-raising events!
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Meet our newest health partner, Howie Staywell!
Meet the newest member of the Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health. Howie Staywell was invented while discussing influenza marketing this summer. We wanted to create a campaign that resonated well with the members of our community. We came up with the idea of a mascot because it would not only comfort children at our school-based vaccine clinics, but it would also help to brand the Health Department. When people see Howie Staywell, they would make the connection with the Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health.
Health Department staff voted on the type of mascot they wanted to represent the organization. Howie Staywell, the owl, was chosen because staff thought he looked warm and inviting, yet professional.
A contest was created to allow the public to name him. The Health Department received a lot of creative and innovative names. It was a great feeling to see how the public welcomed this new marketing endeavor. We combined two name suggestions Howie and Staywell, which is a fabulous play on words, "How we stay well."
Howie has been a huge hit at the flu clinics. He serves as a welcoming agent to greet the students and families when they arrive at their back-to-school nights. He also comforts the students when they receive their shot. Students aren't so apprehensive to get a flu shot or a flu mist because they know afterwards they can spend time with Howie by giving him a hug or a high five.
Howie Staywell has been a great addition to our department. He helps to encourage the public to stay healthy and well, while adding that personal touch that you would not receive outside the public health realm.
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Wellness Corner
Not enough time...
Too expensive...
Don't know how to cook...
The excuses can be endless when it comes to reasons we visit the Drive-Thru instead of preparing a healthy meal for our family.
The Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health and Hy-Vee are here to help! Next time you visit Hy-Vee, look for the "Build a Healthy Plate" display.
Each week, grocery shoppers can check out the display for ideas on a QUICK, AFFORDABLE, and NUTRITIOUS meal to prepare for their families.
Pick up a recipe card, stock up on the necessary ingredients, and head home to create a tasty and healthy meal for the entire family.
Every meal option aligns with the United States Department of Agricultures's MyPlate model, teaching healthful eating habits.
DID YOU KNOW...
Compared to children who do not have frequent family meals, children who eat between 5-7 family meals are:
- 4 times less likely to use tobacco
- 2 times less likely to use alcohol
- 2 ½ times less likely to use marijuana
- And 4 times less likely to report they will try drugs in the future
Family Meals Matter! |
Help us promote Public Health services. Forward this electronic newsletter to your friends, family, co-workers and associates. Thank you for choosing the Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health! Our Mission Statement:
Dedicated to enhancing the health status of our communities through public health initiatives.
Our Vision Statement:
Driving public health system change through strong and directed leadership.
Our Value Statement:
We believe in human dignity, respect for individual choices, promotion for wellness and personal safety, protection of the environment, prevention of disease and access to quality health services.
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