New public health nurse plans to stick around

Petersburg's acting public health nurse Erin Michael has been busy since she arrived in town at the end of September.

"A big bulk of what I've been doing has been immunizations," Michael said."We also do outreach for STD screenings, birth control and we work with different coalitions in the community."

Michael arrived from Juneau where she worked at the Juneau Public Health Center since November of 2011.

She will be able to apply for the official Petersburg position in December. According to state requirements, a lone public health nurse needs to have been on the job for a minimum of one year before they can work alone in a community.

"I'm hoping that I get to stay," Michael said during her introduction to the Rotary Club yesterday afternoon. "It seems like a great community to live in and work in. This place has been, socially, way more busy than I've ever been in my entire life."

Michael also encouraged anyone who hasn't received a flu shot to stop by the clinic. The state has waived administrative costs enabling Michael to give them for free.

"They're going like hotcakes," Michael said. "I've already gone through a whole box of them."

She advised to call ahead to make an appointment if possible and that she might be able to take walk-ins depending on how busy she is.

Ann Haisler, Petersburg's previous public health nurse, retired in July.