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Knox County Health Department publishes annual report

The Knox County Health Department has released their annual report that details improvements in the care they provide.

Data in the report shows steady increases in several categories including immunizations provided and food inspections conducted all while enduring the nine month state budget deadlock.

A modest increase for tests for sexually transmitted diseases was coupled with a similar increase of STD’s themselves.

The services the department provides are outlined throughout the report to make residents aware of how the health department can be of assistance.

When asked what part of the report he hopes people notice, Director of Health Protection Sam Jarvis says “all of it.”

“When people think health department, sometimes they think only a few things–shots, food inspections, a clinic,” Jarvis says. “There are so many other programs here that we do to serve Knox County.”

Director of Wellness and Health Promotion Erin Olson, who assembled the report wanted the staff to be featured more prominently.

She tells WGIL putting a human face on the department fits their motto.

“You know as we says all of the time ‘promoting healthy people and a healthy community,” Olson says. “If we don’t have the programs and we don’t have all of these people we aren’t going to get that.”

The report also celebrates the success of a department goal to increase the amount of patients that the clinic’s dentists can see in a day.

They boosted the number to six more patients a day that were able to see a dentist, an almost 300% increase.

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