05/07/2026
On May 5, the Newton Rotary Club got an update on the many services available at the Jasper County Health Department, from Mandy Rieman (left), Program Supervisor.
The Health Department currently has three locations; two in Jasper County, and one in Richland County, offering services in Public Health, Behavioral Health, and Environmental Health. They employ about 40 people.
The Richland office offers WIC (Women, Infants, and Children), lab testing, and drug screenings. They also have Behavioral Health (mental health and substance abuse) services available there.
The Newton location offers a wide array of nursing services, including WIC, immunizations, lab service, drug screens, vision and hearing tests, Health Works family health, among others. They also provide vision and hearing tests for St. Thomas School, and teach the Certified Nursing Assistant course at the High School.
Rieman emphasized the lab testing services they offer, and a partial list can be seen in the comments below, with tests and rates. They offer very competitive pricing. They also offer a special lab on every First Thursday each month. No doctor's order is needed for PSA, cholesterol, general health panel, or wellness check panel, and you can see a flyer for that in the comments below.
Behavioral Health services are housed in a separate building, a former medical office on S. Van Buren, near the Health Department. The offer mental health counseling, psychiatric consultation, addictions treatment, DUI evaluations, Illegal Consumption, and Risk Education classes, Divorcing Parents, Grief Support, and crisis intervention. The demand for Behavioral Health services is very high, even though they have about 20 staff (out of the 40 total employees), and still have a waiting list of new requests for service.
Environmental services include food inspections, vector control,
and permitting for new well construction and sewage disposal systems. They monitor local mosquito populations and the West Nile Virus they may carry, and can help identify ticks, spiders, or other insects.
Jasper County Health Department is celebrating their 60th year this year, and are bigger and offer more services than ever before. You can find out more at their website jasperhealth.org, or you can follow them on facebook at Jasper County Health Department.
The annual Health Fair is scheduled for Wednesday, May 27 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Chairperson for the day was Rotarian Louise Lybarger (right), a former long-time employee of Jasper County Health Department, in Behavioral Health.