Photo courtesy of the Southeast Utah Health Department
The Southeast Utah Health Department (SEUHD) was the community spotlight during the Carbon County Chamber of Commerce (CCCC) luncheon on Thursday afternoon. During the luncheon, CCCC President Max Jones praised the health department for its efforts throughout the community, specifically with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Due to the workload brought on by the pandemic, a representative from the health department was not able to attend the luncheon. Despite this, Jones took time to highlight the efforts of the SEUHD.
He explained that the ongoing vaccine distribution has kept the employees of the health department extremely busy. It is an “all-hands-on-deck” effort as thousands of vaccines have been distributed throughout the three-county area.
“On behalf of all the employees at the Southeast Utah Health Department, I would like to express our appreciation to the Carbon County Chamber of Commerce for this recognition,” shared Bradon Bradford following the luncheon. “It is especially meaningful given the impact that COVID-19 has had on our local businesses.”
He continued, “We have been impressed by the response of businesses and community members to rally through the past year and we are anxious to fulfill our role by continuing to offer vaccinations and expanded public health services. Though we would never have picked a pandemic to showcase what we do, we are grateful that there are many more people that are aware of how we can continue to help them as we work to put COVID in the past.”
The health department also shared some updates on other efforts by the staff. They reported that the popular WIC program is no longer using checks; instead, all WIC participants are given a “smart card” to purchase their food.
“This is so great for our participants as it is much smoother and easier at the stores,” the health department shared.
While the health department is continuing to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine, employees are also working to administer traditional vaccines and maintain health in Southeast Utah with its ongoing programs.