Correction: This article has been updated with corrections and additional information.

By Madison Hart
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Health First Kosciusko celebrates successes and is focusing on future community health initiatives.

In January, the state of Indiana provided funding for the initiative Health First Indiana, which the county renamed Health First Kosciusko, in an effort for counties to evaluate their individual health needs and implement relevant programs. Indiana is ranked 41st of 50 states in health services, so it seemed particularly timely and relevant to address gaps in community medical service access.

Running Health First Kosciusko is Kurt Carlson, retired Bowen Center CEO.

Since the beginning of the year, Health First Kosciusko has been successful in creating initiatives for prenatal care, school care, tobacco cessation and chronic disease prevention.

Prenatal care was determined to be one of the most concerning issues in the county. Carlson stated that doctors at Parkview and Lutheran were seeing women in labor in the emergency room who had never received prenatal care. To address this, Health First Kosciusko approached Parkview and Lutheran and received 20 vouchers for up to $4,000 in prenatal care for mothers who have Medicaid type E.

Health First Kosciusko has multiple billboards around Warsaw promoting prenatal care through the health department, located at State Road 15 south of the high school; the courthouse at the corner of Lake Street and Main Street; and Lake Street/Old US 30 west of Fox Farm Road. They hope to have these billboards in English and Spanish. To improve prenatal care, they purchased a handheld ultrasound machine. Health First Kosciusko representatives are also members of the Child Fatality Review committee to evaluate the high infant and mother mortality rates and investigate ways they can provide other support to pregnant women.

Schools were also deemed an important location for health care, as school can influence nine of the health objectives Indiana is working to address. Health First Kosciusko allocated a portion of their funding to school districts based on proposals for specific issues at each school, including mental health counseling, bullying intervention and health exam services.

Carlson said that Health First Kosciusko creates partnerships with existing organizations when possible. Health First Kosciusko partnered with Livewell to combat chronic disease, with the Chronic Disease, Obesity and Cancer Coalition. To combat tobacco use, Health First Kosciusko partnered with Breathewell, an organization that provides tobacco prevention and cessation services, focusing on youth.

Another committee Health First Kosciusko participates in is the Suicide Overdose Fatality Review. This committee looks at the data and statistics around these fatalities to evaluate patterns. Then they evaluate how contributing factors can be addressed to prevent these fatalities.

According to Carlson, the Kosciusko County Health Department already has several robust programs that meet the requirements for Health First Indiana objectives, such as tuberculosis prevention, infectious disease surveillance, vital records, food inspection/protection, environmental public health and immunizations.

Carlson says the goals for the future are to address food deserts, medical care deserts and dental care, potentially with the use of services on wheels.

Health First Kosciusko has their next committee meeting open to the public in the Old Courtroom, 121 N. Lake St., Warsaw, at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 24.