In today's workforce, it is rare to find someone who has worked at the same job for over 20 years; it is virtually a thing of the past. Yet, at the Health Department that isn't the case. We have several people who have worked at the department for over 20 years and Linda Read is one of those amazing employees.

Linda Read, Senior Public Health Adviser and Service Section Manager for Family and Community Health attended the North Iowa Area Community College and received her Registered Nurse Degree in 1984. "From there, I decided to enter the workforce. I started my nursing career at Oakwood Care Center," stated Read. "At the time, there were not a lot of nursing jobs, but working at the nursing home was a great start to my career." Read then proceeded to work full time at Mercy Medical Center in the cardiac unit while attending the University of Iowa full time to complete her Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree (BSN). "I started at the Health Department when I was a student, I had to complete 120 clinical hours to obtain my BSN and I was able to get paid for it and I've been here ever since then in 1987," Read stated. Read started as a Public Health nurse and in 1990 became the Service Section Manager for the Home Care Aides, then finally in 1992 became the Service Section Manager for the Public Health Nurses and the Home Care Aides.

At the Health Department, Read is responsible for taking patient referrals for assistance from the Home Care Aides or the Public Health Nurses, making sure client insurance is eligible for our services and reviewing charts for accuracy and to ensure they are compliant with state and federal regulations. Read also serves as the Senior Public Health Adviser for the Health Department. "I serve as the Senior Public Health Adviser because of my connections throughout the county," Read notes. "If a client needs specific resources, for instance, Meals on Wheels or Toys for Tots, I am able to make those connections possible and assist the residents of Cerro Gordo County." Read also is a board member for the Family Connections board, which is a service that the Home Care Aides and Public Health Nurses provide on contract. "Our nurses provide expecting parents pre-natal education and the Home Care Aides provide post-partum education to families after the baby is delivered and up until the child is five years of age or in school," Read notes.

Read contributes her successful career to the relationships she built with her coworkers and with her clients. "It's just a good group of people to work with and I think that is why I have been here for 25 years, just a wonderful place to work at," she states. Yet, with all benefits comes challenges. One of the biggest challenges in the health care field is working for the government in a time where resources are dwindling and health care expenses are increasing. "Regulations that govern our health care services are constantly changing and sometimes it is difficult to keep up with the changes," Read says. However, no matter the current economic state, Read believes there will always be a need for home care services. "People like to be at home when they are sick, people tend to come home from the hospital or other medical facilities sick and we (the Health Department) have a niche for providing these services, after all, we have been providing home care services since 1969." Read said.

The Public Health Nurses and Home Care Aides, which consists of six nurses and 11 aides, are able to provide long-term care to 180 clients a month. Its no wonder that this success is contributed to a leader who thoroughly understands the needs of our community like Linda Read does!