Brad Knudson
There is a new face serving the residents of Jones County through Public Health.
Brad Knudson, the assistant director, started on Aug. 28.
Originally from Amana, Knudson is relocating the northeast side of Linn County.
Prior to working for Jones County Public Health (JCPH), Knudson was a volunteer with NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) in Linn County.
“They do a bit (of work) with JCPH and the Coalition (Jones County Safe & Health Youth Coalition),” he said of the connection.
Someone with NAMI informed Knudson of the JCPH assistant job and encouraged him to apply.
Currently, Knudson is the only employee under JCPH, following Director Jess Wiedenhoff’s resignation in August.
Right now, a month into his new job, Knudson is just trying to learn the ropes and has been taking on a lot of training opportunities. Thanks to the helpful assistance of other county Public Health directors and departments (Benton, Delaware, Cedar, and Buchanan) he’s able to reach out for help.
“I probably call them a hundred times a day,” joked Knudson of reaching out to those other counties with similar demographics to Jones.
Knudson attended Kirkwood Community College following high school, where he earned his associate of science degree. He then transferred to the University of Iowa.
“My first year was in 2020,” he said of starting college during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Knudson originally thought he’d pursue a degree as a PA (physician assistant), but he said, “That didn’t work out.”
So his college advisor suggested he look into public health.
In May 2023, he graduated from the UI College of Public Health.
Having pursued a degree in public health at the same time a worldwide pandemic was taking place allowed for a heavy focus, Knudson said, on the matter at hand.
Aside from his work with JCPH, Knudson has been a member of the Iowa National Guard since he was 17 years old.
“We got deployed during COVID to assist Iowa Public Health (now the Department of Health and Human Services) at pod sites with contract tracing,” offered Knudson.
Over his years with the Guard, Knudson has been deployed to a few natural disasters, but has not had to go overseas yet.
A month into his new job, Knudson said it’s been an interesting learning experience.
“At the core, I come from a small town,” he said of relating to the residents of Jones County.
One of his passions is combating health disparities and making sure people have access to quality food and healthcare, especially during times of inflation.
“I want to help make a difference in someone’s life, in a family’s life. I want to implement programs that benefit communities, especially low-income and those struggling with health insecurities.”
Two of Knudson’s grandparents passed away from diabetes, another from cancer.
“Those are all potentially preventable diseases,” he said.
Working for a small county Public Health department, Knudson said his office tends to handle “it all.”
One item on his to-do list is to start working on immunization audits associated with all of the schools and childcare facilities in the county.
Knudson has also been in contact with the City of Anamosa regarding a project with the state hygienic lab testing waste water.
“Waste water is not normally tested,” he explained. “But we can test it to see the presence of pathogens or microbes. It gives Public Health a picture of what’s going on in the community.”
For instance, waste water tests could reveal outbreaks of COVID, RSV, or influenza.
“The CDC has greatly expanded waste water testing,” added Knudson. “We can track outbreaks before it gets too severe.”
The state helps to cover the cost for such a test.
Since leaving college and entering the Public Health world, Knudson said he’s very aware of the difference in the work he did in school verses what a county budget allows.
“I’d love to give everybody free food and healthcare,” he said. “But we need to work within our budget.”
Knudson’s personal background brings about a passion for helping others.
“I’m making the most out of this position for the community,” he offered.
You can reach Knudson at publichealth@jonescountyiowa.gov.