Those interested in obtaining the overdose reversal drug Narcan continue to have resources available. Over the past year, the Marshall and Pulaski county health departments have offered training events for the public.
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Members of the Drug Free Council spoke to the Eastern Pulaski School Board members Monday night about closing the gap in educating students on the dangers of substance abuse.
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The Pulaski County Council finalized more than $70,000 in additional appropriations this week. A large chunk of that was pension and vehicle funding for the Sheriff’s Department, according to Auditor Laura Wheeler.
Continue readingPulaski County residents have a few chances to learn how to use the potentially life-saving drug naloxone. The Pulaski County Health Department says it’s gotten overdose rescue kits from the Indiana State Department of Health, to distribute to the local community. As part of that effort, the Health Department will host four free training events over the coming weeks.
Continue readingThe Pulaski County Council will consider several departments’ requests for additional help tonight. Prosecutor Dan Murphy has been asking for another full-time secretary, citing a significant increase in the number of cases being filed, along with the addition of new court programs. A vote on the matter ended in a three-to-three tie last month. Council President Jay Sullivan asked the county commissioners to weigh in, but they sent it back to the council without making a formal recommendation.
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The Pulaski County Commissioners have agreed to support the Building and Health departments’ requests for additional help. Building Inspector Doug Hoover told the commissioners Monday that he’s going to once again ask the county council to move Building Department Assistant Karla Kreamer from part-time to full-time status.
Continue readingAn update on local mental health care initiatives was given to the Pulaski County Commissioners last week.
During her annual report, Four County Counseling Center CEO Dr. Carrie Cadwell said the organization is partnering with Pulaski Memorial Hospital on a number of grant-funded projects.
Continue readingChanges are coming to Pulaski County’s salary matrix next year. The 2019 matrix approved by the county council last week seeks to correct a couple of oversights in the current version by adding the jail commander and certain employees in the Health Department. It also appears that EMS employees will remain on the matrix next year. The EMS Department was added to the system last month, despite opposition from EMS Director Bryan Corn and some of his employees.
Pulaski County officials continue working on implementing a rental property inspection program, but exactly how to do that was a topic of discussion during Monday’s plan commission meeting. Director of Environmental Health Terri Hansen told members that she and Building Inspector Doug Hoover are repeatedly called to the same rental units, due to complaints about their condition. “It’s really sad when you see the kids, you guys,” she said. “They don’t want to live like that. It’s terrible. Makes you sick.”
Making up shortfalls in the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department’s overtime budget was the goal of a couple budget transfers approved by the county council Monday.
More than $18,000 was moved from various line items, at the request of Sheriff Jeff Richwine. “These are all to cover overtime. Well, the part-time clerical’s not, but the other is overtime for deputies,” he explained. “And then one’s overtime for dispatchers.”
A Medaryville man will be able to keep his mobile home on his parents’ property, thanks to a special exception granted by the Pulaski County Board of Zoning Appeals Monday. Building Inspector Doug Hoover explained that Michael Wireman apparently moved the structure onto the property in the 4800 block of North County Road 1150 West without a permit. “They didn’t realize they had to have a permit,” Hoover explained. “They did get their 7878 [form] from the Treasurer’s [Office], and that’s how I found out about this.”
The Pulaski County Health Department will be able to continue operating as usual, in spite of a lack of funds. That’s the assurance county council members gave to Health Department staff last week.
The condition of Pulaski County’s rental housing is creating a crisis for the county’s health and building departments. Director of Environmental Health Terri Hansen told the advisory plan commission Tuesday she had to deal with 530 environmental complaints last year. Nearly 400 of them related specifically to housing. Continue reading
Pulaski County’s wind turbine regulations will continue to be discussed by the advisory plan commission tonight. Members have been working on updates to the county’s Unified Development Ordinance, to address concerns over a proposed wind farm. They had hoped to have some proposed changes narrowed down after a work session last month, but they still had some questions about what impact wind turbines would have on wells, drainage tiles, private airports, and migratory birds.
Funding challenges are causing concerns for the Pulaski County Health Department. “In doing our year-end reports for our health board meeting, it’s come to our attention that we only received about $40,000 in settlement this year,” Department Office Manager Terri Hansen told the county council Monday. “We usually get at least double that.”
Concerns about hepatitis have Pulaski County vaccinating its maintenance staff.
The county commissioners agreed Tuesday to cover the cost of hepatitis shots for maintenance workers, at the request of Maintenance Supervisor Jeff Johnston.
“My folks work in the jail all the time,” he explained. “We’re back in the cell blocks. We’re in the kitchen. There’s always maintenance to do over there, things to fix. And there is a presence of hepatitis in the jail.” Continue reading
Pulaski County officials are being told to step up their efforts when it comes to combating Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. Continue reading
The Pulaski County Health Department is hosting a flu shot clinic through the end of the week. It’s open to children and adults on a first-come, first-served basis. Continue reading
A tabletop exercise was held yesterday in Pulaski County to gather emergency personnel together to determine how to handle a mass disaster.
Pulaski County Preparedness Coordinator Sherry Fagner said the scenario put together information from entities from the hospital, health department, schools, police, EMS, EMA, Indiana Department of Homeland Security, Indiana State Department of Health, and media.
“We did a lot of collaboration on if it was a true event that a public health emergency was declared,” said Fagner.
Injection drug use is pinpointed as a cause of a jump in HIV cases in Scott County. No new cases of HIV have been reported locally.
Governor Mike Pence declared a public health emergency in Scott County yesterday due to an outbreak of HIV cases. The Indiana State Department of Health has identified 79 cases of HIV originating in Scott County.
