New health director seeks to be partner

Trempealeau County’s new public health director was COVID vaccination coordinator for La Crosse, and hopes the tactics he learned there will work here.

“For me it’s all about collaboration,” said Aron Newberry who succeeded Barb Barczak as Trempealeau County health director last week.  “It’s all about relationships, partnerships, knowing who to call and that they’ll pick up the phone.”

Both Newberry and Barczak noted in an interview that it is a little jarring for those used to working in the background to be front and center in a sometimes contentious debate about how to handle a pandemic.

“We’re the behind-the-scenes guardian angels who keep food safe, encourage people to test their water and make sure child car seats are properly installed,” Barczak said. 

Yet, over the past several months, Barczak found herself very much in the public eye. At a public hearing on her request to penalize those who go maskless, Barczak was accused of overstepping her authority. At a recent county board meeting, she was praised for her evenhanded and consistent approach to pandemic regulations 

As vaccination coordinator for La Crosse County, Newberry’s experience was different. Though there was some push-back from county residents, most of it was virtual, he said. 

Instead, Newberry said his focus was on drawing together stakeholders into the Coulee COVID-19 Collaboration to advance vaccinations. The members included medical facilities, chambers of commerce, pharmacies, schools and even Kwik Trip, which is headquartered in La Crosse. He also included Hmong organizations to promote vaccines to that population.

The delta variant is present in the county, Barczak said, and could trigger actions by the health department. A department release last week indicates the county is experiencing a bump in cases, from five cases in June, eight in the first two weeks of July and 31 the last two weeks.

Both Barczak and Newberry encouraged county residents to get vaccinated. 

“The answer to COVID restrictions is vaccinations,” Newberry said. 

As of late last week, 54.9 percent of Trempealeau County residents 12 and older had received at least one dose of a vaccine. In La Crosse County, that number was 57.7 percent. 

Barczak said parents should consider getting children over 12 vaccinated now so the vaccine can be fully effective by the start of school. Barczak also encouraged individuals to learn about the vaccines because “it’s pretty hard to unscare people” who have been spooked by anti-vaccine information.

Barczak said controlling the mutated virus is especially important because about 20 percent of county residents can’t get the vaccine for other health reasons. For the especially vulnerable residents who are 65 and over, the Trempealeau County vaccination rate is 96.7 percent, which is “pretty amazing,” Newberry said.

Newberry said he sees his role as persuading people to heed recommendations to ease the virus and to remove barriers. He said, in rural communities, hours of work and transportation can limit access to the vaccine. Still, he acknowledges persuasion has its limits. 

“My parents know what I do, but they won’t get the vaccine,” he said.

Newberry, who holds a public health degree from Indiana University, “will do a great job,” Barczak said. 

Health department warns of increased COVID spread

By Andrew Dannehy

Times Editor

The disease that kept much of the world — including Trempealeau County — on edge for most of 2020 and the first part of 2021 appears to be coming back to the area, the Trempealeau County Health Department warned. 

The health department sent a press release noting the “case rate is almost six times higher than where we were two weeks ago.” Specifically, the release noted that the Delta variant is “extremely infectious and spreading quickly.” 

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported just five confirmed COVID-19 in the month of June, but there were 39 cases in July. The health department reported there have been 31 new cases since July 15. As of Monday, the department reported there were 21 active cases. 

“This has been a challenging 16 months for us all,” the release said. “Let’s work together to keep the spread of COVID- 19 limited in Trempealeau County and Wisconsin.”

The department recommended that everybody 12 and older get a COVID-19 vaccine prior to the 2021-22 school year. The Pfizer vaccine is available to those age 12 and older. The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are available to those age 18 and older. The health department also backed the Center of Disease Control recommendation for “universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. Children should return to full-time in-person learning in the fall with layered prevention strategies in place.” 

The release said that Buffalo County is currently at “substantial transmission” and Pepin County is at “high transmission.” 

The DHS reported that 66.8 percent of adults — and 54.9 percent of all residents — in Trempealeau County are fully vaccinated. Comparatively, 59 percent of the adults in Buffalo County and 51.5 in Pepin County have been fully vaccinated. Trempealeau County has the highest rate in this area ahead of Eau Claire (60.3), La Crosse (64.7), Jackson (47.8) and Clark (38.6).