What's is going to happen next month at Northampton County Council? They are planning to vote on an issue that I think is flying under the radar. You probably know already that all three cities in the Lehigh Valley have health inspectors that serve those cities. They inspect all food establishments in those cities along with training the restaurant staff on food safety. They also provide public health clinics like the immunization clinics or health fairs. They also work on catastrophic planning like if we would get a large foodborne disease outbreak or worse yet biological outbreak.
Outside of these cities, we have nothing. In many instances, it is up to the state to inspect food establishments. I've worked in these areas and we were lucky if we saw a state inspector once a year, if that. By creating this bureau, we can get oversight and coverage for everyone. Please tell the council to vote yes.
Check here for the Morning Call's article about health inspections:
Mcall.com's article on health inspections.
Check here for the Morning Call's article on the Bi-county health vote:
Bi-county health bureau's demise?
Speaking of healthcare: I wanted to make you aware of a FREE, educational, Constitution Day Workshop called "Everything You Wanted to Know About Obamacare (But Didn't Know Who To Ask") being held on Sept 17th at DeSales University from 1pm-5pm. Questions/info and registration at: http://www.meetup.com/Lehigh-Valley-Coalition-for-Health-Care-Reform/events/27077301/
ReplyDeleteBUREAU OF COMMUNITY HEALTH SYSTEMS
ReplyDeleteThe Bureau of Community Health Systems, through the six Medical Districts, operates a network of six district offices, 60 health centers, and acts as the implementation arm for the Department's public health programs. The health centers operate under the direction of the district offices, whose staff provide coordination, consultative and administrative support to these delivery units.
Program support services include:
communicable disease reporting and investigation:
epidemiology, informational and referral;
chronic disease prevention and intervention programs (including cardiovascular risk reduction, cancer, diabetes, and injury prevention);
communicable disease clinical services (including sexually-transmitted disease and tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment, immunization, and HIV testing, counseling and education);
family health programs and environmental health services;
In addition, health centers engage in community health assessment and quality assurance activities and provide other public health services, including community integration and outreach programs, to promote healthy behaviors. The Bureau oversees the coordination of similar programs with six county and four municipal health departments, other state and community agencies, professional groups, and community organizations.
Two offices in the Lehigh Valley:
Lehigh County
Suite 206
3730 Lehigh Street
Whitehall, PA 18052-3403
Phone: (610)821-6770
Fax: (610)821-6564
Northampton County
1600 Northampton Street
Easton, PA 18042-3132
Phone: (610)250-1825
Fax: (610)250-1812