By Grace Grinager, Cook County Public Health Supervisor and Hartley Newell Acero, Sawtooth Mountain Clinic Outreach Coordinator - July 16, 2021

Cook County Public Health and Human Services (PHHS) and Sawtooth Mountain Clinic (SMC) have worked in partnership for over 20 years to provide a wide range of programs in service to the Cook County Community.  These include Child and Teen Check-ups, developmental screenings for young children (Follow Along), home visits to pregnant and postpartum families, outreach, the Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) coordination, and the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition support program.  This long-standing relationship between PHHS and SMC was a strong foundation to build from during the COVID-19 pandemic—as we worked together in new ways to serve the community.  

Child and Teen Check-Ups

·      Reminds families to bring children in for regular medical and dental check-ups

·      Provides developmental screenings for children

Family Home Visiting

·      The SMC Parent-Child Health Nurse provides supportive visits to families and can speak to topics such as infant feeding, birth preparation, and early childhood development

·      Evidence-based home visiting also offers long-term support to families

Outreach

·      SMC nursing staff provide foot care services at the Hub

·      In-clinic education on how to properly install and use a car seat by a registered car seat technician

·      Regular health education and communications on WTIP, in Northern Wilds, via the Topic of the Month, and on SMC social media platforms

·      Support for the children’s sliding scale dental program through the Oral Health Taskforce

Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP)

·      Provides community leadership for active living and healthy eating initiatives such as the Safe Routes to School program, community gardens, and the local farmer’s market

·      Works to prevent commercial tobacco use 

Women Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition Support

·      Provides nutritional support for income eligible families that include a pregnant person and/or child up to the age of five

·      A peer breastfeeding counselor offers educational support and encouragement to eligible breastfeeding parents 

Together, PHHS and SMC are proud to offer this wide range of programming to support community health throughout the lifespan, making Cook County a healthier place for all people.  This longstanding relationship has been responsive to meeting various needs throughout the pandemic, such as providing planning assistance to businesses and events so that they can more safely operate.

Learn more about public health community outreach and parent-child health programming at the July 20 PHHS Board meeting. 

You can also visit the PHHS website at  www.cookcountyphhs.org,the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic website at www.sawtoothmountainclinic.org, contact us via email at [email protected] or follow us on Facebook @CookCountyPHHS to learn more about our work in supporting the health, safety and wellbeing of Cook County.  

County Connections is a column on timely topics and service information from your Cook County government. Cook County – Supporting Community Through Quality Public Service