SWUPHD's Impact: Health Services And Community Outreach

The health department is something pretty much everyone takes for granted.

The organization, here in Southern Utah known as the Southwest Utah Public Health Department, prefers to work behind the scenes and is largely funded at the state and (in our case) five county level.

But the SWUPHD has some staggering numbers.

In 2023, SWUPHD administered or accounted for:

12,953 Immunizations
857 International travel consultations
1,033 TB (Tuberculosis) tests
290 Diabetes screenings
4,946 Total food service inspections and consultations
10,434 Food Handler Cards issued
8,022 Water samples analyzed (for swimming pools and drinking water facilities):
7,260 Total septic inspections and consultations
310 Pregnant women enrolled in WIC: 310
3,735 Clients enrolled in WIC
1,753 Telephone and clinic breastfeeding support
14 Community events:
54 Sponsored mobile dental clinic patient visits
195 Certified car seat installation checks: 195
836 Vaping and tobacco education reach
351 Quit-line referrals: 351
494 Children served by TOP Star (obesity prevention):
227 MRC (Medical Reserve Corps) registered volunteers: 227 (815 hours volunteered)
232 Sponsored emergency preparedness trainings & events: (with 5,540 participants)
1,380 Flu Shots Administered
600 Narcan kits distributed:
And 1,743 Reportable diseases investigated (57 different diseases):

Southern Utah's top 5 diseases are 1. Coronavirus: 3,351 ; 2. Influenza: 1,308; 3. STD/STI: 903; 4. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV); 5. Norovirus: 143

The SWUPHD serves the approximately 290,000 residents of Washington, Iron, Kane, Beaver, and Garfield counties.

The Health Board consists of: Commissioner Jerry Taylor »Garfield County Commissioner Paul Cozzens »Iron County Commissioner Celeste Meyeres »Kane County, Scott Symond »Beaver County, Kenneth Snow »Washington County Commissioner Gil Almquist »Washington County Nick Reynolds »Garfield County, Jerica Bauer »Kane County, Commissioner Wade Hollingshead »Beaver County and Kent Peterson »Iron County.

The head of the SWUPHD is Dr. David Blodgett and you can catch him live on the Andy Griffin Show every month on the first Wednesday of the month (including Apr. 2).

Get our free mobile app

LOOK: These are the 100 best cities to raise a family

Stacker collected 2023 data from Niche to compile a list of the top 100 cities to raise a family, based on school systems, crime rates, and more.

Gallery Credit: Emily Sherman

KEEP READING: Here are the most popular baby names in every state

Using March 2019 data from the Social Security Administration, Stacker compiled a list of the most popular names in each of the 50 states and Washington D.C., according to their 2018 SSA rankings. The top five boy names and top five girl names are listed for each state, as well as the number of babies born in 2018 with that name. Historically common names like Michael only made the top five in three states, while the less common name Harper ranks in the top five for 22 states.

Curious what names are trending in your home state? Keep reading to see if your name made the top five -- or to find inspiration for naming your baby.

Gallery Credit: Stacker