Heller
By JENNIFER HELLER, guest columnist
At a conference I attended earlier this month, the results of an evaluation done by the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis were presented.
The results were presented as part of a session on the current governor’s commission on public health. Out of the six statements resulting from this evaluation, the one that really hit home to me, was that “public health is not well understood and is undervalued.”
Certain areas of public health are more visible. You can check the restaurant inspections on our website. You hear about septic issues and ordinances in The Democrat newspaper. COVID-19 and other vaccinations are in the news frequently.
But what are some other areas that involve public health? In the interest of improving the knowledge of what your public health department does, I would like to offer the following short list of areas that we also work in:
Vectors, including ticks, mice and mosquitoes. Public health provides information on dealing with our annual pests along with information on commensal rodents to help prevent disease and viral infections.
Air quality. The state public health department has equipment that can measure air quality, including the amount of mold in the air outside as compared to the amount of mold in the air inside. However, there are no firm numbers that show a quantity of mold is detrimental to health, as this tolerance varies from person to person. What one person sails through without illness in term of mold exposure could be debilitating to another person. Brown County Health Department can help arrange an air quality test if needed.
Lead exposure and testing.
Vaccinations, tuberculosis testing, all shots and communicable disease investigations are all done by our nursing staff. Screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, hemoglobin, pregnancy, weight and weight checks and blood glucose are also done in our department. The nursing staff also provides outreach services to a rural senior center.
Emergency preparedness planning and implementation. Our emergency preparedness coordinator works with multiple agencies across many jurisdictions to plan, train and exercise our responses to various emergencies. These could include any chemical, biological, radiation or naturally occurring incidents. Having an all-hazards approach to our trainings or response allows for a more coordinated effort to many types of complex scenarios.
Offer certified food manager class is offered quarterly through the ServSafe program. In our current food code, there is a requirement for higher risk food establishments to operate with one certified food manager on staff. This requirement will change to a certified food protection manager being on-site during all operating hours when the 2017 food code is adopted, which is targeted to occur by the end of 2022 by the Indiana Department of Health Food Protection Division.
Investigate past records for septic system installation. The world of septic has grown considerably since the health department began record keeping in the 1970s. Back then a simple sheet of paper with a rough handdrawn sketch of the system was considered adequate for approval of the system. Sometimes a “perc” test was performed. In the septic records of today, there are extensive files on individual septic systems. Requirements for obtaining a permit include a soil analysis, which indicates specific soil qualities that may or may not be able to absorb septic waste fluids, specification sheets to show what size and kind of system could be installed, warranty deeds, house elevations, lot descriptions and a copy of the final issued permit. There is also a five-part inspection process performed throughout the installation of the system that checks for all proper procedures, measurements and final finish to be followed during the septic installation.
Vital records including county birth and death records. At our current time these records are electronic, but in the past large ledgers of birth and death records were kept, all handwritten, going back to the 1800s.
Investigate complaints on poor housing, septic failures, food safety violations, food-borne illnesses, trash that could hold water (and therefore mosquitoes) and various other topics.
Water quality. The health department can route water samples to a lab with pick-up on Wednesday mornings.
Annual licensing and inspections on restaurant and other food establishments are done with the “risk” factor increasing the number of inspections for the establishment.
Septic contractor licensing with our own departmental test requirement.
Many more services are also offered, so for more detailed information visit our website at www.browncountyhealthdept.org.
The duties and responsibilities of the health department are extensive.
Our motto is “Prevent, promote and protect.” I hope this gives you some idea of what we try to accomplish.
Jennifer Heller is the environmental health specialist for the Brown County Health Department. She is responsible for restaurant inspections, septic installation inspections, vector issues, farmer’s markets and home base vendor questions and complaints. She also chairs the Terrorism and All Hazards Preparedness Committee for the Indiana Environmental Health Association and will be the president-elect of that organization in 2022. She can be reached by at [email protected].
