Sieda Community Action’s COVID-19 Response
Letters from the Executive Director on Sieda Community Action’s COVID-19 Response September 23, 2020 As we've said a number of times over the past several months, Sieda Community Action and our Board of Directors continue to do our best to support under-resourced families in our communities while working to protect the health of clients and staff. We also have [...]
Teen Driver Safety – 3 Major Risks
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens (15 to 18 years old) in the United States - ahead of all other types of injury, disease, or violence. Contributing factors include alcohol/drug use, seat belt nonuse, and speeding. On the other hand, parents and other caring adults can help reduce youth risk by sharing your concerns [...]
Sieda Staff Receive the National Family Support Certification
Please join us in congratulating Angela Mach, De Brooke, and Lisa Tennis of Sieda’s Family Support Services on their National Family Support Certification! Angie Mach is with the Maternal Infant Early Childhood Home Visitation (MIECHV) program here at Sieda. De Brooke and Lisa Tennis are Parents as Teachers (PAT) Workers with Sieda. Their achievement is a testament to their [...]
Iowa Announces COVID-19 Residential Utility Disruption Prevention Program
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) today announced the launch of the new Residential Utility Disruption Prevention Program. The program will provide eligible households with up to $2,000 towards electric, natural gas, and water bills if they are at risk of disconnection due to an inability to pay due to a COVID-19 related loss [...]
Licensees required to complete COVID-19 Compliance Checklist
The Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division (ABD) is requiring licensees to complete a COVID-19 Compliance Checklist to assist in the implementation of proclamation requirements. The purpose of the checklist is for licensees to certify they’ve read and understood the terms and conditions of the proclamation. The answers to the questions will indicate the operational measures licensees have or will be [...]
Sieda Diaper Bank
Sieda Community Action with a grant from the Ottumwa Regional Legacy Foundation recently established a new Diaper Bank Program to assist parents living in poverty. A monthly supply of diapers for one child can cost between $70 and $80. As a result, parents try to make do with the diapers they can afford. Which leads to severe diaper rash [...]
Dealing with Zoom Brain Drain
If you are finding yourself more exhausted at the end of the workday, you’re not alone. Various sources call it Zoom fatigue or Zoom “Brain Drain,” and it is the exhaustive effect of the seemingly endless parade of virtual obligations. Zoom is obviously not the only online platform that causes these issues. This condition can be caused by trying [...]
Elderly/Disabled Heating Assistance Opening October 1st
LIHEAP (Heating Assistance) applications for households with at least one person that is elderly (60+) or disabled will begin Thursday, October 1st. Please call to set up a visit with your local Sieda Community Action office. Applications for all other households will start on November 1st. The 2020-2021 LIHEAP is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services [...]
Community Readiness Assessment Steps
“Get Ready... Get Set... Go!" Just as when we were children and the “starter” would call these directions out to the runners in a race, the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) is similar. Staff in the Behavioral Health and Treatment Services prevention department have been measuring community readiness. For each of the ten counties in our service areas. This is [...]
Virtual ISTEP Summit Tobacco Prevention
Lisa, Tobacco Prevention Specialist with Sieda Behavioral Health and Treatment Services, attended the first virtual ISTEP Summit that was held on September 10, 2020. ISTEP (Iowa Students for Tobacco Education and Prevention) is Iowa's youth-led tobacco prevention movement. Throughout the year, each chapter organizes its own activities, then once a year, ISTEP students from all across Iowa get together [...]