This is National Public Health Week. Vermilion County Public Health Administrator Douglas Toole says the Vermilion County Health Department is there for our families. Toole says a lot has changed over the past almost 60 years.
AUDIO: Our own history, the Vermilion County Health Department, goes back to 1966. We were an outgrowth of Tuberculosis control. And a lot of the early employees were home visiting nurses. So our mission has really stayed the same, we’re still trying to improve the quality of life for county residents. But our resources and the programs we are using to do that have changed over the years.
One area Toole wants to make sure everyone thinks of is immunizations.
AUDIO: I think a lot of the public has seen what we can do for a COVID vaccination clinic. And we are just as good at providing back to school shots, and flu shots, and some of those adult shots too. I mean nobody wants to get pneumonia, and no one wants shingles; and we are very competitively priced. So give us a call, and see what we’ve got to offer for you.
Another big part of what the Vermilion County Health Department does for families is their WIC services. WIC stands for Women, Infants, and Children. And this special supplemental nutrition program is for pregnant women, as well as for those with children up to the age of five.
AUDIO: And also providing those supplemental food vouchers that can help out a lot with that. It’s undergone some big technological changes. Those printed checks we used to give out, those are long gone. It’s a EBT card, much more like a debit card, it’s much easier to manage. So if you know someone who’s pregnant, or has some real little, little ones; have them reach out to our programs.
National Public Health Week runs April 4th through the 10th. And it’s a good time to call the Vermilion County Health Department at 217-431-2662; and ask them questions about immunizations, WIC, or any other services available for you and your family’s health. You can also go to the website at VCHD.org, or the Vermilion County Health Department facebook page as well.
