So many times we hear "I didn't know you could do that" or "I thought this was the place for people with no insurance" when people come for services. The Cole County Health Department provides services for everyone, including those that are not residents of Cole County.
Some of the services and programs provided include WIC, environmental, nursing clinics, women's health services, educational/outreach opportunities, Central Missouri Mother's Milk Depot and the Adult Brain Injury (ABI) Program.
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides supplemental food, health care referrals, nutrition education, and breastfeeding promotion and support to eligible pregnant women, new mothers, breastfeeding and postpartum women, infants, and children up to age five. Income guidelines for WIC apply.
The environmental department is responsible for onsite wastewater treatment system (OWTS) permits, food inspections, lodging inspections, childcare inspections, and code enforcement in Cole County. The City of Jefferson performs inspections within the city limits while the Cole County Health Department performs inspections outside of the city limits. If you are building a house in Cole County, be sure to contact the environmental department for sewer permits. Water sample kits are available for you to test your well water and then submit the sample to the Missouri State Public Health Lab for testing.
The nursing clinic provides immunizations, sexually transmitted disease (STD) testing and treatment, pregnancy tests, tuberculosis (TB) skin tests, lab draws, blood pressure checks, head lice checks, nurse consults, and presumptive eligibility Medicaid enrollment by appointment only. Private insurance is accepted for immunizations only. All other services are either self-pay or covered by Medicaid.
All adult and child immunizations recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) are available. Self-pay clients will pay $20 for the first immunization and $15 for the second immunization. There is no additional charge if a client receives more than two immunizations.
STD testing includes a $20 office visit fee and additional charges may apply depending on the type of testing ordered. Urine pregnancy tests are available for $5. TB skin tests are available for $10.
Lab draws are done with an order from the client's physician and prices vary depending on the type of labs ordered. Labs are processed by LabCorp and the ordering physician will receive results via fax from LabCorp. TB Risk Assessment/Annual Reactor Statement, blood pressure checks, head lice checks, nurse consults, and presumptive eligibility Medicaid enrollment are provided free of charge.
Women's health services, including clinical breast exams, pelvic exams, Pap smears, and birth control, are provided by a women's health nurse practitioner twice a month by appointment only. Private insurance is not accepted for women's health service. Medicaid is accepted or self-pay is $60.
The Show Me Healthy Women program offers free breast and cervical cancer screenings through the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and is available to women ages 35-64 whose income is at or below 250 percent of the federal poverty income guidelines and they are uninsured. The Show Me Healthy Women program provides free breast and pelvic exams with Pap smear and possible mammogram to those who qualify. The Wisewoman program offers heart disease and stroke prevention screenings and education through the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and is available for women ages 40-64 who qualify for the Show Me Healthy Women program.
The Cole County Health Department is also the site of the Central Missouri Mother's Milk Depot. Breastfeeding mothers can donate their extra breastmilk to help save babies' lives. Eligible donors, once screened and approved, can drop off their extra milk at the milk depot (collection site). The donations are safely stored in a freezer and then shipped to The Milk Bank (TMB) in Indianapolis, Indiana, for processing, pasteurization, and distribution. For more information and how to register to become a milk donor go to our website at colecounty.org/795/Milk-Depot.
There are also many educational and outreach opportunities by appointment. CPR/First Aid training is available on the third Thursday of the month from January through July. Child Care Health Consultations and clock training hours for daycare employees are provided by the maternal child health nurse. Portable cribs are available for those who qualify through the Missouri Department of Health and Services Safe Cribs for Missouri program. Biometric health screenings and flu shot clinics, provided by the nursing staff, are available to businesses and schools in Cole County.
We also have many walk-in services that do not require an appointment. Birth certificates are available for anyone born in Missouri after 1920 for $15 per copy. Death certificates are available for anyone who died in Missouri after 1980 for $14 for the first copy and $11 for additional copies.
If you are a Cole County resident and not already registered to vote, you can complete a voter registration card that will be sent to the County Clerk's office for processing. If you are an adult Cole County resident and cannot afford glasses, you can obtain a referral to the Lions Club to see if you qualify for free glasses. Preschool and school age child immunization exemption cards, provided by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, are available. Medication disposal kits, provided by the Council for Drug Free Youth, are available for you to safely dispose of any unused or unwanted medications.
The Adult Brain Injury (ABI) Program assists Missouri residents ages 21-65 who are living with a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Through service coordination, the program links individuals to resources to enable each person to obtain goals of independent living, community participation and employment. Individuals who meet financial eligibility requirements may also receive community-based rehabilitation services to help achieve identified goals. Rehabilitation services include counseling, vocational training, employment support, and home and community-based support training. Cole County serves nine counties in central Missouri. For more information, contact Shalon Schonhardt at 573-644-2433.
Please call 573-636-2181 if you have any questions regarding any of these services or to make an appointment. We look forward to serving you at the Cole County Health Department at 3400 W. Truman Boulevard. Business hours are 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Thursday.
Jill Prater is the STD/Family Planning coordinator at the Cole County Health Department. She has been a registered nurse for more than 15 years and has been with the Cole County Health Department for more than four years.