New 2012 WIC Income Guidelines (Posted 05/01/2012)
The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency announces the release of new WIC income guidelines. WIC stands for Women, Infants and Children.  This supplemental food and nutrition program helps correct or prevent poor nutrition in pregnant, postpartum or breastfeeding women, infants and children up to age 5 who are at risk for poor health. The new income guidelines will make more women and their young families eligible for WIC benefits.  And with the addition of the WIC Electronic Benefit Card and the opening of a WIC satellite clinic in Sturgis, using those benefits has gotten easier!

Michigan Public Health Week! (Posted 4/25/2012)
The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency joins other local public health departments across the state in celebrating Michigan’s Public Health Week, April 22 to April 28, 2012.  This year’s theme is “A Healthier America Begins Today: Join the Movement."   This year, the health department has much to celebrate, being fully accredited with commendations through the Michigan Local Public Health Accreditation Program.  Full accreditation with commendation assures residents of the three counties access to high quality public health programs geared to help protect their health, prevent disease and promote wellness.    

When in Doubt, Find Out! (Posted 4/25/2012)
When your little one complains of a sore tummy, it’s hard to know why or what to do.  It could be something they ate.  It could be hunger.  Or maybe it’s just a cry for a little extra attention? To help parents answer these questions, the Great Start Collaborative of Hillsdale County teamed up with the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency, Head Start, and the Health Care Institute to sponsor a free training designed to help parents better care for their children when they are sick.  Whether it’s learning the difference between the common cold and something more serious or learning how to protect your children from serious diseases through immunizations, the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency is here to help. 

Being Prepared! (Posted 4/23/2012)
Be prepared. It is perhaps one of the country’s best-known mottoes.  Now, this famous Boy Scouts motto rings true for the nearly 150 boy scouts from southwest Michigan who participated in the Emergency Preparedness Merit Badge Day held at the St. Joseph Fairgrounds in Centreville, Michigan this weekend (April 21st).  Working with staff from the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency, St. Joseph Emergency Management, Centreville and Sturgis Fire Departments and Life Care Ambulance Unit, scouts learned how to prepare, respond, recover and mitigate many types of emergency situations, as well as participated in a medication dispensing exercise.

County Health Rankings (Posted 04/11/2012)
 The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency has updated its County Health Rankings information.  The County Health Rankings rank the health of nearly every county in the nation and show that much of what affects health occurs outside of the doctor’s office.  The County Health Rankings confirm the critical role that factors such as education, jobs, income, and environment play in how healthy people are and how long they live.  Rankings are based on a model of population health that emphasizes the many factors, that if improved, can help make communities healthier places to live, learn, work and play.