Fall Health and Wellness 2022

She said happy and high moments
happen daily for her, adding that one of her
favorite themes that comes along with the job
involves making a patient’s day better.
“The theme that I love the best is to
see a patient that maybe comes in and is in
a bad spot — and sometimes they are — or
maybe they just don’t feel like they have any
answers or don’t know which way to go,”
she said. “They’re able to leave here with a
great, big smile on their face, and they have
resources, or they have gotten the help that
they need.”
Another responsibility of the health
department includes sheltering hurricane
evacuees.
“One of my favorite memories is at
the end of a hurricane response, helping
everybody get loaded back up on their buses
— knowing that we were sending them back,
their homes had been checked and watching
about five buses pull out, waving goodbye,”
she added. “That was always something that I
will think about.”
She elaborated on her role as nurse
manager, saying it is her job
to take information from
higher-ups from the district
and state and localize them
for area public health entities.
She is also in charge of
addressing the health needs
of the community by maintaining
relevant partnerships
with local law enforcement,
local hospitals and Robins
Air Force Base among other
organizations.
Sikes listed out some
aspects of the clinic she was
proud of, saying the efforts
to make them happen was
a team effort through and
through.
One of the largest tasks
for public health personnel is
immunizing children against
vaccine-preventable diseases,
she said. This can involve auditing
immunization records
for daycares as well as public
and private schools in the
county.
These efforts also
involve vaccinating schoolchildren
who want the shot
during flu season.
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