Health Department

About the Health Department

Pottawatomie County Health Department was established in 1973 by the County Commissioners. The commissioners are the local board of health for the department. 

Mission

The department's mission was adopted in 2013 and states, "It is our mission to engage, encourage, and build community partnerships for the purpose of identifying and promoting a healthy living environment for the stakeholders of Pottawatomie County."

Health Department Building June 2021

The Pottawatomie County Health Department does not provide family planning and well women services.  The health department will continue to provide other public health service. Contact the health department with any questions or concerns at 785-457-3719.

If you are in need of a well woman/family planning service contact:

  • Riley County Health Department: 785-776-4779
  • Konza Prairie Health Clinic: Manhattan 785-320-7134
  • Your Primary Care Provider

Coronavirus Information

As of September 1, 2023, the Pottawatomie County Health Department and Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) are not investigating Covid-19 cases. 

Visit the  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/isolation.html for guidance.  

Low or no-cost testing is available at Walgreens, CVS Pharmacy, and Konza Prairie Community Health Center in Manhattan.  The Health Department does have a limited number of free at-home tests available until the supply is depleted.  

Check with your health care provider to see if they have at-home testing kits available for free or low cost.   Schools in the area also have testing available for students for no-cost and they may be able to test family members of students. 

The Health Department does not have the authority, at this time, to close schools for Covid-19 illness. That decision will be made by the Local School Board in each district. Information is available at the CDC website, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/k-12-childcare-guidance.html.

Strategies for schools everyday: stay home when sick, provide ventilation, hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette, encourage vaccinations and frequent cleaning in classrooms.  

KDHE will provide guidance on their website soon for 23-24 school year.

Essential Services for Public Health

The Health Department strives to meet the 10 essential services for public health by:

  • Assuring a competent public and personal health care workforce
  • Developing policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts
  • Diagnosing and investigating health problems and health hazards in the community
  • Enforcing laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety
  • Evaluating effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of personal and population-based health services
  • Informing, educating, and empowering people about health issues
  • Linking people to needed personal health services and assuring the provision of health care when otherwise unavailable
  • Mobilizing community partnerships and actions to identify and solve health problems
  • Monitoring health status to identify and solve community health problems
  • Researching for new insights and innovative solutions to health problems