Provides direct public health services and referral to additional social services available in the community. For information on WIC, Medicaid, immunizations, childbirth, health concerns.

Community Health offered at San Juan County Health and Community Services

The Department of Health and Community Services provides a wide array of direct public health services and referral to additional social services available in the community.

Programs that provide inoculations to prevent individuals who will be traveling outside the U.S., Canada and Europe from contracting infectious diseases such as typhoid, typhus, hepatitis A and B, malaria, dysentery or yellow fever.

Travel Immunizations

Programs that inoculate infants and young children to prevent them from contracting diseases to which they are particularly susceptible including diphtheria, tetanus (lockjaw), measles, mumps, chicken pox (varicella), rubella (German measles), whooping cough (pertussis), Hib (haemophilus influenzae type B), hepatitis B, pneumococcal infections and polio. Hepatitis A vaccine is recommended for use in selected locales and for certain high-risk groups. Influenza vaccine is recommended annually for children older than six months with specific risk factors. Rotavirus vaccination (to prevent acute gastroenteritis with vomiting and severe diarrhea) is recommended during the first year of infancy. A baby should receive two or three doses depending on the brand used. Some childhood immunizations involve a series of doses at specific intervals.

Childhood Immunization

A public health nutrition program administered by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service that provides nutrition education, nutritious foods, breastfeeding support and health care referrals for income-eligible pregnant or postpartum individuals, infants and children up to age five. Foster parents, grandparents, guardians and single fathers who have custody of their children may also be eligible to receive food assistance for children up to age five if they meet income guidelines. WIC provides specific foods to supplement the dietary needs of participants to ensure good health and development. Food packages typically include iron-fortified infant cereal, milk, cheese, eggs, whole grains, peanut butter, beans, fruits, vegetables and juice. Families can shop for WIC foods at most grocery stores using a WIC electronic transfer benefit (EBT) card or vouchers.

Programs that inoculate susceptible individuals of all ages, but particularly people who are very young or very old, to prevent them from contracting any of the variant strains of influenza that are prevalent during the winter and spring. The vaccine may be administered as a "shot" that is given with a needle, usually in the arm, or in the form of a nasal mist.

Flu Vaccines

County or state offices that accept applications and determine eligibility for the Medicaid program; and reinstate individuals who have lost their Medicaid benefits due to incarceration, institutionalization, noncompliance or other reasons. Also included are other programs that help people prepare and file Medicaid applications and/or are authorized to do eligibility determinations for the program.

Medicaid Applications

Offers comprehensive medical services for patients and families, including pediatric, adolescent, gynecology services, and primary care (family medicine) with walk-in care. 
All services: 
-  General health care 
-  Minor emergencies 
-  Obesity issues 
-  Diabetes management 
-  COPD 
-  Hypertension 
-  Immunizations for all ages 
-  Well check and physical exams for all ages 
-  Well-woman exams 
-  Chronic disease 
-  CDL physical exams 
-  Geriatrics 
-  Contraceptive (IUD) 
-  Occupational health testing

Family Medicine with Walk-In Care offered at Astria Health Center's Family Medicine

Provides a full spectrum of healthcare services, including primary care, urgent care, and specialized care.

County or city-operated outpatient health care facilities that provide a broad range of diagnostic and treatment services including primary adult and pediatric care, prenatal care, dental care and specialty medicine as well as laboratory and radiological services and allied support services like nutrition and health education. Some public clinics may also offer public health services such as immunizations and communicable disease screening and treatment. Services are available on an ability-to-pay basis and target low-income and indigent residents of the community.

Public Clinics

Routine examinations conducted on an annual basis to assess the general physical condition of an individual and detect abnormalities. General physicals vary, but most involve a discussion of any concerns the patient may be having; checking vital signs (temperature, blood pressure, heart rate and respiration rate), weight and general appearance; heart and lung exams using a stethoscope; a head and neck exam that looks at the throat, teeth and gums, ears, sinuses, eyes, lymph nodes, thyroid and carotid arteries; an abdominal exam that uses palpation to detect liver size, the presence of abdominal fluid or tenderness; a visual examination of the extremities; and breast and pelvic exams for women, testicular and prostate exams for men. The annual physical exam also provides an opportunity to refocus attention on prevention and screening and routine laboratory tests may be suggested.

General Physical Examinations

Programs that are staffed by specialists who provide comprehensive preventive, diagnostic and treatment services that focus on women's reproductive health and care for women during pregnancy, childbirth and the period immediately following childbirth as well as the health of the fetus.

Obstetrics/Gynecology

Routine health care provided by internists, pediatricians, family medicine specialists, gynecologists, obstetricians, nurse practitioners, midwives, physicians' assistants or other health care providers who serve as the first point of contact with the health care system. Services focus on the prevention and early detection of health problems through regular physical examinations, blood pressure checks, mammograms and other similar procedures as well as therapeutic services for people who do not require specialty care.

General Medical Care

Programs, which may be available on a 24-hour basis, that provide walk-in treatment services for people who have minor illnesses or injuries. Urgent care centers serve as an alternative to hospital emergency departments for episodic care that can not be delayed until an appointment at a physician's office is available; and are often equipped to provide services not generally available in primary care physician offices, e.g., have x-ray facilities that allow for treatment of minor fractures and foreign bodies such as nail gun injuries and/or minor care trauma rooms that facilitate the repair of minor and moderate to severe lacerations that can be treated in an urgent care center.

Urgent Care Centers

Programs that provide inoculations which provide some measure of protection against the human papillomavirus, a sexually transmitted infection some strains of which have been shown to be a major cause of cervical cancer. HPV has also been linked to cancer of the anus, vulva, vagina and some cancers of the oropharynx (the middle part of the throat that includes the soft palate, the base of the tongue and the tonsils). Some studies indicate that it may also be a risk factor for cancer of the penis.

HPV Immunizations

Programs that provide health screening and immunization services for infants and toddlers to ensure their physical well-being and healthy development. Preschool aged children are also eligible in some areas.

Well Baby Care

Programs that are staffed by specialists in the field of medicine that is concerned with the total health of the individual within the home environment and in the community.  Practitioners of family and community medicine provide comprehensive medical care including preventive services with particular emphasis on the family unit, in which the physician's continuing responsibility for health care is not limited by the patient's age or gender, nor by a particular organ system or disease entity.