Logan County Department of Public Health Hosts Quarterly Community Health Collaborative Meeting

[June 11, 2024] 

The Community Health Collaborative met on June 6 at the Logan County Department of Public Health for its quarterly networking meeting. Representatives from various organizations and entities met to provide updated information and establish connections. Molly McCain, Community Health Coordinator at Lincoln Memorial Hospital (LMH), opened the meeting with updates from LMH.

The LMH Market at the Logan County Fairgrounds opened May 11. In addition to local vendors the Market offers SNAP matching, Spin to Win tokens and merchandise, basket giveaways, classes, demonstrations, kids activities, and performances.

The Community Health Needs Assessment has been completed with 428 survey participants. McCain conducted 10 focus groups in March with different populations including first responders, students, and senior citizens. In April, the CHC Advisory Council met and in July the Community Health Coordinators from all five Memorial system hospitals will meet to discuss priorities. The top three health priorities for Logan County for the coming three years are mental wellness, cancer, and unhealthy weights.

The LMH Trailblazers May-rathon walking challenge had 148 walkers participate completing 8,846 laps of the LMH walking trail equaling 2,948 miles. One hundred and two participants completed the challenge with the leader from the community completing 429 laps and the LMH leader completing 418 laps. Both leaders received $50 gift cards for the LMH Market.

Grace Irvin, chair of the Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition (SUPC), gave updates about the coalition’s initiatives. The SUPC has begun an environmental scan with the goal of identifying risk factors that could contribute to youth substance use.

In harm reduction initiatives, the free vending machine located at Family Custom Cleaners has distributed 688 doses of naloxone, 687 fentanyl test strips, 517 xylazine test strips, and 115 recently-added benzo test strips. The Logan County Health Department has distributed approximately 550 doses of naloxone from the table it keeps stocked, according to Kara Davis, Director of Nursing. Davis also conducted naloxone trainings for every school in Lincoln with the exception of the two private schools.

In prevention initiatives, posters were delivered to schools as part of the alcohol campaign and junior high education classes concluded in May. A survey on youth vaping was conducted and vaping information cards were distributed at LCHS.

The local resource website www.logan
countyresources.org  is active and continually updated.

The Breastfeeding Promotion Coalition has completed a new room at the Logan County Fairgrounds. There is no active task force yet, but there are people interested.

Abby Behrens, chair of the Youth Mental Health Coalition/Butterfly Project, reported that the coalition meets every other month and hosts a variety of speakers. McCain reported on a grant supporting a text-based targeted campaign with LCHS freshmen. McCain met with high school juniors and seniors to discuss topics and resources that high-schoolers would like to learn about, preferred frequency of messaging, and the name of the campaign. The campaign will start in August with the incoming freshman class and any other students who would like to join.

The Logan County Parks Coalition held several Earth Day events in April. The coalition is once again planning a pumpkin smash in November after a successful pumpkin smash last fall, which kept hundreds of pumpkins out of the landfill and provided food for local wildlife.

The Mobile Crisis Unit is reported to be going well. The Mobile Crisis Unit has a goal of partnership and building relationships with first responders, particularly to set up support services and solve problems for people who first responders may be seeing every week. A unit such as this must work differently in a rural community.

Recovery Oriented Systems of Care (ROSC) is working on an anti-stigma campaign. They are also being intentional about going to places where the community and families are already gathering such as Third Fridays in Lincoln and First Fridays in Mt. Pulaski. ROSC plans to host a speaker jam in July and they are also planning to host a free family movie. August is overdose awareness month. In September, ROSC will host Recovery Walks in Lincoln and Havana. The Recovery in Action subcommittee, comprised of people with lived experience, is putting together resource bags for those being released from Logan County Jail.

Lincoln Daily News invited attendees to submit events to the LDN Community Calendar and to request coverage of events, if desired. Reasonably priced advertising is also available.

Attendees were invited to Lincoln Community Theatre’s summer season, which opens with the musical Godspell on June 20-23. In July, LCT will present Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream set in the 1920’s from July 25 to 28. Both productions will be presented in the Lincoln Community High School auditorium. The fine arts, such as theater, promote community health by building relationships and community and by providing healthy outlets for creative expression.

The Community Care Program (CCP) of the Illinois Department on Aging offers free homemaker services that are not income based. The CCP also offers additional in-home services, adult day services, medication assistance, emergency home response, as well as additional support such as caregiver and meal services. Senior Protective Services has noted a rise in senior evictions and homelessness. CHC members suggested the Salvation Army and Judge Tom Funk of Land of Lincoln Legal Aid as possible resources to address this problem.

Thinkfirst, based in Springfield, is a brain and spinal cord injury prevention organization funded through a grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation. They provide free car seat checks for the public, as well as training for organizations in how to assess car seat safety. During the summer they promote helmet safety and seat belt safety. Thinkfirst helps coordinate crash reenactments at high schools before Homecoming and Prom. LCHS hosted a crash reenactment two years ago. Parents of new teenage drivers are a group that is hard to reach, but there are education options for parents about laws, etc. that apply to teen drivers. Thinkfirst staff are trained child safety technicians, and hybrid training is available.

Memorial Behavioral Health operates a grant-based First Episode Psychosis program. It is a free program for clients between the ages of 14 and 40 who have experienced first psychosis in the last 18 months. Memorial Behavioral Health also provides other services such as family education and support. Referrals can be made through doctors, Mobile Crisis Units, and self-referrals. Memorial Behavioral Therapy started a waitlist in 2023 and in February stopped scheduling new clients due to understaffing. New therapists are scheduled to start this month.

A representative from Castle Manor, a senior living facility, explained that community members may not realize that Castle Manor services can be affordable because they accept assistance.

Girls on the Run is an organization for 3rd through 6th grade girls which had programs in Lincoln before the pandemic, but none since. They are working to restart the program. There is a program fee for girls, but there is financial assistance available so that all can participate.

Jennifer Kirby of Heartland Community College (HCC) in Lincoln announced that the CNA program is returning to the Lincoln campus this fall. There will be 8-week sessions rather than 16. HCC will also be offering a welding micro-certificate in MIG welding through LTEC. The HCC Lincoln campus offers first-year general education courses and the semester starts August 19 with orientation the week before. Free GED classes start August 5, with morning and evening options. Application to the GED program is online with rolling admission, meaning there are additional start times through Thanksgiving. HCC Lincoln campus is also a GED testing center.

The Illinois Youth Survey was completed by all Lincoln schools. Significant data from the survey will be available in the fall.

Lloyd Kirby of WLCN radio station explained the services that WLCN brings to the community. In addition to local ads, there are free services like publicizing community events, the community calendar, and the WLCN weekly email events newsletter. The morning show has a community calendar event segment. Public service programming is available at WLCNonline.com. Tuesday afternoons and Wednesday mornings Kirby hosts a 30 minute show featuring interviews with community members regarding upcoming events, such as the directors of LCT’s upcoming theater season, and issues of concern, such as the proposed closing of Logan Correctional Center. Kirby encourages all organizations to create a Facebook event page for each event so that it is publicly searchable. Traditional ads are available on the WLCN livestream, website, email newsletter, and radio spots.

Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is promoting breastfeeding, which reduces obesity. WIC provides education and help for mothers. WIC is income-based, but the qualifying income level is higher than Medicaid, so some may not realize they qualify. WIC also teaches healthy eating, recipes, and safety education, including safe sleep and safe homes.

The Logan County Health Department offers free testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections. Testing and treatment is confidential and available to anyone 12 years old and older. The Health Department also offers sharps collection red boxes. Workers in waste management have been getting stuck by improperly disposed needles, so the Health Department encourages anyone who uses sharps for any reason to pick up a free red disposal box. The Health Department offers vaccines for all ages. Students entering sixth grade and twelfth grade have shot requirements. The Health Department accepts insurance and state assistance.

LMH will be hosting Trauma-Informed Training on June 20 from 400 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Senior Life Solutions at LMH is currently in its fifth year of service. There is currently a waitlist for services.

The next CHC quarterly meetings will be September 5 and December 5 at LMH. The LMH Market is every Saturday morning from 8:00-12:00 at the Logan County Fairgrounds.

[Stephanie Hall]