The Howard County Public Health Department is planning to add more than a dozen laboratory tests to its already varied slate of services, offering residents a respite from traveling to Columbia.

New tests include wellness, thyroid, and lipid panels, along with testosterone, urinalysis, and hemoglobin A1C testing. Most cost only $5, with the complete wellness panel at only $25. Samples will be sent to a lab in Kansas, and patients need an order from their primary care physicians. Results are shared both with the patient and their doctor.

Samples will be taken onsite at the department at the corner of West Davis and Highway 5 in Fayette, saving patients the time of having to travel to Columbia. And health department administrator Rajitha Voleti said many of the services the health department offers are free of charge.

“Instead of going to Columbia and searching for the appointments and waiting for so long for the appointments, they can come to the health department for some of the services,” she said.

While many people use the health department to obtain extra copies of birth and death certificates, Voleti wants the public to know the wealth of services offered. Since taking over as administrator around 14 months ago, she has worked to not only include more services but also to educate county residents on all the department has to offer.

Most people coming to the department take advantage of the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, a federal supplemental nutrition initiative that provides healthy foods, nutrition education, and breastfeeding support. In Missouri, the program serves pregnant women, breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding postpartum women (up to six months), infants, and children under the age of five who meet income or nutritional risk guidelines. Pregnancy testing is also available onsite and is required to qualify for WIC services.

Voleti said the WIC program has increased from 128 recipients when she joined the department to around 160 a year currently.

The department also gives away free diapers and has 20 free car seats for which some WIC recipients may qualify.

But the department offers so much more, Voleti explained. While many of those services are similar to WIC, in that they support new mothers and children with equipment from pack-and-plays to bicycles, the department offers a wide range of services for kids and adults as well. Those include school immunizations; vaccines for flu, shingles, meningococcal group B; Tdap, which is a booster shot that protects against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough); and hepatitis A and B.

“We have every vaccine included in the immunization schedule for school-aged children,” Voleti said. Parents should schedule an appointment for such immunizations by calling the department at (660) 278-3100.

The department also offers free and anonymous testing for sexually transmitted infections and provides case management with free medication for positive results. However, STI tests are not available for minors. Free condoms are also available.

There is only a $21 administration and consulting fee for immunizations. The department will also bill insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid.

Other tests include tuberculosis skin tests, including two-step tests for nursing students, and blood tests searching for lead.

Voleti said she sees three or four positive lead cases annually. If a test is positive, an environmental specialist from the state steps in to help find the cause; however, the case is managed through the Howard County Public Health Department.

In addition, the health department is a free Narcan dispensary. Each kit includes two doses, fentanyl test strips, a CPR mouthguard, and instructions. The black bags are available to take from the outside of the building near the front door, anonymously and with no questions asked. Voleti says she refills the supply frequently.

With autumn around the corner, the department is gearing up for its annual flu clinics. “We will get our vaccines by the end of September or early October,” Voleti said. “We will start our flu season in October and November.”

Dates will be set for flu clinics once vaccines are received, she said.

The department annually hosts outreach services for flu vaccines, traveling to the three public schools in the county along with senior centers in Fayette and Glasgow, the Braun Home, the courthouse for county employees, and the Sheriff’s Department for both deputies and inmates. Last year the department administered around 80 doses of the flu vaccine. Voleti said she expects to give around 150 flu shots this year, and the department can bill insurance for vaccines. Out of pocket, the flu vaccine costs $80.

Voleti said the department can even come to places of business for employee flu clinics.

The department also has a foot and nail care clinic for diabetic patients. The cost is $50 for nail care once a month.

The Howard County Public Health Department costs nearly $550,000 a year to operate, with only around $150,000 coming from local taxes. Nine employees, including three nurses, see around 10 people a day.

The department also handles dog and other animal bites, including bats, and performs around 15 rabies tests a year.

Voleti said she hopes to add CPR classes at the department in the future.

The department is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed from noon to 1 p.m. for lunch. Clinic days for immunizations, TB and STI testing, and pregnancy tests are Mondays and Wednesdays. Appointments are preferred but not required.