Administration:
(307) 777-7172. Provides key professional and support functions to division and agency staff at the central office and local levels. Functions also include technical assistance to field and program staff, policy development and analysis, legislative affairs, planning, evaluation, interaction with federal agencies, and division personnel management.
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System(BRFSS):
Menlo Futa, MS, (307) 777-6012. Coordinates ongoing telephone survey of health-related behaviors and preventive health practices of Wyoming adults, disseminates results, and provides data for health planning at the community level.
Biomonitoring Program:
Timothy Ryan, MA, PhD, (307) 777-2931. Serves Wyoming in a cooperative program with other Rocky Mountain States, investigating the presence and concentrations of environmental chemical contaminants in fluids and tissues in the human population. This program also provides consultation and investigative services to partner agencies, legislators and private citizens for a broad range of environmental contamination and exposure issues, including natural, industrial and criminal cases, including methamphetamine laboratory incidents.
Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program:
Mary Anne Purtzer, BSN, MA, PhD (307) 777-3699. Coordinates statewide education and awareness-raising activities to increase screening rates, improve quality of care and reduce pre-mature mortality and morbidity from breast and cervical cancers. Provides screening services to eligible women on limited incomes without insurance, with a primary focus on those 50 years of age and older.
Cancer Surveillance Program:
Julia Espinoza, CTR, (307) 777-3477. Collects detailed information on all cancer cases diagnosed in Wyoming. This information is used to evaluate the effectiveness of cancer prevention programs and helps hospital administrators and physicians plan cancer treatment programs. The program routinely responds to public requests for data on cancer in Wyoming, and publishes several cancer reports each year.
Comprehensive Cancer Control Program:
Kimberly Rogers, (307) 777-8609. Provides leadership and coordination of statewide cancer prevention and control activities by creating, implementing, and monitoring objectives pertaining to prevention, early detection and screening, diagnosis and treatment, and quality of life (including survivorship and palliative care). The program also works to identify cancer-related resources at the local, state, regional, and national levels, as well as assist in identifying strategies to eliminate or reduce gaps in services. The program seeks to decrease the impact of cancer on Wyoming people, families, and communities in a comprehensive and collaborative manner.
Diabetes Prevention and Control Program:
Star Morrison, MS, RD, (307) 777-3579. Provides leadership and coordination of statewide diabetes prevention and control activities focused on public awareness, provider education, improved patient care, and policy development.
Environmental Public Health
Timothy Ryan, M.A., Ph.D., (307) 777-2931.
Epidemiology:
Tracy Murphy, MD, State Epidemiologist (307) 777-7716. Oversees surveillance and control of communicable disease throughout the State, supervises field staff in these efforts, provides analytic/medical consultation for Division of Public Health programs, and disseminates communicable and non-communicable epidemiologic data.
Healthcare Facility Safety Event Reporting:
The Wyoming State Legislature passed a bill (Senate File 0113) during the 2005 session, requiring all licensed healthcare facilities in the state to report any occurrence of a defined set of patient safety events. The purpose of this law is to provide the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) with information that can be used to identify trends in healthcare facility safety events. This information can then be used to assist healthcare facilities in reducing the severity and incidence of safety events.
Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program:
Dave Ivester, RN, (307) 777-3732. Provides Wyoming citizens with cardiovascular disease education, as well as providing professional education and cardiovascular disease statistics to health professionals, conducts continuing research in the area of cardiovascular disease in Wyoming, and partners with other groups for risk reduction activities.
HIV/AIDS/Hepatitis Program:
Bronwen Anderson, MS, (307) 777-7529. Provides educational outreach on HIV and AIDS, provides counseling and testing services through contracted community agencies, serves as payer of last resort for client medical and ancillary bills, and coordinates community planning.
- HIV/AIDS Surveillance Program: Cheryl Corbin, (307) 777-7719. HIV/AIDS surveillance data for Wyoming. This program provides ongoing systematic collection, analysis, evaluation and dissemination of HIV/AIDS data.
Infectious Disease Epidemiology Program (IDEpi):
Clayton K. Van Houten, JR. MS Chief; Emerging Diseases/Health Statistics Section,(307)-777-5596 The Infectious Disease Epidemiology Program oversees the surveillance and control of infectious diseases throughout the State including: food and waterborne diseases (E. coli, giardia, etc.), vaccine-preventable diseases (pertussis, bacterial meningitis, etc.), zoonotic diseases (plague, Q-fever, etc.), and vectorborne diseases (West Nile Virus, Colorado tick fever, etc.). The program responds to and investigates clusters and outbreaks of illnesses. It also provides analytic and medical consultations for healthcare providers Statewide.
Institutional Review Board:
Kelly Weidenbach, MPH, (307) 266-0052. The Wyoming Department of Health, Institutional Review Board (WDH IRB) is charged to protect the rights and welfare of human research subjects recruited to participate in research activities conducted under the auspices of the Wyoming Department of Health. Research which involves the participation of human subjects requires approval or exemption from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) prior to the initiation of the project.
Lead Poisoning Prevention Program:
Steve Melia, MSPH, (307) 777-6015. Provides surveillance for pediatric and adult blood lead screening. Provides information regarding environmental and medical follow-up to ensure cases of lead poisoning are identified. Provides professional and public health materials on adult and pediatric lead poisoning prevention. Provides blood lead testing for adults. For information on adult testing contact the Lead program at 1-800-458-5847.
Public Health Laboratory:
Richard Harris, PhD, (307) 777-7431. Provides testing for communicable diseases, as well as alcohol and controlled and non-controlled substances, that affect human behavior. Provides laboratory consultation, training, and expert witness services.
Radon Project:
Steve Melia, MSPH, (307) 777-6015. Provides educational and awareness programs for professionals and citizens of Wyoming. Many communities throughout Wyoming have local programs that provide information, test kits and personnel for presentations. Some of the local programs include the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service, the Public Health Nursing office, the Wyoming-Montana Safety Council and some private organizations.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) Prevention Program:
Canyon Hardesty, MS, CHES, (307) 777-8939. Conducts active and passive surveillance activities to identify morbidity and the prevalence of sexually-transmitted diseases. Maintains morbidity and epidemiologic data bases, and works in collaboration with community-based health care providers to conduct screening, counseling, and treatment of clients.
Tuberculosis (TB) Control Program:
Alex Bowler, MPH, FACHE, (307) 777-5658. Responsible for: Identifying and causing to be treated those people who have active disease; finding and screening contacts of infectious TB cases; offering preventive therapy to those who are infected; and screening members of high-risk populations to find those with TB infection or disease.
Vital Records Services:
Gladys Breeden, (307) 777-7264. Registers all births, deaths, marriages, and divorces that take place in the State; issues certified copies; corrects records; substitutes birth records after adoption and paternity determination; and compiles and analyzes mortality and natality statistics; and prepares specialized reports for programs.