Supervisors approve development of updated health dept resource guide

Jasper County is going to create a hybrid app/add-on to public health’s webpage to better connect individuals to a resource guide for health and human services.

Supervisors approved the joint request between IT and the county health department during their Dec. 12 meeting. Neopolitan Labs, the Iowa-based company who has hired to update the county’s website in October 2023, will be in charge of creating the new feature, which will be optimized for mobile users.

Jasper County IT Director Ryan Eaton said at a past work session the document public health uploads to the website is frequently updated and the PDF file keeps corrupting, making it nearly unusable. It is also not incredibly user friendly as there are no search features for the document.

It would cost $6,000 to develop the app. Jasper County Board of Health Administrator Becky Pryor acquired a grant that will cover a portion of the costs, bringing the county’s total contribution to $3,600. At the Dec. 12 supervisors meeting, it was determined it would come out of IT’s budget.

“This would just be an upgrade to make the website easier to use to find resources in our community,” Pryor said. “The Public Health Emergency Preparedness Grant is willing to pay 40 percent. We’re getting a pre-authorization from the state and that would put the county paying 60 percent.”

Jennifer Cross, social media and communications specialist for Jasper County, said the resource guide directs individuals to service organizations that cater to their specific needs. For instance, the current guide includes information about groups that provide housing assistance, mental health services, etc.

It is also more than 60 pages long. When Pryor has to upload an updated copy, Cross said she has to hope that the QR code doesn’t change and that the links do not change. The new version would be interactive and be easy to search and filter for all website visitors. Updates can also be made on-demand by staff.

According to county documents, visitors of the new page will be able to search by keyword or organization name, or filter by category. If need be, the resource guide could even get a user-friendly short URL, making it even easier for the public to access. All entries in the guide will also be print-friendly.

If a new category needs to be added in the future or if an old one needs to be removed, the Jasper County Health Department will be able to make these updates via Mint Chip Lab — the platform that powers the entire county site — and have them instantly reflected on the website.

“It’s a 62-page guide and it covers about 34 resource categories, so the idea that PDF is searchable and you can find what you need quickly, this is just going to optimize it,” Cross said. “It’s going to be better for everybody who needs to use it, first responders, Becky’s office, anybody.”

Upon approval from the board of supervisors, Neopolitan Labs can begin development of the new features and import resource listings. A preview of the new feature is expected to be available for review within the next four to six weeks, and it could launch shortly after.