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Day in the Life of...
Teresa Symens,
Health Promotion and Education Service Manager
Over the years, the field of nursing has greatly expanded. We no longer only associate nurses with working in a hospital setting taking care of patients. Today's nurses lend their education and expertise in vast ways to the medical profession. Teresa Symens, Health Promotion and Education Service Manager, is a prime example of how the field of nursing is so versatile, especially at the Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health.
Symens started her nursing career at North Iowa Area Community College where she received her Associate of Arts Degree and then transferred to the University of Iowa to obtain her Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree. Symens' first nursing job was at Mercy- North Iowa providing direct patient care as an oncology nurse. From there, Symens worked at Ellsworth Community College as an Education Coordinator. "I helped to make sure the college's staff was current on their continuing education classes as well as educating staff with blood borne pathogen and CPR training," Symens said. Her nursing journey then led her to a job opening at the Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health where she became the Disease Prevention and Investigation Service Manager. When Symens started at the Health Department, her service section was responsible for HIV testing, immunizations and reportable disease follow up. Symens saw a real need to open up a STD clinic, so residents of the county could be tested and treated for STDs. "As Disease Prevention and Investigation Service Manager, I worked with the community to develop more locations to provide individuals with flu shots," Symens noted. "I also developed school-based vaccine programs with the schools so students could receive vaccines at their kindergarten round ups and seventh graders could receive their hepatitis B vaccine."
Symens' nursing career in the field of disease prevention landed her at Mercy- North Iowa as an Infection Preventionist. "At Mercy, I was responsible for developing policies for infection prevention for both staff and patients," stated Symens. "I was also responsible for investigating outbreaks and double checking reportable diseases." While at Mercy- North Iowa, Symens noted many changes in the field of infection prevention including Bioterrorism, the SARS scare, Mumps and Pertussis outbreaks and the monitoring of infection prevention in hospitals during construction activities.
Symens journey took her back to the Health Department as the Healthy Homes Coordinator. As Healthy Homes Coordinator, Symens was responsible for the lead, radon and Healthy Homes programs. She also trained to conduct food inspections, a unique role for a nurse. Symens worked as the Healthy Homes Coordinator for two years and then she became the Service Manager for Health Promotion and Education. As Service Manager for Health Promotion and Education, Symens is responsible for coordinating the tobacco grant which includes promotion of the Quitline cessation program and youth education programs to educate students about the dangers of smoking. She also oversees the Care for Yourself program, which is funded by the Iowa Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (IBCCEDP) Grant. This grant allows women in Cerro Gordo County between the ages of 40-64 who are under-insured or who have no health insurance or any women of age who have signs of breast cancer receive free mammograms or breast screenings. "Being able to provide women the chance to have health screenings to improve their life quality makes you feel like you are making a difference," she noted. However, with every benefit comes challenges. "With the tobacco grant, individuals have strong feelings with current tobacco policies as well as the Smoke Free Air Act and the Care for Yourself program has a limited budget," Symens noted. As always, the benefits of working at public health outweigh the challenges. "Working at public health, you are able to serve a large community," said Symens. "Private medicine looks at treating only the patient in front of you. Public health looks at the community, the safety of others and prevention versus simply treatment."
Symens experience and expertise in the field of nursing plays a valuable role in Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health's success.
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National Infant Immunization Month
April celebrates National Infant Immunization Month. If you are a parent of an infant or a child, please take the time to review their immunization records to make sure their immunizations are current. This includes vaccinations and boosters. Our immunization clinic is open Monday - Friday from 10:00 AM - noon and 12:30 - 4:00 PM.
Free vaccine is available through the Vaccine for Children (VFC) Program for children through the age of 18 that meet any of the following criteria:
- Child has no health insurance coverage.
- Child is American Indian or Alaskan Native.
- Child is enrolled in Medicaid.
- Child is under-insured. This means the child's health insurance does not cover the cost of immunizations.
Here is a listing of all vaccines children ages 0 - 6 years old should receive:
- Hepatitis B
- Rotavirus (RV)
- Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (DtaP)
- Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib)
- Pneumococcal
- Polio (IPV)
- Influenza
- Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR)
- Varicella (chickenpox)
- Hepatitis A
- Meningococcal
For more information about the recommended immunization schedule, please visit our website at www.cghealth.com. |
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Happy April!
Health Day was a success! Rebecca and Daniel from Fitness Wright Now provided listeners with great real life experiences as well as practical tips and tools to use with nutrition and exercise. The Hy-Vee Dietitians were also a great resource by providing healthy cooking demonstrations and nutrition advice. A big thanks to everyone who attended Health Day.
Don't forget to sign up for Lace Up, Leash Up, Line Up- 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, June 9, 2012 at City Park in Clear Lake. Proceeds will benefit the Cerro Gordo County Women's Health Fund. To register for the 5K run/walk, visit our website at www.cghealth.com.
In this month's Public Health Communicator, we feature an article about the Wyman Teen Outreach Program (TOP) and a story about National Infant Immunization Month. Betty Krones, Disease Prevention Specialist wrote an article highlighting April being Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Month. Teresa Symens, Health Promotion and Education Service Manger is highlighted in our "Day in the Life of" column and as always we present our Wellness Corner.
Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to stay up-to-date on all the current information surrounding the Health Department. Make sure to check out the left side of our newsletter, which features our Quick Response (QR) Code. Scan it with your smartphone to get directly to our website. For more information about our services, visit our website at www.cghealth.com.
Best wishes,
Nola Aigner
Public Information Officer
Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health
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Health Department Celebrates Partnership with TOP Program
Photo of Betty Krones facilitating class at the Mason City Alternative High School
The Health Department is excited to announce their partnership with Mason City High School, Mason City Alternative School, AEA Learning Center and Francis Lauer Youth Services. Each school is utilizing the Wyman Teen Outreach Program (TOP). TOP is a nationally replicated youth development approach aimed at preventing teen pregnancy and helping young people make consistent progress in school.
Students in the program learn about exploring their personal values, romantic relationships, sexual education and effective communication skills. The curriculum is approved by the Iowa Board of Education and is driven by the needs and interests of the students. It also helps participants chart their own course by giving them tools to navigate the difficult and sometimes threatening journey from adolescence to young adulthood.
"Students receive the necessary skills to be empowered to deal with real life situations now and later on," said Addie Rasmusson, Community Health Consultant, Iowa Department of Public Health. Funding of the program is through the Personal Responsibility Education Program Grant from the Iowa Department of Public Health.
Service learning is another aspect to the TOP program. Students were asked to identify needs in their community and come up with solutions to meet these needs as well as a plan to logistically carry out activities. By identifying the community needs, working together as volunteers and becoming part of the solution, students are able to see the concrete benefits of their work. This not only prepares them for their future transition from school to work, but it also gives them a sense of empowerment and pride in their accomplishments and their community. "This program focuses on students assets," said Shelley Horak, Community Health Consultant, Iowa Department of Public Health. "It's designed to empower students through the service learning portion of the program, so we as adults can look at teens as the experts, part of the solution, rather than the problem."
The program started in the schools on March 5, 2012. Class size ranges from six to 30 students. "We are really excited about the program," said Dave Ciccetti, Principal of the Mason City Alternative High School. "One of the goals of the program is for students to develop a trusting relationship with a knowledgeable adult so students can feel comfortable getting the information they need in an accurate manner," said Betty Krones, Disease Prevention Specialist, Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health. Ciccetti also stated "Students like being able to be open and have the chance to talk freely."
The program is designed so that facilitators remain neutral during discussions on controversial topics so that participants are free to express a variety of opinions and values . Each class came up with their rules to follow. Some of them include respect, pay attention and celebrate diversity. Here are some of the comments about TOP from program participants:
"Class is like therapy," said Alma, TOP student. "You can talk about anything you want."
"I like the diversity of the students and their backgrounds in our class," stated Ricky, TOP student.
"I like this class because you can say what you want to say without anyone judging you," said Halley, TOP student.
This year is a pilot program and the Health Department plans on facilitating this program again next school year. For more information about the program, please contact Betty Krones at the Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health.
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April is Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Awareness Month
April is STD Awareness Month and is an important time to talk to your partners, loved ones, children and friends about the importance of sexual health. There are several facts that are important for people to know about STDs.
STDs like gonorrhea are getting harder to treat. In the past when someone was diagnosed with gonorrhea, they could get an antibiotic from their health care provider and be cured of the infection. However, gonorrhea is not responding as well to antibiotic therapy as it used to and there have been some instances of antibiotic resistant infections. This has happened in the past and the solution was to switch to a different antibiotic to treat the gonorrhea. The problem we are currently facing is that there is not another antibiotic to treat it. This is why it is so important to take steps to avoid getting infected in the first place.
Chlamydia, another STD has been on the rise in the last ten years especially in the 15-24 year-old age groups. It is common for the infection to go undetected because it frequently has no symptoms. Undetected and untreated, Chlamydia infections can lead to serious consequences, especially in young women. Pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility are associated with Chlamydia infections.
Many people do not take measures to protect themselves from infections like gonorrhea and Chlamydia because they assume they can easily have it treated with an antibiotic. What they don't think about is the fact that people who are infected with an STD may be two to five times more likely to acquire an HIV infection than people who are not infected with an STD.
Sexually transmitted diseases affect people of all races, ages and sexual orientation.
The best ways to reduce the risk of STDs are abstinence, limiting the number of sexual partners, using latex condoms and getting regular STD testing.
Annual STD testing is recommended for sexually active females under the age of 25, men who have sex with men or those individuals 25 and older who are not in a mutually monogamous relationship. STD testing can be obtained at your doctor's office, Family Planning, or (for Cerro Gordo County residents) at the Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health. For more information about STDs and STD testing, visit our website at www.cghealth.com.
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Wellness Corner
Health Department Offers Local Businesses Worksite Wellness Assistance
The Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health is offering county businesses a FREE and unique opportunity to participate in a year-long Worksite Wellness Programming initiative. The goal of this opportunity is to assist businesses in developing employee wellness programs, policies and system changes to improve the health of employees while improving the business' bottom line.
The Health Department will offer monthly workshops to worksite representatives, assisting them in 4 major phases of worksite wellness programming including:
* April, May: Assessments
* June, July: Action Plan Planning
* August, September: Behavior, Policy, and Systems Changes
* October - December: Evaluation
Monthly workshops will be held for approximately 1 hour at the Health Department. The Health Department will provide materials and instructions on tasks for representatives to complete at their respective worksites during the course of each month. There is no financial commitment to participate and many low-cost and affordable wellness program options will be highlighted throughout the year.
Please consider your organization's participation in this beneficial opportunity. The process will help your business develop a sound and productive worksite wellness program built upon strong strategies and sustained by positive outcomes.
If your organization is interested in sending a representative to the Worksite Wellness Meetings, please contact Kelli Huinker, Wellness Manager at Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health by phone at 641-421-9312 or by email at wellness@cghealth.com. |
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: The Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health works to optimize the health of all people in Cerro Gordo County. Our Vision Statement:
We will be the leader in making Cerro Gordo County the healthiest
county in Iowa.
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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