The Dallas County Board of Health will meet Tuesday at 7 p.m. for the first time since Feb. 25.
This will be the health board’s first meeting since the novel coronavirus global pandemic upset the settled routines of many Dallas County residents, including causing the death of one county resident and the infection of 578 known residents.
The agenda for Tuesday’s meeting includes an open forum during which public visitors may address the five-member board of health, which is chaired by Dallas County Supervisor Kim Chapman of Adel. Monty Button of Adel is the vice chairperson, and Samantha Uhlenhake of West Des Moines is a director and Dr. Joshua Kindt of Clive is the board’s medical director. There is one vacancy on the board.
The board’s monthly meetings were cancelled in January, March and April. No meeting minutes have been published since December 2019.
Suzanne Hegarty, director of the Dallas County Public Health Department, announced Monday the first death associated with novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the county. The individual was a between 61 and 80 years old, Hegarty said.
“We wish to extend our sympathy to this individual’s family,” she said. “Dallas County Health and all of our key partners throughout the county and state continue to work to limit the spread and impact of this virus in our communities.”
Hegarty said all Dallas County residents should:
- Continue to stay home as much as possible. Leave only for essential errands like groceries or getting medication. When you run these errands, send only one person from the household, if possible.
- Stay home when even mildly ill (the kind of illness that normally wouldn’t prevent you from your everyday activities)
- Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your elbow/upper arm.
- Wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
She said up-to-date information on COVID-19 is available on the Dallas County website, where information is available in many languages.
