Rural Missouri - April 2021 - 11

are available, " says CEO and General Manager Loren
Haines. He adds the co-op usually has a day or two of
notice to adjust its maintenance schedule for vehicles and
equipment. " We're a small community, so we know all of
these people. We have a really good working relationship,
and we're proud to do things to help. "
As of March, Deborah says the health department had
tracked 850 total cases of COVID-19 in the county. It may
seem a small number compared to those found in major metropolitan areas. For a county with an estimated
population of 6,000, keeping that many people as informed
and safe as possible proves plenty of work for Deborah and
six staff members. Since last March, 15 residents have
died from the virus, and any number is too many for a
any community. Deborah says Sullivan County Memorial
Hospital, Northeast Missouri Health Council and another
major employer, Smithfield's Farmland Foods, have continued to provide testing throughout the pandemic.
The community supported the clinics, with more than
30 volunteers assisting during each. The Milan Police
Department, Sullivan County Sheriff's Office and Missouri
State Highway Patrol coordinated traffic. Milan U-Save
Pharmacy owner Haley Weter and pharmacist Michael
Harden drew the vaccine. The Sullivan County Courthouse
provided four employees to assist with paperwork, while
Sullivan County EMS and EMD monitored vaccine recipients and assisted with parking, respectively.
" I can't say enough about the whole community as far
as big employers, small businesses and residents, " Deborah says. " We've had a lot of compliments on how it was
organized. When you've never planned for something like
this, that says a lot for the effort that goes into it. "
Loren notes another positive. Beyond keeping residents
healthy, the clinics have allowed the co-op to make up for
lost time with its membership.
" Last year we had to do the drive-thru annual meeting,
so we didn't get to spend a lot of time with our members, "
Loren says. " This has been a good catch-up time. You get
to sit and visit them with during the 15 minutes they wait
before they leave. It's been a win-win all the way around. "
Deborah is optimistic that, after more than a year of
battling COVID-19, the neighborly attitude of Sullivan
County residents will help them weather the storm.
" I think we're seeing the benefits of all this effort, " Deborah says. " As of March, we only have one confirmed case
in Sullivan County. We're starting to see a decrease. I just
hope it continues. "
For more information on the Sullivan County Health
Department, visit www.schdmilanmo.com. For more information on North Central Missouri Electric Cooperative, visit
www.ncmec.coop.
Top: Sullivan County Health Department Administrator Deborah
Taylor visits with Suzi Wilson of The Milan Standard during one of the
clinics held at North Central MIssouri Electric Cooperative. Middle:
North Central Missouri CEO Loren Haines was one of many co-op
staff to assist with the flow of patient traffic inside the co-op's building
during the clinics. Bottom: Volunteer Dale Green performs vaccinations for residents in the parking lot to accommodate both social
distancing protocols and icy weather conditions.
APRIL 2021 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP

http://www.schdmilanmo.com http://www.ncmec.coop http://www.RURALMISSOURI.COOP

Rural Missouri - April 2021

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