To the citizens of Crawford County, Illinois:

The mission of Crawford County Health Department (CCHD) is to prevent disease and to assist in the maintenance of optimum health for the citizens of Crawford County through the assessment of needs, development of policy, provision of education and the assurance of services.

Some way, every day, the Health Department has a role in your daily activities. We are guardian of your health in relation to community activities. Each individual or family can maintain their own safe environment, but, when many individuals and families come together to form a community, public health as a whole must be protected. We appreciate the trust you place in us in our efforts to accomplish this.

We are your County Health Department. We work for you.

 

Current Annoucements

CCHD Broadening Its Immunization Services

Crawford County Health Department (CCHD) is making an addition to the long list of services it already provides. Since its earliest existence, CCHD has provided childhood immunizations to area children to help prevent diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, and numerous other vaccine-preventable diseases.  In the past, the federally funded Vaccine For Children (VFC) program has provided the bulk of the vaccine that CCHD has administered. However, since not all children in the County are eligible to participate in the VFC program, the Health Department has recently begun offering "non-VFC" vaccinations. 

The VFC program provides vaccines specifically for children who are younger than 19 years of age and who are Medicaid-eligible, uninsured, underinsured, American Indian, or Alaska Native.  VFC will not provide vaccinations to children whose health insurance will cover even a portion of their cost.  In the past, we have had to refer children who were not eligible for VFC vaccinations to private providers out of the immediate area for their shots.  In response to changing community needs, (i.e., a lack of private immunization providers and an increase in the number of children with health insurance that covers vaccinations), the Department is now offering "private pay" vaccinations for children who do not meet eligibility requirements for the VFC program.CCHD continues to provide VFC services for those who are eligible. 

The fees for "private pay" immunizations will be based upon current market price of each specific vaccine.  Persons receiving "private pay" vaccinations will be expected to pay for them at the time of service.  Cash or checks are the only payment options available at the Health Department for “private pay” services right now but major credit and debit cards will be accepted at CCHD in the very near future.  CCHD is not currently capable of billing insurance companies directly but insured clients will be provided with all the information needed to seek reimbursement from their insurance carriers. 

The local Health Department hopes the additional immunization services will prove convenient to local parents as they strive to protect their children and meet school entry requirements.  Anyone with questions about immunization services or VFC eligibility should call CCHD at 544-8798.

 

Public Act 097-0393  Cottage Food Operations

On August 16, 2011, Governor Quinn signed legislation that supports Illinois' agriculture industry and increase access to farmers' market for the growing cottage food industry.  Public Act 097-0393 will allow certain homemade foods to be sold at Illinois farmers' markets starting January 1, 2012..

The intent of this Public Act is that all local health departments will register cottage food operations operating in their jurisdiction provided that all the conditions of the act are met.  Under the Public Act, food that is not potentially hazardous may be produced in the kitchen of the person's primary domestic residence for direct sale to customers at farmers' markets.  The Public Act only provides for direct sale by the owner or the family member to customers at farmers' markets.  Thus, cottage food operation products cannot be sold to retail stores, restaurants, over the Internet, by mail order,or to wholesalers, brokers or other food distributors who resell food.  A cottage food operation shall comply with the labeling requirements of the Illinois Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.  The person preparing and selling products as a cottage food operation must have an Illinois Food Service Sanitation Manager Certification, 410 ILCS 49(b)(6). 

For more information, please contact the Crawford County Health Department at 618-544-8798.  Registration forms are available at the health department.

 

Food Sanitation Manager Certificate

2012 Class dates now available:

• March 6th/7th
• June 5th/6th
• August 7th/8th
• December 4th/5th

Individual must call Clayton Ahlfield (the instructor) and leave a message at 618-684-2812 or 1-800-783-8905 to register for course. Refresher course is offered on the first day of each class starting at 8:00 a.m. (Cost is $30); 15 hour course is offered starting on 1st day at 8:00 a.m. until approximately 3:30 p.m., second day 8:00 a.m. until approximately 3:00 p.m. (cost is $60). Pricing is subject to change.

For information regarding food sanitation courses in other areas of the state, please visit IDPH's FSSMC web page to search for information on available courses.

 

County Health Rankings Released

A new report was recently released that ranks Illinois counties according to population-based health measures of illness and death rates. Researchers used five measures to assess the level of overall health or "health outcomes" for each county: the rate of people dying before age 75, the percent of people who report being in fair or poor health, the number of days people report being in poor physical and poor mental health, and the rate of low-birthweight infants. The researchers then looked at factors affecting people's health within four categories: health behavior, clinical care, social & economical factors, and physical environment.

Crawford County's rankings were as follows (out of 102):

 

Immunization information

Immunization clinics are generally held every Tuesday from 4:00-6:00 PM and on the second and fourth Thursday of the month from 8:30-11:00 AM. Appointments are required.

Lead screens are available for $16.00 (free if income eligible).

Weekly walk-in sessions take place every Monday morning from 8:00-11:00 AM and are on a first come, first serve basis.

 

2012 Health Department Holiday Closing Dates

 

FDA Recall Information

Information about current FDA recalls can be found by following this link: FDA recalls

 

1-866-QUIT-YES (784-8937)

www.quityes.org

 

Crawford County Restaurant Facts

• Crawford County Food Scores