As the COVID-19 pandemic comes to an end, Marion County Public Health is shifting its focus back to normal operations. One of the biggest challenges throughout the pandemic, according to Director Kim Dorn, was getting the public to understand the severity of the situation. She says it took a change in the way Iowans in general handle diseases.

“We’re a hearty bunch in healthcare and Iowa in general in that ‘Yeah I’m feeling crummy, but I can still go to work and be fine at the end of the day.’ We had to completely switch that thinking from ‘Yeah, I’ll be fine’ to ‘Oh, I could have something that could actually kill somebody else.’ We had to really change our view of that, and the responsibility from being a trooper with a great work ethic to ‘I cannot go into a long term care facility and take care of my patients if I’m not feeling good because there might actually be some bad outcomes from it.’”

The department is wrapping up its final second dose COVID-19 vaccinations, with the final clinic taking place on June 24th. Hear more about Marion County Public Health’s response to COVID-19 on an upcoming Let’s Talk Knoxville.