Kay Dubbert Selected As Recipient of William “Bill” Johnson Advocate for Public Health Award
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 10, 2023 9:00 a.m.
Media Contact:
Chris Newbrough, PIO/Emergency Planner
573-581-1332
cnewbrough@audraincountyhealth.org
The selection committee for the William “Bill” Johnson Advocate for Public Health Award has chosen retired Audrain County Health Department (ACHD) nurse Kay Dubbert, RN, as the 2023 recipient of the award. Dubbert worked at ACHD from 1976 to 2014, holding several positions during her tenure.
Johnson was the first administrator of the Audrain City-County Health Unit, now known as Audrain County Health Department. He was appointed in 1963, holding the post until his retirement.
“I was so surprised when I got the phone call from Craig (Brace, ACHD Administrator/CEO),” Dubbert said. “I’m just so honored to be chosen for this award.”
“The selection committee received multiple nominations to name Kay as this year’s recipient so, it was quite the easy choice for them,” said Brace. “And, with her long and storied career here at ACHD leaving such an indelible mark on healthcare in Audrain County, it’s easy to see why she was the easy choice.”
Dubbert says working with Johnson, the first public health administrator in Audrain County, was something that she looked forward to each and every day she worked with him.
“I always loved how forward-thinking Bill was and how family-friendly he made the health unit,” Dubbert said. “Years before FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) was even on the radar, he allowed us to take sick leave when our children were ill. This was a tremendous benefit to us, working parents.”
She says Johnson’s openness was also a huge asset to the employees.
“Bill also had an open-door policy. His door was always open to staff,” she explained. “Besides staff coming to him, he made the rounds daily to talk to staff. He tried to keep his finger on the pulse of his staff and any problems or concerns they may have had.”
She says as to her legacy, she was most proud of the way she and her staff handled any potential communicable disease investigations quickly.
“This helped to prevent the spread of whatever the disease was,” she says. “At times that meant most, things stopped, and all public health nurses and staff worked to get everything done. Whether that meant someone followed up with contacts, someone worked on informing physicians and media, someone investigated to find the source and the documentation was complete before we left for the day.”
Dubbert says there were a lot of changes she saw in her nearly 40-year career at ACHD.
“When I started, nurses wrote in cursive all their notes and, clerks used typewriters,” she remembers. “No copiers. We used carbon paper. No fax machines, no computers. In 1984, we were able to go upstairs in the Kohl apartments and use the copier in the Finance Department of the hospital. That lovely partnership with the hospital was very evident, including when the Medical Records department at the hospital got a FAX machine, we were able to use it.”
Dubbert concluded by listing just a few of the accomplishments she had a hand in completing at the health department during her tenure there.
“One of those was working with some very caring and smart individuals and learning from each of them,” she said. “Also offering one of the first drive-through influenza vaccine clinics. We partnered with (what was then known as) Audrain Medical Center at the Stribling House. It was four-plus hours of providing preventive care to many residents. It was the first of many years of offering influenza vaccine at no charge to Audrain County residents by partnering with the hospital. Also, the starting of a Medicare-certified hospice program providing end-of-life care to all those terminal patients within a 30-mile radius of Mexico.”
Dubbert will be honored at a ceremony and dinner in her honor on Thursday, November 2nd, 2023 at the Presser Arts Center. Tickets are $25 apiece, or $200 for an eight-person table, and are available at https://myACHD.eventbrite.com. Seating is limited. You can also call 573-581-1332 to purchase tickets. Deadline to purchase tickets is Thursday, October 26th. Doors open at 6 p.m. that evening with dinner served at 6:30 p.m. and the awards ceremony to follow.
Members of the Advocate Award selection committee include: ACHD Board Chair Jessica Johnson-Ekern, ACHD Administrator Craig Brace, Audrain County Presiding Commissioner Alan Winders, Mexico Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Dana Keller and Arthur Center Executive Director Terry Mackey.
All candidates nominated for the award must possess the following qualifications:
• Be a resident of Audrain County
• Have a track record of personal service for promoting public health initiatives in the county
• Be an individual of high integrity and of good standing in the county
• Support the ongoing programs and services of Audrain County Health Department
• Be a positive advocate for the health and well-being of Audrain County residents
• Have a demonstration of volunteer activities in support of public health
