The Kiwanis Club of Hopkinsville heard a presentation from the Christian County Health Department about the state of public health in the county and what the department’s role in that is.
Amanda Bassingthwaite says the department has multiple goals they strive for when it comes to public health, including providing health screenings, immunizations, performing food health inspections and offering educational programs.
She says they performed a county-wide study in 2012 to see what the areas of greatest health concern were—including chronic diseases and high STD rates—and they’ve been working since then to improve those numbers.
She says many people aren’t physically active like they need to be and a surprising amount aren’t getting the nutrition they need.
Bassingthwaite says they have improved in many ways, whether through health screenings or education about lifestyle choices that are bad for health, and continue to make progress. She says following a second study done in 2016, they’ve begun to focus on mental health as well.
She says the department plays an often unseen but critical role in the public health of the county, and encouraged people to visit them online at christian-county-h-d dot com and see what programs they offer. Those programs range from kicking smoking, car seat installation classes, preparing for child birth and more.