Dubois County Health Department offers summer health series and CPR training

Dubois County residents can use the health department in Jasper as a practical hub for emergency training, blood donation and fall-prevention help. The July calendar is built around concrete next steps: a CPR class that filled quickly, a Red Cross blood drive later this month and an 8-week balance class aimed at keeping older adults steady and independent.

Women’s summer series kept prevention in short, useful sessions

The department’s Women’s Summer Series ran every Wednesday from June 3 through July 8, 2026, and the topic list shows the point of the program clearly. Sessions moved from mental health and movement to nutrition, hormones, pelvic floor health, and wellness and screenings, breaking health education into manageable pieces instead of asking residents to clear an entire day. For people who struggle to make time for preventive care, that format lowers the barrier to getting information before a problem becomes a crisis.

CPR training for parents and anyone who wants to be ready

The next American Heart Association Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED class is set for July 21, 2026, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Dubois County Health Department. It is free, open to any Dubois County resident age 15 and older, and registration is already full, which says a lot about local demand for emergency-response training. The department’s CPR education page says residents can still use monthly public classes, private group classes on request and in-person skills checkoffs for people who complete an online AHA Heartsaver or BLS course.

Mary Peters handles CPR questions and scheduling at 812-481-7050 and mrpeters@duboiscountyin.org. The department says registration is required because class space is limited, so residents who missed the July session still have a way to get on a future class list or arrange training for a group.

The American Heart Association says Heartsaver is designed for people with little or no medical training and can be taken for work, regulatory or personal preparedness. The CPR AED course covers adult and child CPR, AED use, infant CPR, choking relief, drowning response and opioid-associated emergencies. The AHA also says recognized card credentials are valid for two years. That makes the class more than a one-off workshop. It is a basic lifesaving skill set for people who may need to act before paramedics arrive.

Blood donors have a direct role on July 29

The county’s next Red Cross blood drive is scheduled for Wednesday, July 29, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Appointments are recommended, but walk-ins will be accepted when space allows. A previous county blood drive on July 30, 2025, was held in the health department’s Education Room at 1187 South Saint Charles Street in Jasper, and each donation can help save up to three lives.

That is what makes blood donation one of the clearest public-health actions available locally. One afternoon can help keep regional supplies moving for surgeries, trauma care and other patients who need blood now, not later.

Seniors and caregivers should pay attention to fall prevention now

Falls are the leading cause of emergency-room visits in Dubois County, so the department’s senior-safety work is not a side note. The CDC says more than 14 million U.S. adults age 65 and older, about one in four, report falling each year, and about 37% of those who fall report an injury that requires medical treatment or restricts activity for at least one day. The CDC also identifies STEADI as an older-adult fall-prevention program for patients, caregivers and healthcare providers.

Dubois County is pairing that screening approach with A Matter of Balance, an 8-week fall-prevention class offered with Generations, Area 13 Agency on Aging. The class ran from June 2 through July 21, 2026, at the health department in Jasper, giving older adults and the people who help care for them a structured way to work on strength, confidence and practical strategies for staying on their feet.

A county health department built around keeping people out of trouble

The department’s mission helps explain why these offerings cluster around prevention rather than treatment. It focuses on disease prevention, health education, environmental health, childhood immunizations and screenings, communicable disease control and networking with other organizations. That is a broad mandate, but the July schedule turns it into something residents can actually use: a summer series that packages information in small doses, a CPR program that teaches people how to respond in the minutes that matter, a blood drive that supports patients far beyond Jasper and a fall-prevention track for older adults who want to stay independent longer.

For Dubois County, the value is simple. The health department is not just a place to get information. It is where residents can take a class, give blood, be screened for fall risk and leave better prepared for the next emergency.