Mower County Public Health and the Women, Infants and Children program worked so well for Ann Anderson 20 years ago when she had her first daughter, that when she became pregnant again two years ago, she came right back to it.

Friday, April 07, 2000

Mower County Public Health and the Women, Infants and Children program worked so well for Ann Anderson 20 years ago when she had her first daughter, that when she became pregnant again two years ago, she came right back to it.

Now she and her 20-month-old daughter, Emily, are regulars at the Public Health offices.

Anderson, a lifelong Austinite, said the WIC program, which provides pregnant women with supplementary food to bolster the nutrition of their diet, and then provides nursing mothers with the same, as well as providing baby cereal and juice for babies, has more options now than it did 20 years ago – so much so that it apparently runs in the family.

"My daughter and granddaughter also used WIC," Anderson said.

Emily zooms around the Public Health offices on her hands and knees, like a baby should, putting so much oomph into getting around that her crawling can be classified as stomping. She certainly appears healthy.

Families have to meet certain income guidelines in order to qualify for WIC’s assistance, which Anderson said doesn’t last the whole month, but does help supplement what a family already can provide.

Public health officials in Mower County say there still are slots available in the statewide program, and that many families in the county that could take advantage of the program don’t.

Many families that could take advantage of other Public Health programs also don’t seek the help. This week is National Public Health Week.

Observe Public Health Week

Dr. Rajeev Chuadhry also weighed in on the side of Public Health in a statement, in which he outlined that chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer and stroke represent the leading causes of death, and that their early detection and treatment could save lives.

"Investing in prevention saves money," Chaudhry said. ‘Prevention results in a cost savings to consumers, health plans and health-care systems. Mower County Public Health Nursing promotes regular and routine … screenings to detect problems early.

"Serving as the medical consultant for the Mower County Community Health Services, I encourage people to celebrate Public Health Week by getting their blood pressure, cholesterol or blood sugar checked and by scheduling a preventative cancer-screening appointment with their health-care provider."

Southland School Superintendent Larry Tompkins also encouraged visits to Mower County Public Health Nursing Service in a statement.

"Widespread vaccination has lead to reductions in death from measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus. … Children need 17 separate doses of vaccines between birth and age 2. Parents, health-care providers, health plans, schools and the public health department all are important parts of the immunization delivery system in Mower County. Mower County Public Health Nursing Service provides weekly public immunization clinics."