Dear Editor,
As the local health department director and a staff member in the Osage County Health Department, I wanted to thank the staff of the UD particularly Neal and H.B on their reporting on the various aspects of this epidemic. We in local public health are all putting in extremely long hours as are all of the local health departments throughout the state whether it would be doing case and contact investigation for each and every positive result for the counties with lab-confirmed cases, educating the public and businesses to be prepared, helping the same to find supplies such as the precious bottle of hand sanitizers to trying to respond promptly and accurately to concerns voiced over the phone, in public, through social email and online. We are working with numerous community partners such as our county emergency management agencies, law enforcement, fire departments, ambulance, social service agencies, food pantries, schools, daycares, retailers, faith-based communities, long-term care facilities, assisted living facilities, funeral homes, food establishments, numerous retailers, large and small businesses, the hospitals, local health care provider offices, dentist offices, chiropractors, county commissioners and office holders and department heads, our local mayors as well as numerous others. We are working with the above to keep all children, adults and the elderly as safe and healthy as we can in our communities and counties. We are continuing to offer services albeit sometimes in some less than traditional ways to protect not only our staffs, but to also protect the public. We are sharing PPE with our partners when we can, but often times, we are still short ourselves and trying to be just as creative as the hospitals and EMS in stretching supplies further without endangering ourselves or our clients. Missouri is indeed lucky to have a staff of experienced local public health professionals such as I am privileged to work with at Osage County Health Department these last 7+ years. I'm proud to call each and everyone here in the Osage County Health Department and in all of the local public health agencies throughout the state my colleagues and friends.
Susan Long, RN/Administrator
Osage County Health Department
