Todd County

By Tim King
Todd County Reporter

Todd County Public Health Director Cheryl Schneider told the Todd County Commissioners, at their Aug. 4 meeting, that the H1N1 flu virus has only had a mild impact during the 13 weeks that the medical profession has been aware of it.

She said that most infected persons were experiencing mild to moderate symptoms similar to seasonal influenza. Schneider told the commissioners that public health officials are no longer counting cases of infections but that they have been counting deaths and hospitalizations.

As of the end of July, across the country, there have been 352 deaths and 5,514 hospitalizations, attributed to H1N1. Schneider said that when there are moderate to severe symptoms, they most likely are in infants, children, young adults, or pregnant women.

Schneider told the commissioners that she hoped the H1N1 would continue to be mild but that her agency, and other medical professionals are making plans to deal with a moderate or serious out break.

Vaccine for H1N1, she said, will be available by mid to late October. Schneider said that Todd County would likely get vaccine but she didn't know how much. If the county does get a large amount of vaccine, Todd County Public Health will set up vaccination clinics in the schools. If there aren't large quantities, Schneider said that vaccinations will be available in the agency's regularly scheduled clinics.

T

here will be no cost

for the vaccination but there may be an administrative cost, according to Schneider. Since the virus affects infants, children, young adults, and pregnant women most, those groups will receive priority for the vaccine doses that are available. Two doses of the vaccine, one month apart, will be necessary she said. A seasonal flu vaccination will also be necessary.

Todd County Public Health also is putting plans in place to respond to a large out break of H1N1. Schneider, and Public Health nurse Heidi Brings, said that there are three levels of the plan to respond to an outbreak, depending on the severity of the outbreak.

Senator Ingebrigtsen

State Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen visited with the commissioners to present his perspective on the recent legislative session. Ingebrigtsen said he was proud of Governor Pawlenty for his handling of the budget and his strategy of unallotment. He said that the cut in state aid to the counties and cities caused by the unallotment will have to be handled at the local level.

"They will have to cut services or raise taxes," the Senator said.

However, Ingebrigtsen said that he was concerned about the lack of funding for the judicial system. He said the funding situation for the judicial system was threatening the capacity of the right to a speedy trial.

Ingebrigtsen said that

he serves on various committees

including Finance - Public Safety, Budget Division,

Agriculture and Veterans, and Environment and Natural Resources. He said he'd be glad to help county officials with projects such as Battle Point Park, the Staples Historical Society, and the Historic Todd County Court House.

Wadena County

By Rin Porter
Wadena County Reporter

Wadena County Public Health Director Karen Nelson appeared before the Board of Commissioners at their Aug. 4 meeting and told them of her department's preparations for the expected arrival of the H1N1 flu virus this fall.

Nelson explained that she needs Emergency Management Services Director Scott McKellep to complete the Continuity of Operations Plan, or COOP, that tells how county business will run during a disaster.

Each county is required to have a COOP in place. In the meantime, Mrs. Nelson is supervising the preparation of the H1N1 Mass Dispensing Plan that would allow her department to vaccinate everyone in the county within 48 hours. Both plans are needed in order for the vaccinations to take place.

Wadena County must

have enough trained people "to staff three deep" during

an epidemic, such as an outbreak of the H1N1 flu, Nelson said. If the first two assigned to a job get sick, the third one can step in and

perform the job. Currently,

Nelson has enough to staff "two deep."

She could use more volunteer nurses to help with any emergency, she told the board. Credentialing for professional health workers must take place before any emergency happens. Workers such as R.N. and LPN nurses, pharmacists, doctors, veterinarians, and physicians' assistants are needed. Anyone who would like to be part of the Minnesota Response to any disaster, but especially the H1N1 flu expected this fall, is asked to contact Deb Belch, office manager at the Wadena County Public Health.

If there is no mass outbreak, the orderly dispensing of the vaccine will take place beginning in October. Five levels of the population have been identified to receive the H1N1 flu vaccine first. These are the people most at risk of getting the disease. They are: healthcare workers, pregnant women, children zero to 5 years old, children in grades K-12, and adults with complicating health problems like asthma and compromised immune systems. Staff is identifying these people so that they can be contacted and told where to go for their vaccination/

The first shipment of vaccine is scheduled to arrive by October 15. These doses will be given to healthcare workers and pregnant women. A week later, another shipment will arrive, and a week after that, a third shipment. These early shipments will be dispensed to the five high priority levels.

When more shipments arrive, the rest of the population can begin to be vaccinated, should that become necessary. People from birth to age 25 are most at risk for serious illness from the H1N1 virus.

In other business, the board:

o APPROVED an application for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for Gerald Olson for the temporary operation of an asphalt plant in Section 5, Red Eye Township. Knife River Corporation will use the asphalt plant for road work.

-o APPROVED an application for a CUP for Dan and Debbie Card for a new building to house a locker plant business in Section 17 of Wing River Township. The Cards hope to employ 12 to 20 people.

o APPROVED payment of the 2008 and 2009 allocations to the Wadena County Humane Society, a total of $1,350.

o APPROVED an increase in the court-ordered Rule 25 chemical dependency assessment fee to $200, retroactive to July 1, 2009.

o APPROVEDd the splitting of a budget line item in the General Fund into two accounts: (1) Labor Negotiations, $70,000, and (2) Human Resources Services, $5,000.

o DESIGNATED management consultant Mike Gibson to conduct a review of the new Deputy Emergency Management Systems Director position, to determine the appropriate job classification according to the Hay Scale, and create a job description.

o APPROVED an increase in the estimate for burying the electrical service wiring in the parking lot of the Highway Department building, from $1,500 to $3,200.

The next regular meeting of the Wadena County Board of Commissioners is 9 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 20.