Community Health

At St. Joseph's Area Health Services, we believe that prevention is the key to a healthy future. That's why our community health programs are focused on infants, children, and youth. From pre-natal care to teen checkups, St. Joseph's is here for you.

WIC

Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) clinic offers vouchers for nutritious foods to income-eligible, expectant mothers as well as breast feeding and post-partum women and their children, ages birth through 5. The clinic also provides health screening and nutrition education.

Maternal Child Health

This program offers prenatal monitoring and education to pregnant women through home visits by registered nurses.

Childbirth Education Classes

This program offers instruction during the third trimester of pregnancy on coping mechanisms and breathing techniques helpful in labor and delivery. The class also includes early post-partal infant care and breast feeding.

Immunization Clinic

This program offers immunizations against tetanus, hepatitis-G, diphtheria, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, HIB, and polio to all ages, but no one is turned away because of an inability to pay. All are offered at a reduced cost.

Communities Caring for Children

This administrattive program provides valuable information on parenting and prenatal care to all pregnant women and new parents in Hubbard County through newsletter. The program also keeps track of immunization records for all infants in the county.

Child and Teen Checkup Outreach

This outreach program targets all medical assistance clients in the area. The program encourages regular checkups and screening for all children and teens from birth to age 20.

First Thursday

Adults ages 19 and older can receive health screenings and immunizations on the first Thursday of each month from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at St. Joseph's Community Health office located at 323 Main Street South in Park Rapids.

Health screenings

• $5 Total Blood Cholesterol (Non-Fasting)
• $1 Blood Sugar (Non-Fasting)
• $1 Hemoglobin
• FREE Blood Pressure

Vaccinations available

• Hepatitis B *
• Gardasil (HPV)
• Measles/Mumps/Rubella (MMR)
• Meningococcal (MCV)
• Pneumovax (PPSV)
• Tetanus/Diptheria (Td) *
• Tetanus/Diptheria/Pertussis (Tdap) *

* Vaccines noted with an asterisk are available to all adults at $30. Insurance will not be billed.

If you’re on Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare, please bring your health card. The programs are designed with costs in mind, so if you're uninsured or your insurance does not cover vaccines, each vaccine will be $20. No one will be turned away for inability to pay.

No appointment is necessary. Please call 218-237-5478 for more information.

Foot Care Clinics

These clinics are provided January through June at Akeley Senior Center, Court Apartments, Park Villa Apartments, River Heights, Summerfield Place, and the Community Health Office. Check the Activities Calendar for dates, times, and locations.

Laurel Hed, LSW Caregiver Support Coach for Living at Home, will provide information on Memory Care, April 4, 2011, at Summerfield Apartments and June 13, 2011 at Park Villa Apartments.

Lucinda Peterson, LSW, will provide information on Health Care Directives and Community Resources, March 21, 2011, at Akeley United Methodist Church and May 16, 2011, at River Heights.