District 10 Health Department Summits On Environmental Health Of Northern Michigan

Think our public health bureaucrats are pining for the heady days of their COVID-19 authorities?

You might be right! 🤣 

https://upnorthlive.com/news/local/summits-to-be-held-on-environmental-health-of-northern-michigan#

Summits to be held on environmental health of northern Michigan
By Nicole LongSun - June 4th 2023

NORTHERN MICHIGAN, (WPBN/WGTU) -- Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, a Michigan district health department created community summits to highlight what exactly the department does.

Each year's focus dives into lesser-known ways the health department helps the community.

"We're using these health summits as an opportunity to showcase some of the other work and initiatives that the health department is involved in," said Kevin Hughes, a health officer with District Health Department #10.

When you think of a health department, your first thought might jump to our own health.

While that is a focus of district health departments, they also look at how we effect the health of other things.

"Environmental Health plays an integral role in maintaining the health of our communities, and so understanding what you need to do to maintain a healthy septic system, what needs to be involved in maintaining a healthy well, all of that are pieces that individuals need to be aware of," Hughes said.

Through community summits, department health educators highlighted certain health initiatives like food and septic inspections.

There's a proposal currently for a statewide sanitary code that would require septic systems to be inspected every five years and would add on to the already 160,000 inspections the department does throughout its 10 counties.

"It would require an additional 32, almost 33,000 inspections that we would have to do on top of all the other work that we have to carry out in the jurisdiction, and right now we have one sanitarian for each county," Hughes said. "It would be impossible for us to be able to complete all that work."

Another concern health educators expand on is PFAS and what the department does to help the community understand what they call "forever chemicals."

"We lead the public health planning and response according to EGLE site investigations and recommendations," said Katie Haner, a public health educator with District Health Department #10.

There are two more of these community summits scheduled for this month.

The department will be at West Shore Community College on June 19 and Ferris State University on June 16.