Do you ever have a question about your health that you are not sure what to do about? Or are you feeling ill and not sure when to see your provider?  These are great times to talk to your clinic triage nurse.

The clinic triage nurse will help you with general questions about your health and help determine the type of care you may need.  Whether you are in the clinic or call in, the triage nurse can help you decide what needs to be done and provide another line of communication between you and your health care provider.  The nurse will gather the needed information by listening and discussing your symptoms. This helps determine the best course of action whether it be to come to the clinic and see your provider, monitor your symptoms, or be seen in the emergency room.   Providing enough information to the triage nurse gives your [ … ]

Summer fun is in full swing!

With county fairs going on and the state fair going on most people will likely be spending more time with friends and family outside. Following are some tips to be mindful of for heat/sun related illnesses.
Here are a few prevention tips:
Stay Cool:  avoid direct sunlight, find shady or air conditioned shelters, wear lightweight light colored clothing
Stay Hydrated: drink more water than usual, avoid alcohol or drinks containing large amounts of sugar
Wear Sunscreen: use SPF 30 or higher broad spectrum sunscreen with water resistance, apply and reapply according to the directions on the bottle

Here is a good example from the Center of Disease (CDC) on how to spot signs/symptoms of heat/sun related illnesses and what to for them:

Make sure not to forget your furry four legged friend too!

Wendy Seddon, CNA
Adair County Health System

The information provided on the Adair County Health System’s Blog is not [ … ]

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You can choose to swim healthy! You have the power to help keep germs out the water in places we swim in the first place. Remember, chlorine and other disinfectants don’t kill germs instantly. Additionally, the mixing of chlorine with pee and sweat uses up the chlorine in the pool, which would otherwise kill germs.

We all share the water we swim in, and each of us needs to do our part to help keep ourselves, our families and our friends healthy. To help protect yourself and other swimmers from germs, here are a few easy and effective steps all swimmers can take each time we swim:

Keep the pee, poop, sweat, and dirt out of the water!

·         Stay out of the water if you have diarrhea.

·         Shower before you get in the water.

·         Don’t pee or poop in the water.

·         Don’t swallow the water.

Every hour—everyone out!

·         [ … ]

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Thought to be an issue only in major U.S. cities or more populated states, use of opioids (which includes heroin and prescription pain relievers) is becoming a problem of epidemic proportions in more rural areas of the country. While alcohol, marijuana and methamphetamines remain the primary substances misused in Iowa, in the last decade significant increases have been observed in the number of Iowans identifying opioids as their drug of choice at the time of admission to treatment – and in the number of overdose deaths.

Data collected by the Bureau of Substance Abuse show that treatment admissions related to opioid use have more than tripled since 2005. In addition, data from the Bureau of Health Statistics show that opioid overdose and related deaths have also tripled during the same time period (overdose meaning an opioid was identified as the primary cause of death in the medical examiner’s report; related meaning an opioid was referenced in the medical examiner’s report and could have contributed to the cause of death).

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2012, health care providers wrote 259 million [ … ]