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Health screenings help identify chronic diseases early, often before symptoms appear. Early detection allows you and your health care provider to take steps that can reduce complications, improve long‑term health, and support a better quality of life. Following recommended screening guidelines ensures that you are monitoring your health regularly and catching potential issues as soon as possible. Screenings are a key part of preventive health care and can include tests for conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol, lead exposure, and more.
Visit our Chronic Disease Prevention page for more information on other necessary steps in preventing chronic disease.
Visit our Chronic Disease Prevention page for more information on other necessary steps in preventing chronic disease.
A blood lead screening is a test to measure lead levels in the blood. A small blood sample is usually taken by a finger-prick or heel-prick.
The Minnesota Childhood Blood Lead Screening Guidelines recommend that ALL children should get a blood lead test around 12 and 24 months of age.
It is recommended for children ages 25 months to 17 years and pregnant and breastfeeding women to get screened if they meet the criteria in the risk questionnaire found in the screening guidelines.
Routine blood lead tests are covered by insurance and medical assistance programs as preventative health care services. Contact your primary health care provider to request a blood lead test. If you do not have insurance or medical assistance, contact Public Health for assistance.
Steele County Public Health offers blood lead screening to children aged 12 months and 24 months and at risk pregnant and breastfeeding women. If you would like to schedule a blood lead test, please contact us via phone or email.
The Minnesota Childhood Blood Lead Screening Guidelines recommend that ALL children should get a blood lead test around 12 and 24 months of age.
It is recommended for children ages 25 months to 17 years and pregnant and breastfeeding women to get screened if they meet the criteria in the risk questionnaire found in the screening guidelines.
Routine blood lead tests are covered by insurance and medical assistance programs as preventative health care services. Contact your primary health care provider to request a blood lead test. If you do not have insurance or medical assistance, contact Public Health for assistance.
Steele County Public Health offers blood lead screening to children aged 12 months and 24 months and at risk pregnant and breastfeeding women. If you would like to schedule a blood lead test, please contact us via phone or email.
Measuring your blood pressure is the only way to know whether you have high blood pressure. High blood pressure usually has no warning signs or symptoms, and many people do not know they have it.
Talk with your health care provider about how often you should have your blood pressure measured or when to measure it. People who have high blood pressure may need to measure their blood pressure more often than people who do not.
You can get your blood pressure checked by:
Talk with your health care provider about how often you should have your blood pressure measured or when to measure it. People who have high blood pressure may need to measure their blood pressure more often than people who do not.
You can get your blood pressure checked by:
- Steele County Public Health, contact us via phone or email
- A local health care provider
- A local pharmacy
- An at home blood pressure monitor
Cholesterol screening is a part of preventative health care. It supports early detection of high cholesterol (dyslipidemia) to reduce long-term cardiovascular risk.
The cholesterol test, or screening, requires a simple blood draw. The cholesterol test checks your levels of:
Contact Steele County Public Health to schedule a cholesterol screening.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children ages 9 to 11 and adolescents ages 17 to 21 get their cholesterol checked at least once. Most healthy adults should be screened every 4 to 6 years. People with heart disease, diabetes, or a family history of high cholesterol may need to be tested more often.
The cholesterol test, or screening, requires a simple blood draw. The cholesterol test checks your levels of:
- Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or "bad" cholesterol. Having high levels of LDL cholesterol can lead to plaque buildup in your arteries and result in heart disease or stroke.
- High-density lipoprotein (HDL) or "good" cholesterol. HDL is known as "good" cholesterol because high levels can lower your risk of heart disease and stroke.
- Triglycerides, a type of fat in your blood that your body uses for energy. The combination of high levels of triglycerides with low HDL cholesterol or high LDL cholesterol levels can increase your risk for heart attack and stroke.
- Total cholesterol, the total amount of cholesterol in your blood based on your HDL, LDL, and triglycerides numbers.
Ask your health care provider how to prepare.
Contact Steele County Public Health to schedule a cholesterol screening.
Diabetes screening is important for finding diabetes early, which can help prevent serious health problems such as heart disease, kidney damage, and nerve damage.
Prediabetes and type 2 diabetes often have no symptoms. If you have any risk factors, it is recommended that you get screened even if you don't have symptoms.
The screening is a quick blood draw done by your local health care provider.
Contact Steele County Public Health to see if you are able to receive a diabetic screening in our office.