News Release: Public health nurse receives an award for challenging TB case in Ottawa County

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For Immediate Release  |  July 9, 2019

Public health nurse receives award for challenging TB case in Ottawa County

Patty Feenstra received the 2019 Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) TB Warrior Award for her exceptional work with a very complex and challenging case of drug resistant tuberculosis. Patty has been a nurse for 43 years and has been working as a TB nurse for the Ottawa County Department of Public Health (OCDPH) eight of those years. This award was given at the 2019 MDHHS World TB Day Conference in Lansing, where she also presented Notes from the Field.

"Patty provides exceptional and compassionate care to Ottawa County residents with tuberculosis," stated Tamara Drake, OCDPH communicable disease supervisor. "Patty always goes above and beyond to make sure they complete the necessary treatment."  

patty feenstra

"Receiving the MDHHS TB Warrior Award at the 2019 MDHHS World TB Day Conference was a special honor for me and I appreciated the recognition for doing the work that I am passionate about," said Patty. "I am proud to be part of a great team here at the Ottawa County Department of Public Health and at the MDHHS TB Control Program that provides awesome care for the TB patients of Ottawa County."
pfeenstra@miottawa.org

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 13 million people in the United States have latent TB infection, and without treatment, they are at risk for developing TB disease in the future. Public health must continue to find and treat cases of active TB disease and also test and treat latent TB infection to prevent progression to disease. Treatment of latent TB infection is essential to controlling and eliminating TB in the United States. The public health system and private providers play a crucial role in this effort. Find out more about TB - English  I  Spanish