Hancock County Health System Community Health

08/14/2025

📝Making a checklist for back to school? Add talking to your child’s healthcare provider about vaccines to the list. Iowa requires children to be vaccinated for diseases like measles and polio before they go to school.
Learn more:🔗 https://hhs.iowa.gov/immunization

📂Documentation of a valid Certificate of Immunization Exemption (Religious or Medical) or Provisional Certificate of Immunization may be submitted in lieu of a Certificate of Immunization. Requirements for valid exemptions may be found in Iowa Code 139A.8 and Iowa Administrative Code 641-7.
Source: Iowa HHS

08/11/2025

👏Did you know Iowa requires children to be vaccinated before attending school? That’s just one of the reasons it’s important to keep your kids’ vaccines up to date. Talk to your healthcare providers about vaccines.
Learn more:🔗 https://hhs.iowa.gov/immunization Source: Iowa HHS Documentation of a valid Certificate of Immunization Exemption (Religious or Medical) or Provisional Certificate of Immunization may be submitted in lieu of a Certificate of Immunization.
➡️Requirements for valid exemptions may be found in Iowa Code 139A.8 and Iowa Administrative Code 641-7.

07/25/2025

🌞Protection from UV rays is important all year, not just during the summer. UV rays can reach you on cloudy and cool days, and they reflect off of surfaces like water, cement, sand, and snow. In the continental United States, UV rays tend to be strongest from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daylight saving time (9 a.m. to 3 p.m. standard time). Learn more from the CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/skin-cancer/sun-safety/

07/21/2025

🌞Kids don’t have to be at the pool, beach, or on vacation to get too much sun. Their skin needs protection from the sun’s harmful UV rays whenever they are outdoors.
Learn more:

Ways to protect your skin from the sun.

07/18/2025

🌞Have you ever done a skin check to look for concerning moles? If not, today is a great time to start! This graphic from Skin Cancer Network has helpful information. Learn more about a skin check from the American Academy of Dermatology Association: https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/skin-cancer/find/at-risk/abcdes.

07/14/2025

The rate of new cases of melanoma has been steadily increasing in Iowa. The data from the Iowa 2023 Cancer in Iowa Report from the Iowa Cancer Registry shares the importance of protecting our skin.https://shri.public-health.uiowa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Skin-Melanoma_FINAL.pdf

07/11/2025

🌞According to the Iowa Cancer Registry, Iowa ranked 5th in the nation for new cases of melanoma and 6th for mortality.https://shri.public-health.uiowa.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Skin-Melanoma_FINAL.pdf

07/08/2025

🌞Did you know there are different things you can do to protect yourself from harmful UV rays other than just wearing sunscreen!

➡️Wearing sunscreen is very important but you can also wear:
- clothing with UV protection or long clothing that covers your skin👖
- hats to help protect your scalp and face👒
- sunglasses to protect your eyes 😎
Also, finding shady spots if you are outside between 10am and 4pm will help! Bring an umbrella to outside events to help create shade if it isn’t available.

07/01/2025

🌞July is UV Safety Month! 🌞
Did you know that prolonged sun exposure isn’t just linked to skin cancer, it’s also linked to eye cancer?
Learn about how to protect your eyes from UV rays:

Ultraviolet (UV) light can harm your eyes and raise your risk of cataracts, growths on the eye and cancer. Follow these tips to protect your eyes from sun damage all year long.

06/27/2025

🌟Healthy Kids = Happy Playdays!

These smiles? Protected by the MMR vaccine💪
Measles can spread fast, but vaccines help kids stay in the game-on the playground, in the classroom, and everywhere in between.

🏃‍♂️💉Let's keep them laughing, learning, and living their best lives!

06/25/2025

📢 Measles Precaution Notice
If you suspect you may have measles — including symptoms like fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, or a rash — DO NOT walk into your clinic.

🚫 To protect other patients and staff, please call your clinic first and speak with a nurse for instructions before arriving.

Your cooperation helps keep our community safe. Thank you!

05/29/2025

⏱ Every 4 minutes, one American dies from stroke.
When a stroke strikes, time is brain — every second counts.

🚨 Learn the symptoms and BE FAST:

🌀 Balance loss
👀 Eyesight changes
🙂 Face drooping
💪 Arm weakness
🗣️ Speech difficulty
📞 Time to call 911

🧠 Don’t wait—knowing the signs could save a life.

🔗 Learn more about stroke in Iowa: https://bit.ly/iaheartstroke