Fayette County Public Health
The focus of public health intervention is to improve the health and quality of life through the prevention and treatment of disease and other physical and mental health conditions, through surveillance of cases and the promotion of healthy behaviors.
Hours
Phone numbers
Phone: (563) 422-6267
Who we are
Fayette County Public Health Department preserves the health of the public through the detection of issues which concern health such as natural disaster or unsafe practice consequences. We protect the public from communicable diseases through surveillance and investigation. We promote the health of all through education, referral to services and health promotion programming.
- Mission: Fayette County Public Health protects and improves the health of Fayette County.
- Vision: We create a healthy Fayette County.
- Values: Protection, prevention, engagement, equity, preparedness, support and promotion.
What we do
Public health is a partnership of local public health, Iowa Health & Human Services, non-profit organizations, healthcare providers, policymakers, businesses and others working together to protect and improve the health of Iowans. Public health strives to improve the quality of life for all Iowans by assuring access to evidence-based population-health programs, services and activities to:
- Promote healthy living
- Prevent injuries and violence
- Protect against environmental hazards
- Assure access to quality health services
- Prevent epidemics and the spread of disease
- Improve and support public health performance
- Prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies
Our guiding principles
- Accountability. We act with integrity and strive for fairness.
- Collaboration. We value internal and external partnerships and remain flexible to new and diverse ideas.
- Communication. We use timely, effective and open dialogue to increase collaboration and participation in protecting and improving health.
- Health equity. We promote health for all by working to reduce health disparities and focusing on health where people live, learn, work and play.
- Quality. We are dedicated to efficiency, effectiveness, and the continuous improvement of our processes and services.
- Results-oriented. We strive for excellence through decision-making that is priority-focused, data-driven and evidence-based.
- Workforce development. We continually work to develop the skills and competencies of our workforce.
Iowa helplines
Public health programs
Community Health Assessment and Plan
Every 5 years, Fayette County Public Health leads a community-wide discussion with stakeholders and residents about their community’s health needs. After identifying needs in the community, strategies to address those needs are identified and initiated.
2023 Community Health Assessment & Community Health Improvement Plan
Vaccinations for children
The Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program raises childhood immunization levels, especially among infants and young children. The VFC Program provides vaccines for eligible children birth through 18 years at no cost to public and private health care providers throughout the state. Children eligible to receive VFC provided vaccines include children enrolled in Medicaid, children who do not have health insurance and children who are American Indian or Alaskan Native. Children who have health insurance that does not cover the cost of vaccines are "underinsured," and are eligible to be seen at federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics and public health facilities.
School and childcare audits
Fayette County Public Health conducts assessments of children attending licensed childcare centers or elementary or secondary schools to ensure children received the required immunizations and have a Health and Human Services Certificate of Immunization, Certificate of Immunization Exemption or Provisional Certificate of Immunization.
Per Iowa Code, local public health agencies conduct annual audits of immunization records for students enrolled in licensed childcare centers and public, private and parochial students in kindergarten through high school.
Disease investigation
Infectious diseases are a continuing threat to everyone. They cause illness, suffering and even death, and place an enormous financial burden on society. State public health officials rely on local public health agencies, healthcare providers, laboratories and other public health personnel to report diseases. Without that data, trends cannot be monitored, outbreaks might not be detected or appropriately responded to, and the effectiveness of control and prevention activities cannot be evaluated.
CPR and first aid classes
The Heartsaver CPR/AED course trains you to give CPR and use an automated external defibrillator (AED). Contact Public Health for more information on these class offerings locally.
Community events and coalitions
We participate in community events such as bike rodeos, health expos, the Healthy Fayette County Coalition, food banks, community gardens, Teaching Kitchen events and education fairs. Please contact us if we can help at your event.
Preparedness
Emergencies are part of life, and Public Health assists fire, police, private and public organizations, community members and medical services prepare for them. In conjunction with partners, we build and strengthen abilities to effectively respond to a range of public health threats, including infectious diseases, natural disasters, and biological, chemical, nuclear and radiological events. Preparedness activities are conducted to specifically target the development of emergency-ready public health departments that are flexible and adaptable.
Foodborne illness
We work to protect and preserve the health of county residents by monitoring, investigating and providing education on foodborne diseases in Fayette County.
The Black Hawk County Public Health is responsible for prevention, education, enforcement and investigation of food establishments in Fayette County. Black Hawk County Public Health contracts with the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals (DIA) to enforce the FDA Food Code, its Supplements and the Iowa Administrative Code.
You can report a non-illness complaint about a food establishment in Fayette County online.
If you believe you have become ill due to food poisoning from a Fayette County food establishment, please contact Iowa Health & Human Services toll-free at 1-844-IowaSic (469-2742).
We're here to answer your questions.