BATTLE MOUNTAIN - For the second year in a row, the Lander County Community Health Nurse Office received the Silver Syringe Award. This year, it was for the "Greatest Improvement Rate for 2-Year-Olds" for immunizing a greater number of 2-year-olds in 2012.
Last year, the office received it for "Outstanding Rural Immunization Program" for making sure that children in Lander County are properly immunized.
The office is run by Reita Newgard, administrative assistant, and Brenda Keller, community health nurse, who traveled to Reno on March 14 to accept the award from the Northern Nevada Immunization Coalition at the Silver Syringe Awards Banquet, held at the Grand Sierra Resort.
In 2012, Newgard and Keller administered 350 immunizations to 2-year-olds throughout Lander County.
"As our community grows, we as public health workers really encourage people to get immunized," Newgard said.
"Building partnerships in communities is key to preventing communicable diseases," Keller added.
The women were nominated by their peers. Both women said they are honored to have received the plaque, which they will proudly display at the health nurse office.
Keller said that receiving the award was a surprise and an honor.
"I think it's terrific," Newgard added. "We were surprised to receive an award for that category."
Both women work fulltime at the Community Health Nurse Office from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. They spend one day a month in Austin and work throughout Lander County and even out at the various mine sites.
Newgard and Keller work together providing immunization for adults and children, doing family planning, giving well child exams, doing dental varnishing, assisting the school nurse with school health, assisting WIC with necessary testing, performing STD testing and treatment, performing county and state public health preparedness, doing cancer screening and doing blood pressure clinics at the senior center.
Newgard also does all of the billing, scheduling, reports required by the state and she manages the vaccine inventory.
Newgard has worked at the office for two and a half years. Previously, she worked as the head custodian for the Lander County School District. The Health Nurse Office is a cooperative partnership between the county and the Nevada State Health Division. Newgard is considered a county employee while Keller works for the state health division.
Keller has worked for the health division since 2003. She has worked as the Battle Mountain health nurse since 2006 and from 2003 to 2005 she worked as the health nurse in Winnemucca. Prior to that, she worked in the emergency room at Humboldt General Hospital.
Keller was also recently chosen out of 20 community health nurses to receive the 2013 Northern Nevada Nurses of Achievement award in the Community Health category.
The two women have both lived in Battle Mountain since 1988. They said they work long hours and often stay late to accommodate people's schedules. They attribute much of their success to the support of their families.[[In-content Ad]]
