Mower County elementary and secondary school students were a lot healthier last year thanks to the county Public Health department.

Mower County Public Health gave more than 5,000 influenza and H1N1 vaccinations in 2010, according to Margene Gunderson. Gunderson told county commissioners during a county board meeting Tuesday that MCPH and community partners vaccinated about 40 percent of Mower County against the flu last year.

“We were rocking and rolling,” she said. “We vaccinated the same number of kids (in 2010) as we did (in 2009) to protect them. We’re proud of that because we don’t always go into the schools and do that.”

MCPH gave about 1,000 H1N1 vaccinations in early 2010, according to Gunderson’s report on MCPH activity last year. In the fall, MCPH participated in a state Department of Health program where they received more than 4,000 vaccinations to help immunize students. MCPH vaccinated the largest percentage of residents out of county public health departments statewide, something Gunderson takes pride in.

“We used every last vaccination,” she said.

Gunderson is proud of MCPH’s involvement in the State Health Improvement Project, which has helped fund snack carts for almost all elementary schools across Mower County. Sumner Elementary School was the first school to have fruits, vegetables, cereal and other healthy foods to eat as snacks every day, and the initiative quickly spread.

“We wanted to promote better nutrition,” Gunderson said.

In addition, MCPH paid for bike racks at schools across Mower County to encourage students to exercise.

Workforce cuts

County commissioners voted Tuesday to eliminate a part time Community Work Service position from the corrections department. The move, made to help balance the county’s budget, was made possible by a retirement within the department.