Vernon County Health Department expands testing, hires contact tracers and plans outdoor flu clinics

Interim Health Director Amy Kleiber told the Vernon County Board of Health Oct. 8 that the department has expanded COVID-19 testing and staffing to meet rising case counts in parts of the county.

Kleiber said the health department and Emergency Management held four community testing events, most recently on Oct. 6. She and Emergency Management Director Brandon Larson said the National Guard will provide a squad to support area testing on an every-other-week schedule coordinated with neighboring counties, giving members of the public access to testing roughly weekly within a 40-mile radius.

Kleiber said the department has hired four part-time public health nurses and eight contact tracers to assist with the COVID-19 response, and that federal funding is available through the end of the year to cover those additional personnel costs. She also described weekly school metrics documents used by area schools to set learning models; the metrics are updated weekly and posted on Vernon County's website.

On other operational matters, Kleiber reported the Emergency Operations Center moved to virtual capacity the week of Aug. 17. She introduced new Public Health Sanitarian Isaiah Armendariz, who started Oct. 5 and has prior food-safety supervision experience at Target Field and a public health degree with an internship at Waseca County Health Department. Kleiber said 16 local community and school flu clinics are planned in October and November; all clinics will take place outdoors with two to three nurses or support staff on site.

The board also approved routine financial items during the meeting, including vouchers for September and the monthly budget report for September 2020.