Central Nebraska Community Services
Health and Nutrition Services
MISSION STATEMENT: To foster the healthy lifestyles of
Central Nebraskans through health promotion, prevention, and education.
CNCS' Health and
Nutrition Services Department offers 18 preventative health programs at clinic
sites located throughout the entire service area. The Department offers a
variety of wellness, prevention, intervention, and community services/programs
to individuals ranging from birth to 60+ years of age. Services are provided
through clinic sites, home visitations, public schools, and community
collaboration. CNCS will work with clients to coordinate their appointments on
the same day at one location if possible.
Some of the 18
programs require income guidelines which determine who can use them. The remainder of the programs do not require income
guidelines to use the services. For the other programs, age, county you live in, and other factors
determine eligibility.
Contact Person: Health and Nutrition Services Director 308-745-0780 ext. 142
Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
Income eligible women who are pregnant, postpartum or breast feeding, and children to age five, receive monthly food checks redeemable at local grocery stores to help supplement their diets. Participants attend monthly or bi-monthly clinics to obtain the checks. They also receive basic health monitoring and nutrition counseling.
Locations: Ainsworth, Atkinson,
Aurora, Bassett, Broken Bow, Burwell, Central City, Greeley, Loup City,
O'Neill, Ord, Spencer, St. Paul, and Valentine
Contact Persons:
Nutrition
Section Manager 308-745-0780 ext. 132
Northern Counties - WIC Coordinator O'Neill Office 402-336-4298 ext. 12
Health Check Clinics
Children from 2 months of age to 20 years receive a comprehensive wellness exam with a medical provider. The cost of the service is on a sliding scale fee determined by the family's income.
These checkups include
hearing/vision screening, height/weight measurements, hemoglobin testing,
blood lead screening, Denver Development Screening Test (DDST), nutrition
screening and physical exam. Recommended ages for health checks are 2-4-6-9 months, 1 year,
15-18 months, 2 years and yearly thereafter, up to age 21.
Locations: O'Neill
Contact Persons: O'Neill Health Services Coordinator 402-336-4298 ext. 25
Immunization Program
Individuals from
birth to 20 years of age receive vaccinations to reduce their risk of
contracting childhood illnesses and diseases. Vaccines for Polio, Varicella
(chicken pox), Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Rubella, Measles, Mumps, Haemophilus
Influenza Type B (HIB), Hepatitis B, and Meningitis are available.
Clinic Locations: Ainsworth,
Albion, Atkinson, Bassett, Broken Bow, Burwell, Columbus, Fullerton, Greeley,
Loup City, O'Neill, Ord, St. Paul, Schuyler, Spencer, and Valentine
Contact Persons:
Clinic Coordinator
Loup City, 308-745-0780 ext. 141
Ainsworth Health Services Coordinator
402-387-1035
O'Neill Health Services Coordinator
402-336-4298
Columbus Health Services Coordinator 402-564-1124
Counseling, Testing, Referral, Partner Notification
Site
Testing for the
HIV virus, pre-and post-test counseling, education, and goal planning services
are available to persons living in the Northern Region. Persons have the option
to test confidentially or anonymously. Days and dates of testing vary throughout
the month to ensure confidentiality is maintained. There is not a charge for
the service, however, persons will be asked to make a donation to help with the
cost. A suggested donation of $10 is requested.
Location: O'Neill
Contacts: 402-336-4298 or 1-800-279-3503 in O'Neill
402-387-1035 in Ainsworth
Please ask for an HIV Counselor to schedule an appointment.
Bright Starts
Bright Starts is a voluntary parenting program designed to improve the lives of children and their families. Families are provided with education to enhance parenting skills and create a nurturing home atmosphere for their children. Staff will also link families with services to help them reach their personal and economic goals.
Regular home visits are made to those who meet screening criteria of first time parent, teen parent, low income, single parent or physician referred.
Location: Blaine,
Boone, Boyd, Brown, Cherry, Custer,
Garfield, Greeley, Holt, Howard, Keya Paha, Loup, Nance,
Rock, Sherman, Valley, and Wheeler
Counties
Contact Person: Program Coordinator 308-745-0780 ext. 141
Child Safety Seat Program
Offering child safety
seats to increase the safety of Central Nebraska infants
and
children and providing education regarding the proper use and effectiveness
of car seat safety to area families that may not be able to afford seats.
Parents/caregivers of children under 70-80 pounds whose family income is 185% of the poverty level or below qualify for the safety seats. Children who are eligible to receive Kids Connection, WIC and CSFP also qualify.
Locations: All 21 Counties in
the CNCS Service area. Safety seats are available at: Ainsworth, Columbus, Grand Island,
Loup City, and O'Neill where trained and certified Child Safety Seat Technicians
are available.
Contact Persons:
Health Promotion Section Manager,
308-745-0780 ext. 145
Ainsworth ~ 402-387-1035 ask for a Child Safety Seat Technician
Columbus ~ 402-564-1124 ext. 260 or ext. 230 to reach a Child Safety Seat Technician
O'Neill ~ 402-336-4298 ext. 12
Every Woman Matters (EWM)
This program is
for women who are 40 years of age and greater and are underinsured or uninsured
with low cost ($5.00) or no cost screening examinations for breast and cervical
cancer. Services include: pap test, pelvic exam, clinical breast exam, and
screening and diagnostic mammograms.
Locations: Blaine, Boone,
Boyd, Brown, Cherry,
Colfax, Custer, Garfield, Greeley, Hall, Hamilton, Holt, Howard, Keya Paha,
Loup, Merrick,
Nance, Platte, Rock, Sherman, Valley, and Wheeler Counties
Contact Persons: Health Promotion Section Manager, Loup City 308-745-0780 ext. 145
EWM Outreach
Worker, Columbus 402-564-1124 ext. 250
EWM
Outreach Worker, Grand Island 308-385-5500
EWM Outreach Workers, O'Neill 402-336-4298 ext. 17 or ext. 21
Public School Nursing
CNCS Nurses will
provide student health appraisals, maintain health records, serve as a resource
and develop policies and procedures on health issues.
Location: Elba and Wolbach
Schools
Contact Person: Clinic Coordinator 308-745-0780 ext. 144
Lifespan Respite Services Program
NEBRASKA RESPITE NETWORK – Across the Lifespan
Respite across the lifespan is defined as birth to death and includes populations of children and adults with disabilities or special health care needs, physical disabilities, chronic illness, emotional and behavioral disorders that require supervision, the frail elderly, those with Alzheimer’s, and any individual at risk of abuse and neglect.
The purpose of the Nebraska Respite Network is to be a single contact point for providers and families seeking respite resources. The focus of the Nebraska Respite Network is to place efforts in statewide respite awareness, marketing, and respite provider recruitment and respite training resources and ongoing family / caregiver matching with respite providers.
Location: Northern Service area - Antelope, Boone, Boyd, Brown, Burt, Cedar, Cherry, Colfax, Cuming, Dakota, Dixon, Dodge, Holt, Keya Paha, Knox, Madison, Nance, Pierce, Platte, Rock, Stanton, Thurston, Wayne & Washington Counties
Central Service area - Adams, Blaine, Buffalo, Clay, Custer, Franklin, Garfield, Greeley, Hall, Hamilton, Harlan, Howard, Kearney, Loup, Merrick, Nuckolls, Phelps, Sherman, Valley, Webster & Wheeler Counties
Below are links to our respite network website and respite coalition website.
Contact Persons: Lifespan Special Services Manager
308-745-0780 ext. 139 or 1-866-RESPITE (737-7483)
Nebraska Respite Network – Across the Lifespan Services Specialist for the Central and Northern service areas 1-866-RESPITE (737-7483) or 308-745-0780 ext. 146
Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP)
USDA program which provides income eligible women who are pregnant, postpartum, or breast feeding; children up to age 6; and persons 60 years of age and greater, with nutritious food packages. Packages consist of canned fruit, vegetables, meats, juices, cereals, dry milk, cheese, and peanut butter. Food packages are distributed monthly at five CSFP Clinics.
Location: Broken Bow, Columbus,
O'Neill, Grand Island, and Loup City
Contact Persons: Nutrition Section Manager 308-745-0780 ext. 132
Columbus Commodity Specialist 402-564-1124 ext. 208
Grand Island Commodity Specialist 308-385-5500 ext. 11
Loup City Commodity Specialist 308-745-0717
O'Neill Commodity Specialist 402-336-4298 ext. 16
Sherman County Senior Center
Noon meals are
offered Monday through Friday at the Sherman County Senior Center with recreational and educational activities
also offered. A contribution of $2.50 is
suggested per meal for adults over 60. For guests under 60, the charge is $3.50.
Location: 617 O Street in Loup City
Contact Persons:
Senior Center Coordinator
308-745-1810 (Senior Center) or 308-745-0780 ext. 153
Nutrition Services Section Manager 308-745-0780 ext. 132
Regions #8 & #17 Early Development Network
The program gives
families who have children with disabilities access to resources that help them meet their determined goals.
Location: Antelope, Boyd, Brown,
Cherry, Holt, Keya Paha, Madison (excluding Norfolk), Pierce, Rock, Stanton and
Wheeler Counties
Contact Persons: Early Development Network Services Coordinator in
O'Neill 402-336-2270 or
1-800-531-9316
Lifespan Special Services Manager 308-745-0780 ext. 139
Nebraska Office of Highway Safety Seat Belt
Initiatives
Nebraska Office of Highway Safety funds initiatives to focus on increasing occupant restraint use by drivers and passengers of all ages and increasing the number of children being properly restrained.
CNCS and the counties of Colfax and Hamilton will implement a campaign of continuous traffic safety messaging aimed at youth, young families, senior citizens, and the population at large.
Contact Person: Health Promotion Section Manager 308-745-0780 ext. 145
P.H.O.N.E. Project
A contract with Health
& Human Services for Public Health Nursing Case Management services to those
enrolled in Kids Connection and Medicaid ensuring all children receive
routine and preventative health care benefits. Staff are able to enroll
eligible pregnant women for immediate health care coverage.
The program will be working on increasing the number of children receiving Wellness Check-ups, decreasing inappropriate use of hospital emergency rooms, insuring everyone has a Primary Care Provider, and decreasing the number of failed appointments with doctor, dentist and optometrist offices.
Medicaid and Kids Connection recipients are the focused target population for the project.
Location: All 21 Counties in the
CNCS service area
Contact Persons: Project Coordinator 308-745-0780 or 800-736-7491 ext. 142
Loup City P.H.O.N.E. Nurse 308-745-0780 or 800-736-7491 ext. 141
Columbus and O'Neill P.H.O.N.E. Nurse 402-336-4298 or 800-279-3505 ext. 25
Bilingual Program Specialist 402-564-1124 ext. 260