July 2021
Sublette
Nurses
Sublette County Public Health
Pinedale
United States
Janna Lee, RN, Public Health Nurse Manager
Robin Carnes, RN
Jaclyn Nelson, RN
Robin Carnes, RN
Jaclyn Nelson, RN
The primary focus of public health nursing is to promote health and prevent disease for entire population groups. The COVID‐19 pandemic has brought public health to the forefront of our healthcare system in Sublette County. The public health nurses were key to the response to the pandemic. They worked closely with the Public Health Officer, Dr. Fitzsimmons, to keep the citizens of Sublette County safe and healthy. They kept us up to date on the extent of illnesses and deaths in the county. They often worked late at night and weekends tracing contacts of COVID-19 cases and issuing quarantine orders. They also spent many hours outside in the cold and wind to provide our citizens with the COVID-19 vaccinations. As nurse manager, Janna appeared before the County Board of Commissioners to report the status of the pandemic in the county and to request the additional funds needed to address it. Janna also processed an agreement with an organization that proved to be an asset and important resource for the whole state. In April, Robin went with Dr. Fitzsimmons to businesses to ensure that they were following state regulations so they could re-open their doors to customers. The nurses were interviewed on the Facebook line and they often had to endure the rudeness of people who opposed what they were doing to help curtail the spread of the virus. The Sublette County Public Health nurses have gone above and beyond the call of duty in the face of this dreadful disease that has killed so many. From Robert Galbreath’s wonderful article in the Roundup, Steve Kipp recognized the dedication of the nurses at Public Health, from giving shots in sub-zero blizzard conditions to answering panicked phone calls during off-hours. He was quoted as saying, “It was amazing to see all these nurses pick up a new set of job requirements and really run with it. They’ve all done a fantastic job.” Due to the unwavering, hard work of our public health nurses, Janna, Robin, and Jackie, many lives were saved. They are true DAISY Nurses.