Public Health

Members are appointed by the Board of Supervisors, and their function is to establish policy, promote and enforce rules and regulations to enable the Department of Health to control those factors which could be a hazard to the public’s health.

Members Include:

• Pam Caboth, Chair
• Andrew Spurgin, Vice Chair
• Lela Kruse
• Tracy Ross, FNP
• Amber Hendersen
• Lisa Hansen

 

Approved Previous Board Meeting Minutes:

June 2024 [PDF, 100.99 KB]

July 2024 [PDF, 72.59 KB]

September 2024 [PDF, 69.62 KB]

November 2024 [PDF, 74.47 KB]

January 2025 [PDF, 104.98 KB]

April 2025 [PDF, 107.65 KB]

May 2025 [PDF, 72.80 KB]

July 2025 [PDF, 91.67 KB]

November Special Meeting Minutes signed [PDF, 51.67 KB]

Nov 2025 signed BOH meeting minutes [PDF, 83.31 KB]

January 2026 BOH meeting signed minutes [PDF, 88.51 KB]

March 24, 2026 BOH minutess [PDF, 117.92 KB]

June 9,2026 minutes [PDF, 117.92 KB]

House file 2490 Signed [PDF, 159.76 KB]

Do you have questions about your child's car seat or booster seat? Are you in need of a car seat for your child but don't have the means to purchase one? You've come to the right place! Our nurses Sharon and Taylor are nationally certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians and would love to help you.

Call us at 712-362-2490 to schedule your free car seat checkup appointment.

Protect Your Loved Ones: Find The Right Seat

Car Seat & Booster Seat Safety, Ratings & Guidelines | NHTSA

Check for Recalls - vehicles, car seats, tires and other equipment

Health Services

Avera Holy Family Hospital - 712-362-2631

Avera Medical Group Estherville - 712-362-6501

Woman to Woman Clinic 712-362-2404

Emmet County Free Medical Clinic - 712-209-1213

Eye Care Center - 712-362-3560

Dentist Courtney Meyer - 712-362-5454

Dentist Greg Williams - 712-362-4449

Pharmacies

Estherville Pharmacy - 712-362-0330

Hy-Vee Pharmacy - 712-362-5551

Care Facilities/Senior Living

Good Samaritan Society Estherville - 712-362-3522

Aspire Estherville - 712-362-3594

Valley Vue Armstrong - 712-864-3567

Spring Creek Assisted Living Armstrong - 712-868-5567

Homestead Assisted Living Estherville - 712-362-0171

Mental Health Hotlines

Suicide Hotline - 988

Crisis Line - call 855-581-8111 or text 855-895-8398

Warm Line - 844-775-9276

Veterans Crisis Line - 800-273-8255 press 1 or text 838255

Food Pantries/Food Assistance

Estherville Mobile Food Pantry - 515-564-0330

Upper Des Moines - 712-362-2391

Emmet County Hunger Relief Program (Public Health) - 712-362-2490

Iowa Food Assistance/SNAP - 855-944-3663

Women, Infants & Children (WIC) Mid-Sioux Opportunity - 712-786-2001

Nazareth Lutheran Church Armstrong - 712-868-3510

Bethel Lutheran Church Graettinger - 712-859-3366

Good News Church Estherville - 712-362-4984

Miscellaneous Services 

Elderbridge Agency on Aging - 800-243-0678

Regional Transit Authority (RIDES Bus) - 800-358-5037 or 712-262-7920

Quitline Iowa (smoking cessation) - 800-QUITNOW

ISU Extension Office - 712-362-3434

 

Fees for services vary according to the service provided.

Medicaid and private insurance pay for some services. Arrangements are made for payment of other services.

Some services are provided at no charge.

For more information call 712-362-2490 or submit a request for us to contact you.

Our office provides dental screenings and fluoride varnish application for children and adults up to age 21 through the Iowa I-Smile program. Dental screenings are done locally at schools, child-care centers, WIC clinics and by appointment in our office. To schedule an appointment, call us at 712-362-2490.

Fluoride Varnish: Just the Facts / Barniz de Fluoruro: Solo los Hechos [PDF, 657.92 KB]

Iowa HHS: Community Water Fluoridation

 

Dental clinics for children with Medicaid:

Community Health Center of Spencer - 712-232-4300

Promise Community Health Center (under age 6) in Sioux Center - 712-722-1700

Community Health Center of Mason City - 641-450-0601

Community Health Center of Fort Dodge - 515-576-6500

United Community Health Center of Storm Lake - 712-213-0109

Iowa Mission of Mercy Annual Free Dental Clinic

Reportable Communicable Diseases & Infectious Conditions

Medicare Benefits

Medicaid Benefits

Iowa Health & Human Services

Check eligibility and/or apply for State benefits and services (SNAP, Child Care Assistance, etc.)

Iowa Child Support Recovery

Iowa Disaster Assistance

Iowa Cancer Consortium 

Prenatal & Postnatal Program – free, voluntary services offered for Emmet County Families!

What is the Healthy Beginnings Program? Healthy Beginnings is a comprehensive home visitation program for pregnant moms and/or postnatal parents. Using a family centered model that promotes healthy birth outcomes, the Healthy Beginnings Program supports parent leadership, parent-child relationships, healthy living and adequate social support. We focus on a health and wellness model for infants, children and parents.

Who can use the Healthy Beginnings Program?

• Pregnant women
• Parenting adults/teens
• Families in Emmet County
• Children 0-5 year of age
• Breastfeeding women interested in a visit with a Certified Lactation Counselor

Call our office at 712-362-2460 to speak with a nurse about how you can enroll into the Healthy Beginnings Program!

Home Care & Nursing Services are available to residents of Emmet County. Fees for services are determined by an income based sliding fee scale. We are unable to provide Medicare or Medicaid coverage for services.

Homemaker Services:

• Assistance with personal cares (bathing, dressing, washing hair, etc.)
• Light housekeeping (laundry, dishes, sweeping, mopping, dusting, organizing, etc.)
• Help with meal planning and prepping
• Essential errands (grocery shopping, picking up prescriptions, dropping off mail, etc.)

Health Maintenance Nursing:

• Home visits by a Registered Nurse
• Medication set up
• General assessments with vital signs
• Health care coordination

Nursing Services:

• Foot care clinics & nail trimming (by home visit or office visit)
• Blood pressure screenings
• Communicable disease control, investigation & follow up

 

We provide various immunizations for children, adolescents and adults through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, Vaccines for Adults (VFA) program, and by billing private insurances. To set up an appointment for immunization or to request a copy of an immunization record, please call us at 712-362-2490.

Access the current CDC recommended Immunization Schedules here.

Access the current Vaccine Information Statements here.

Visit the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System site here.

Lead testing for children 1-6 is available by appointment – please call 712-362-2490 to see if you your child is eligible for testing.

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) leads efforts in Iowa to prevent lead poisoning in children below the age of 6 through the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP). For further information on the CLPPP and lead in general, click here.

Learn more about lead poisoning prevention in English [PDF, 233.54 KB]

Learn more about lead poisoning prevention in Spanish [PDF, 166.14 KB]

We offer free and confidential testing for gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis and HIV. Free treatment is also offered for gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis. We have free sexual health resources including condoms available during our business hours right inside our front door.

You should be tested for STI's if you...

• Are sexually active and have never been tested
• Have multiple sex partners or a new sex partner
• Have sex partner(s) with unknown STI/HIV status
• Have had unprotected sex since the last time you were tested
• Use injection drugs currently or have used in the past

To schedule your STI screening appointment, call 712-362-2490.

To learn more about Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI's), click here.

Educational classes and presentations that our staff offer include but are not limited to:

• American Heart Association CPR, Basic Life Support (BLS), Heartsaver, First Aid and Bloodborne Pathogens classes for healthcare personnel and other professionals, daycares, schools, businesses and small groups
• Stop the Bleed - First Aid bleeding training
• Make it OK - Community campaign to minimize mental health and illness related stigma
• Medication Management for jailers
• Car Seat Basics for Law Enforcement