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To some, the launch of a new website may not sound like a big deal.

But to Jan Morrow, Director of the Ripley County Health Department, it is a huge deal.

“Our health department was first opened in 1954 in the basement of the Courthouse with just one nurse and one clerk,” recalls Morrow.

The department took a huge step forward in 1964 when it got its own building through Hill Burton funds, with an original cost of about $35,000. Then the building received an addition in the 1990’s.

The physical growth was greatly needed to keep up with the caseload growth.

“In 1978, we had a caseload of only 75 a month in our WIC program. Now we are serving over 600 cases per month,” noted Morrow.

Morrow began her work with the department in 1978, and still recalls how overwhelmed she felt.

“I thought then we had a lot on our plate, with so many programs to oversee,” laughed Morrow. “And now we see about 1,000 patients per month for immunization, testing for communicable diseases, and those types of tasks.”

She admits technology has been invaluable in helping the department keep up with demand.

“Now we can issue birth and death certificates in a matter of minutes, and we are able to provide quality public health services to our 14,000 residents of Ripley County. And we do it all with a very small staff, which includes one nurse practitioner, two registered nurses, three clerks, one Environmental Public Health Specialist, one breast-feeding counselor, and me,” said Morrow.

And, she notes, she has seen a huge transformation towards technology use.

“We’ve gone from everything being done on a typewriter and handwriting to computers, and now we feel this new website will have tremendous advantages over our old website,” she added.

The new website, designed by semo.net, is more colorful, easier to navigate, and easier to utilize. The site has also been designed to work with mobile smartphones and tablets like the Apple iPad and Samsung Galaxy Note.

Ripley County residents can now gain access to vital records, find out the latest information on health and clinic services, inspection services, and the events calendar helps residents keep up with important programs that can be a huge help to them, like WIC Clinics, Blood Pressure and Immunization Clinics, and Daycare Training.

“We realize we are a vital part of the Ripley County Community, and that many people depend on us to help them with their heath needs and questions,” concluded Morrow. “We feel now that we are better equipped than ever to help them in a truly meaningful way.”

To check out the new website, go to ripleycountyhealth.com.