Whether you have called CK Public Health to ask about breastfeeding clinics, to vaccination records, or maybe asking about a business inspection, you have most likely spoken with one of our friendly Program Assistants!
CK Public Health has 11 Program Assistants “PAs”, within 6 different “teams” within the health unit. Our 11 PA’s assist the following teams: Chronic Disease & Well-Being, Dental, Healthy Environments, Healthy Growth & Development, Infectious Disease & Emergency Management and School Health. During “regular” times, their assistance ranges from answering public questions, to entering important data for their team, providing social media/website support for their team and much more!
Program Assistants are an important role at the health unit, especially during COVID-19 times. Even though some of their teams had paused certain programming, all of our awesome “PAs” have adapted their work during these times. This meant answering more calls at reception, at both the Grand Avenue and King Street locations, supporting each other’s tasks, juggling scheduling as many staff have been working from home or re-deployed (sent to another department), and taking on administrative work related to COVID-19.
Let’s meet 2 of our PA’s!
Lindsay, Program Assistant for the Healthy Environments and Infectious Disease & Emergency Management teams
Lindsay has been a PA for 14 years, and supports our Healthy Environments team & our Infectious Disease & Emergency Management team at our King Street location. The Healthy Environments team is your public health inspection team, ensuring that establishments and the outside environment are safe for the community. During COVID, Lindsay (in addition to her normal responsibilities) has taken on the tasks of ensuring local businesses and stakeholders have reopening guidelines, ordering COVID-19 swabs for Chatham-Kent, and assisting stakeholders in understanding how they can resume regular life in the community as much as they can.
Terrylyn, Program Assistant for the Healthy Growth & Development team
Terrylyn has been the PA for the Healthy Growth & Development team for 2 years, and has been a PA with the health unit for 5 years. The Healthy Growth & Development helps families and children with newborn care and parenting support. Babies are still being born during COVID times, so Terrylyn is still busy with and connecting families with support from her team in a physically distanced manner. In addition, she does data entry and updates medical records, on breastfeeding mothers, new babies, and much more!
Our Program Assistants are an integral part to the operations at the health unit, and we appreciate all that they do for us: both during regular times and during COVID times.