Cedar County vulnerable to HIV outbreak

  During the monthly Cedar County Memorial Board of Trustees meeting on Monday, Jan 20. Hospital CEO Jana Witt read a statement concerning Cedar County’s vulnerability to an HIV outbreak.

“Cedar County is one for four countries in the Ozarks determined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to vulnerable to an HIV outbreak. The other Ozarks counties include Hickory, Ozark and Wright.”

“The opioid epidemic in our country is causing the number of injectable drug users to increase, which contributes to the spread of viral hepatitis and HIV. This problem is compounded in rural countries such as Cedar due to the high incident of poverty.         According to census data, approximately 22.6 percent of Cedar County residents live below the poverty level, compared to 14.6 percent in Missouri. Combined with the effects of poverty, there is limited access to treatment of illicit drug use for residents of Cedar and other rural counties.”

“The Cedar County Health Department, which is a service of Cedar County Memorial Hospital, has been asked to collaborate with About Our Kids (AOK), in of Lamar on a project to battle drug abuse in Barton, Cedar and Dade Counties.”

“The Cedar County Health Department, with locations in El Dorado Springs and Stockton, also provides free screenings for HIV and education for individuals seeking information about the disease.”

“The Cedar County Health Department can be contacted at 417-876-5477 (El Dorado Springs) or 417-276-6416 (Stockton).”

Also during the meeting, the board voted to place the hospital tax levy on the ballot for the April election.