Our time in Homer began by arriving at the public health office at 8:30 AM, and being greeted by our main preceptor, Lorne. Lorne was extremely nice, welcoming, loved having students, and knows more about public health than anyone I had ever met. After introducing us to everyone and getting us acclimated to the public health office, he took us out on the town to do a windshield survey, something I had heard a lot about but never really done.We took a look everywhere possible, the school, the local hangouts, the tourist areas, residential areas, and the local hospital. However, the most unique place we looked at was named the Spit. The Spit is a long pier that juts out into the inlet. It is lined with shops, fisheries, boats that are docked, hotels, and bars. While not very crowded now, it is a huge tourist destination from memorial day to labor day each year, when the weather warms up and people can be on the beach. However, the Spit provides many unique problems unique to the public health nurses of the town and the population. The beaches in the summertime are home to many homeless people along with those who are running away. This many people living on the beach without proper sanitation provides opportunity for disease to spread from person to person. Another way the Spit can affect health is through its fisheries. They process so much fish that sometimes infection can be in the fish. When disease starts to be present in Homer, the fish plants need to be one of the first places they look. We then walked along the beach near the office, and talked about the results of our survey and how even little things such was looking for cigarettes in the mouths of people that are walking, and big things such as access to healthcare are all important parts of the survey.
After our morning we spent the afternoon getting introduced to the charting systems used in the office along with the importance of thinking long term when working in a public health setting. Lastly, an all staff meeting allowed everyone to announce their plans for the work week and get on the same page. It was interesting to see the importance of open communication between workers in the public health setting as it makes sure everyone is working toward a common long term goal. Overall, this day served as a great eye opener into the world of public health in a small town.
After our morning we spent the afternoon getting introduced to the charting systems used in the office along with the importance of thinking long term when working in a public health setting. Lastly, an all staff meeting allowed everyone to announce their plans for the work week and get on the same page. It was interesting to see the importance of open communication between workers in the public health setting as it makes sure everyone is working toward a common long term goal. Overall, this day served as a great eye opener into the world of public health in a small town.