New Community Health Nurse

By Leanna Lehman —  Hailing from the Central Valley area of California, Pam Krause, RN is finding Fallon’s small-town atmosphere a lot like home. Settling into her new role as one of the community’s most essential resources, she is excited to bring her vast array of nursing and clinic management skills to area residents. Another new face at the clinic is Niki Archer. Relocating from Pahrump, she is onsite to manage office administration and provide assistance to patients and staff with non-medical related concerns. Over the last few years, the position of Community Health Nurse has been difficult to fill and even more difficult to maintain. However, through the persistence of Social Services director, Shannon Ernst, and the County Board of Health, Fallon now has a full-time, highly qualified, registered nurse to provide needed services and education to area residents. According to Tammy Ritter, RN-BC, Community Health Nurse Supervisor for the State of Nevada, one of the primary goals of Community Health Services is to identify needs and work to fill health care gaps in the community. Fallon faces problems like many rural communities in Nevada, including limited access to health care resources, poor or non-existent health care coverage, and shortages of providers offering general or specialized care. They are also a key point of information during any kind of outbreak like the flu, whooping cough, flu viruses, and sexually transmitted diseases, while working directly with local emergency preparedness operations. The Health Nurse clinic is most widely known for providing vaccinations for school children. However, any member of the community may reach out for assistance. An extensive referral service is available to help connect clients with outside agencies when needed. Although general medical care is not offered at the clinic, vaccines, flu clinics, Tuberculosis, STI (STD), HIV testing and management, and family planning are among the core services offered. Services are generally low or no cost with fees based on a sliding scale according to patient income. "Family planning," stated Ritter, “includes pregnancy tests, pregnancy spacing for growing families, and birth control." Additionally, implant contraception is also available including IUDs and injections. Ritter explained further that family planning services are funded by a Title X grant. According to the Department of Health & Human Services. Title X family planning clinics play a critical role in ensuring access to a broad range of family planning and preventive health services. As such, the Health Nurse is not mandated to notify parents of services provided to minor patients. However, staff strongly encourages parent involvement and works with clients to inform and include parents or guardians. Another key function of the public health nurse is to provide information and education to the community. Through health and wellness events, partnering with local schools, and collaborating with public agencies, the Health Nurse plays an integral role in improving the health and wellbeing of the community as a whole. With school a few days away, the Health Nurse is geared up to provide vaccinations to qualifying children. Remember to bring your child’s shot records. Also, the Clinic accepts donations to help maintain operations and provide services to low-income clients.  Contact their office for more information at 775-423-4434. The office is open Monday through Thursday. https://bit.ly/2OOvfRi 45 West B Street, Ste. 101 Fallon, NV 89406       Sign up to receive updates and the Friday File email notices. Support local, independent news – contribute to The Fallon Post, your non-profit (501c3) online news source for all things Fallon.