SHARONVILLE CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT ANNUAL REPORT 2011 SHARONVILLE CITY BOARD OF HEALTH Mayor Virgil Lovitt, II PRESIDENT Suzanne Cole CHAIRWOMAN HEALTH COMMISSIONER COMMENTS t is with great pleasure that I I present the 2011 Annual Report for the Sharonville City Health Department. Kevin Kellner Elaine Krick Lois Rafferty Timothy Schmidt Paul Schmidt COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE Barry W. Webb, MD MEDICAL DIRECTOR HEALTH DEPARTMENT STAFF Dennis R. Propes, RS HEALTH COMMISSIONER Adrien Gertz, RN DIRECTOR OF NURSING In public health we often talk about prevention, promotion, protection and preparedness as fundamental keys of our job. To that end I present to you the three... check that... the four P s of public health: P revention: Our number one activities in this regard are childhood immunizations and flu shots. Combined we administered over 647 doses of vaccine to children and adults. P romotion: We can never promote the department and its mission enough and this year we held seven presentations and events that served over 835 citizens. 2011 Sharonville Board of Health Members and Staff Back row from left: Kevin Kellner, Paul Schmidt (Council Rep), Tim Schmidt, Dennis Propes (Health Commissioner), and Mayor Virgil Lovitt II (Board President). Front row from left: Jean Nelson (Admin Clerk), Suzanne Cole, Lois Rafferty and Elaine Krick. P reparedness: Our department has attended eleven trainings and participated in three drills and exercises to ensure that if a major event was to strike in Sharonville the Health Department would be prepared. Todd Dudley, RS DIRECTOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH Erin Luedeke, RS SANITARIAN, PART-TIME Jean Nelson ADMINISTRATIVE CLERK FORMER 2011 HEALTH DEPT STAFF Asel Baatyrbek Kysy SUMMER INTERN P rotection: Inspections Inspections Inspections. By conducting over 1,120 inspections this year we have insured that the restaurants, groceries, schools, pools and hotels are safe to visit for people who live, work or play in Sharonville. Our standard of normal is often skewed by what we do every day, so compared to years past when we had global pandemics, changes in rules and unbelievable living conditions in an apartment complex, 2011 was normal. It amazes me what the Health Department finds as normal. Respectfully, Dennis R. Propes, R.S. Health Commissioner 10900 Reading Road, Sharonville, OH 45241 Phone (513)563-1722 Fax (513)563-0084 Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 5:00
SHARONVILLE CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT ANNUAL REPORT 2011 PAGE 2 What is our MISSION? Prevent Promote Protect The mission of the Sharonville City Health Department is to prevent the spread of disease, promote healthy lifestyles and behaviors, and protect the environment, residents and visitors from the harmful effects of pollutants, disease and potential acts of terrorism. The Health Department is charged with administering those functions necessary to prevent, promote and protect the health and environment of the citizens of Sharonville. The department discharges its responsibilities by: 1. Determining the health status and health needs of the community. 2. Monitoring and controlling environmental factors that could negatively impact health and quality of life. 3. Providing preventative and therapeutic health services. 4. Providing health promotion programs and health education services that motivate individuals and groups to improve and maintain personal and environmental problems. 5. Monitoring the effectiveness of the Health Department s efforts to abate health and environmental problems. 6. Assessing the health and environmental needs of the community and advocating solutions to correct problems. The Sharonville Board of Health meets the second Wednesday of each month at 6:30 PM. These meetings are open to the public and conducted either in the Health Department conference room or Civil Service conference room of the Sharonville Municipal Building, 10900 Reading Road, Sharonville, Ohio 45241. The Law Director for the City of Sharonville, Mr. Thomas Keating, provides legal council for the Sharonville Board of Health and its staff. BUDGET REVENUE 2011* 2010* ORGANIZATIONAL CHART General Fund 213,841.26 215,136.96 License Fees 87,806.04 84,217.75 Emergency Preparedness Grants 31,011.39 88,975.96 State Subsidy 1,755.62 2,417.32 Medical Service Fees 0 1,220.00 Misc. Revenues 41,930.94 51,564.87 Total 376,345.25 443,532.86 EXPENDITURES 2011* 2010* Personnel Expenses 324,452.48 327,811.42 Training and Travel 8,283.85 4,020.88 Operating Supplies and Materials 43,608.92 111,700.56 Total 376,345.25 443,532.86 Includes H1N1 money, repayment of advance from Council and credit to general fund for H1N1 related activities.
PAGE 3 ANNUAL REPORT 2011 SHARONVILLE CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT ENVIRONMENTAL DIVISION Todd Dudley, RS - Director of Environmental Health ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH STATISTICS LICENSED PROGRAMS LICENSES SOLD Food Service Operation 128 Retail Food Establishment 27 Mobile Food 4 Temporary Food 45 Vending Locations 38 Pools and Spas 53 Manufactured Home Parks 3 Home Septic Systems 153 Hotels / Motels 23 Tattoo Parlors 1 FOOD PROTECTION - INSPECTIONS FSO/RFE 335 Mobile 16 Temporary 46 Vending Machine 27 Food Complaints Received 20 Consultations 7 Plan Review (New / Remodel) 5 NUISANCE INSPECTIONS Residential Complaints 81 Bedbugs 15 Tall Weeds and Grass 128 OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL INSPECTIONS Swimming Pools 106 Consultations (All Programs) 17 Manufactured Home Parks 7 School Environment 5 Infectious Waste Sites 3 Smoke Free Ohio 22 Rabies Control 21 Hotel / Motel 44 Tattoo Parlor 6 Home Sewage Inspections 153 Mill Creek Sampling 35 Mill Creek Inspections 43 he Environmental Health Division had T a very busy year with many firsts in different aspects of public health. Environmental Health opened and is now inspecting for the first time a tattoo parlor, White Crane, on Lebanon Road. Environmental Health also experienced for the first time a mobile tattoo event that was held at the Crowne Plaza during the Horror Hound Weekend back in November of 2011. A mobile tattoo parlor is not only new to Sharonville, but it is also fairly new to Ohio. The event organizers are talking about making this an annual event for Sharonville. Environmental Health also helped organize and participate in our first citywide table-top exercise. Environmental Health was also tasked with completing the After Action Report from the exercise and submitted this to the Ohio Department of Health and city officials. It was a great pleasure to sit down with several city officials and get feedback from them on how we think the City of Sharonville could respond to certain emergencies. Environmental Health also experienced its first green creek. The creek was actually a bright green color. After a lengthy walk of the creek we discovered the source to be an apartment complex treating their pond for algae growth. We submitted our findings to the Ohio EPA for further investigation. We will talk to the neighbors and make sure that their septic system is operating properly with no nuisance odors. We will even make arrangements with your organization and present what we know about bedbugs and how to control them. There are a lot of reasons for your Environmental Health division to be there for you besides just our normal programs that inspect licensed pools, restaurants, hotels, and manufactured home parks. Every year Environmental Health has a summer intern that works on special projects for the Health Department. Asel Baatyrbek Kyzy did an excellent job with the testing for the Mill Creek sampling project throughout the summer with 35 samples collected and tested. This project is part of a grant program that is surveying the Mill Creek s health. Environmental Health continues to be a part of the project Todd Dudley, RS, following up on a broken sewer line complaint in June 2011. to better understand the influences we have on our own environment in our own backyard. This will lead to better decision making when it comes to development around our water streams. Asel also completed 153 inspections that involved home septic systems for 2011. Our department responded to 15 complaints concerning bedbugs in 2011. We had 12 complaints in 2010 so it seems that bedbugs continue to be a public health nuisance with a steady number of complaints each year. We continue to encourage residents to call our office if they have concerns. The good news is that they can be controlled, but the bad news is that they are here to stay and they will not be eradicated anytime soon. There is a lot of fear perpetuated by the stories in the media concerning bedbugs. With a better understanding of their lifecycle and exactly how they can be controlled those fears can hopefully be laid to rest. Environmental Health enforces the city s Weed Ordinance and in 2011 we responded to 128 tall weed complaints. It may take us more than one visit to each property, but our goal is to make sure our community remains vibrant and beautiful. We ve seen an increase in this type of complaint and we ve noticed that a significant amount of homes are vacant and owned by a bank. We want to make sure that no matter who the owners are or where they reside, that they fulfill their responsibilities to their neighbors and our community. continued on page 4
SHARONVILLE CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT ANNUAL REPORT 2011 PAGE 4 EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS Todd Dudley, RS - Emergency Response Coordinator continued from page 3 Environmental Health is also tasked with surveillance of the rabies virus. We investigate all animal bites that our office receives. Only mammals are known to be able to carry and spread the rabies virus so if you are bitten by a turtle, bird or even a snake, rabies is the least of your worries. However, if you are one of the few unlucky people to experience a bite from a cat or a dog, then that is when we really get involved. We will place the dog, cat or ferret in a 10 day quarantine and then make sure it is vaccinated before it is allowed back to their normal routines. In 2011 Sharonville Health Department investigated 19 rabies control reports. Most of our investigations are from dog bites, so remember there are good steps to prevent this from happening such as short leashes and most importantly taking the time to train your dog to socialize with other dogs and other people. The pool program saw significant changes in the state rules in 2011. Because of the proactive steps our Board of Health took in 2010 to require compliance with the Federal Virginia Graham Baker Act of 2009, our pools will have little problem being compliant with the biggest changes in the pool rules handed down by the Ohio Department of Health. As in the previous years since Environmental Health took on the responsibility of the infectious waste program, the Ohio EPA made their annual visit to our office to do their survey. We have four large infectious waste generators in Sharonville that are inspected annually. We also have a facility that is under close supervision by our department while they use clean hard fill to grade their property to a higher elevation. Their storage of scrap tires is also a concern for our department. This type of facility is also an area for which we receive help from the Ohio EPA. The Code Enforcement Task Force is another tool used to help solve problems that arise out of nuisance complaints that are beyond one agency s capabilities or expertise. One of the biggest achievements of different departments working together was the addressing of the sewer line leak found by a resident of our community in the creek to runs down to Gorman Park. Environmental Health and the Building Department worked together to locate the leak and notify the Metropolitan Sewer District. As a result of the synergy between two departments, a serious source of contamination to our creeks was eliminated in a relatively short period of time. Sharonville residents saw four new facilities open in 2011. The Dinastia Mexican restaurant, Bengals Fish Market, The Pointe Bar and Grill restaurant and La Chilanguita convenience store are the new facilities in Sharonville. Though Taco Bell is not new, they now have a Squalid living conditions in condemned Sharonville home in April 2011. completely new building at the same location. Waffle House on Lebanon Road did the same thing in 2007 and we are going to see a few more facilities do a complete rebuild in the near future. It is great to see new food oriented businesses come to Sharonville, and old ones get a face-lift, but there were also businesses that decided to close their doors in 2011. Perkins and Pointe Bar and Grill are no longer operating here in Sharonville. The Ohio Department of Agriculture which oversees the Retail Food Establishment program performed a detailed look into our program with an audit in late 2010. We received our report from the audit in 2011 which highlighted areas of accomplishments and areas that need improvement. Training is always an integral part of the sanitarians ability to fulfill their job duties. Several conferences held in Warren County at no cost were attended by the staff to maintain our required Continuing Education Units for our Sanitarian Registration with the State of Ohio. Each sanitarian is required to attend 18 hours of CEU s every year. The Environmental Health Department continues to work as a team and help with services that are unique to our community. We helped with the Christmas Fund during the present exchange at the end of the year. It is always a pleasure to see the miracle of the Sharonville Christmas Fund at work and the number of families it helps during this time of year.
PAGE 5 ANNUAL REPORT 2011 SHARONVILLE CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT NURSING DIVISION - Programs and Services Adrien Gertz, RN - Director of Nursing PROGRAM PARTICIPATION Seasonal Flu Vaccinations 438 Senior Club Blood Pressure (per month) 50 Hearing Screenings 35 Health Women Healthy Lives 133 Children s Health Fair 600 St Michael Vision Screenings 230 St Michael Hearing Screenings 230 St Michael Scoliosis Screenings 196 Courtesy Home Visits 575 Walk-In Office Visits 150 Drug Repository 4 Homeless & Psychiatric 16 Preceptor 16 HepB Vaccine - City Employees 16 TB Tests Administered 28 VACCINES FOR CHILDREN DTaP 24 Hepatitis A 21 Hepatitis B 17 Hib 18 HPV 12 Polio 35 Meningococcal 2 Pneumococcal 22 MMR 15 Rotavirus 7 TDaP 16 TD 2 Varicella 22 COMMUNICABLE DISEASE INVESTIGATIONS Salmonella 5 Hepatitis C 16 Hepatitis B 11 Norovirus 2 Cryptosporidium 3 Campylobacter 1 Legionnaires Disease 2 Syphilis 3 Shigellosis 2 Streptococcus Pneumonia 4 Aseptic Meningitis 1 Pertussis 1 Tuberculosis (t) Tests 3 Influenza 15 Giardia 1 UBLIC HEALTH NURSING is a P specialized area of practice, which strives to preserve the health of populations across the lifespan by emphasizing health promotion and disease prevention and protection. Our mission is to improve the health status of the community at all levels in a manner that maintains their dignity and promotes their self-reliance and cultural integrity in order to enable individuals, families, and the community to be healthy and productive. To accomplish this goal, public health nurses provide comprehensive health services as a whole through a broad spectrum of targeted interventions and programs. These programs include child and adolescent health, communicable disease control and prevention, immunization and education. Public health nursing functions include case management, surveillance, outreach, case finding and nursing care. Their skills and knowledge combined with trust of individuals and professionals in their communities are valuable in working with health and environmental issues. The public health nurse presence at the local level assures timely intervention. The following is a brief overview of some of the services we provide. VACCINES FOR CHILDREN Vaccines for Children is a state funded program that offers immunizations to eligible children age 18 and younger. The clinics, which began in Sharonville just two years ago, are offered by appointment only on the first and third Wednesday of every month from 9AM to noon. These clinics have been such a help to the community of Sharonville! They are invaluable with the current economic state we are in. Some people are just barely able to make ends meet with the basic necessities of life, much less pay the added expense of copays and doctor bills to vaccinate their little ones. SENIOR CLUB On the first Monday of every month at the Sharonville Recreation Center the public health nurse provides blood pressure screenings to the local Sharonville Senior Citizens Club. FLU VACCINATIONS (SEASONAL) In 2011 the Health Department continued to provide flu vaccinations to employees, their families, and the community which we proudly serve. PRINCETON CITY SCHOOLS SCHOOL BASED HEALTH CENTER We are so pleased to be asked to serve on many boards and committees. One of the newest boards that we are happy to be a part of is the Princeton City School Based Health Center Board. School-based health centers (SBHCs) provide an accessible source of physical and mental health services to students from pre-kindergarten through grade 12 on school campuses. SBHCs are frequently located in schools with student populations at high risk for a variety of social and health problems. Services offered include comprehensive physical and mental health assessment, vision and hearing screening, immunization, treatment for acute and chronic illness, and individual and group counseling. For many students, SBHCs are an important source of support that facilitate their academic success. We look forward to what will become of this initiative in Princeton s future. COURTESY HOME VISITS The nurse visits Sharonville seniors in their homes on a regular basis to make sure their needs are being met. We advocate for the patients and their families and resource with other local agencies such as the Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio and Senior Link. We understand the cost of nursing homes and how people want to remain in their homes for as long as possible. We try to help facilitate their wishes at all costs. VISION, HEARING AND SCOLIOSIS SCREENINGS Each school year the public health nurse screens the students of St. Michael s School. SWAT We are proud participants of the Sharonville Wellness Action Team, and assist where we are needed. HOMELESS & PSYCHIATRIC PATIENTS We resource to improve the quality of life for the homeless and psychiatric residents in Sharonville. DRUG REPOSITORY PROGRAM We can help Sharonville families find a cheaper alternative for buying their prescription medications. With this program in place, we are able to save some senior citizens a great deal of money that they are able to then utilize towards in-home help to be able to stay in their homes for longer! continued on page 6
SHARONVILLE CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT ANNUAL REPORT 2011 PAGE 6 NURSING DIVISION - Communicable Disease Investigation Adrien Gertz, RN - Director of Nursing continued from page 5 PRECEPTOR We started a new program allowing nursing students to shadow our nursing staff in order to experience first hand the responsibilities of public health nursing. The student nurses earn clinical hours towards their graduation. This program is very helpful when it is flu clinic time of the year! Clinical groups from Fortis College came and assisted again this year. They provided the Health Department with manpower for shot giving, while we gave them the opportunity and great learning experience in their pediatric rotation. Without them our efforts on vaccinating in the community, employees, and their families would not have been so seamless HEALTHY WOMEN HEALTHY LIVES This program was launched by TriHealth in June of 2008 in collaboration with the Sharonville and Springdale Health Departments. The program provides free health screenings to women who have limited access to health care. There were 133 participants who took advantage of the free screenings this year. Our location had the largest turnout that TriHealth received from all of the nine locations where this event was offered. For the first time ever clinical breast exams were offered in addition to mammograms. Four women were identified by the screener for follow up testing. This illustrates the need for women to do monthly breast self-exams, have an annual clinical exam and follow-ups mammograms to really catch problems early. TUBERCULOSIS SCREENING Our Health Department currently offers tuberculosis testing free of charge for Sharonville residents and Princeton students, all others are just $10 dollars. REFERRALS The Sharonville Health Department receives a lot of referrals from Police, Fire, Building and Zoning, and Public Works who are concerned about a home in Sharonville. We also receive these same type of referrals or complaints from people within the community about neighbors, from the Princeton City Schools, and concerned family members. These complaints and referrals that come to the Health Department have such wide range of requests that we have to prioritize them accordingly. Here are a few examples: neighbors grass is too high mold bedbugs lice lack of money to maintain their health and home lack of food need resources to stay a healthy, prosperous family neglect of a child, special needs, or an elder abuse of a child, special needs, or an elder The Sharonville Health Department take the time to care about each individual person and their unique situation. Sharonville is very lucky to have such an asset to their community! OUTBREAK RESPONSE The Ohio Disease Reporting System (ODRS) is a state mandated program used by health departments to report on communicable diseases. Using state questionnaires the nurse will follow up with diagnosed patients and help educate them on the progression and spread of the disease. In 2011 we worked in outbreak mode several times. We had an outbreak of Salmonella with several employees of a local restaurant that started in July. This outbreak finally ceased in October when the index case had gone through several rounds of antibiotic therapy to have the required two negative stool samples prior to returning to work. This was a huge financial burden on her and her family. She was the provider for the home because her spouse had recently been laid off of work. What a tough financial situation they faced when there wasn t anyone working or bringing in any kind of income. The health department and the Sharonville Christmas Fund were able to assist on some level. They were very appreciative, but are still trying to recover from this. Another outbreak that we investigated and had to regain control of the situation against was E. Coli E. Coli was found at a daycare in Sharonville. When the diarrheal illness at this daycare was first reported we contacted the Ohio Department of Health because of the recent Shigellosis outbreaks throughout the Tri-State. We agreed to screen the symptomatic cases to try and see what exactly was going on at this Center. We sent up a few samples to the Ohio Department of Health, and much to our surprise it was E.Coli. The erotype of E.Coli could only be determined at CDC because of the limited capabilities that the ODH Lab has. That is when we realized that this wasn t the normal E. Coli. This was Shiga Toxin E. Coli. This illness can be serious for young children, particularly those under 5 years of age and the elderly. The infection can cause a complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) which can lead to kidney failure. About 2-7% of infections lead to this type of complication. In this outbreak management, the health department has to test all classroom contacts of a positive cases. There were approximately 150 people tested in total. Children and staff that tested positive for E.Coli could not return to daycare until the diarrhea has ceased and two consecutive follow-up stool culture tests are negative. In addition to the outbreaks of communicable disease, there is the management of individual cases. Two of our positive Hepatitis B patients were both pregnant women and will need to be followed up with the entire time they are pregnant to ensure that they receive appropriate care for themselves, and that the hospital staff is aware that when they deliver the baby will receive Hepatitis B Immune Globulin also known as HBIG and a Hepatitis B vaccinations. This combination has a high efficacy in preventing chronic Hepatitis B infection in infants that have direct exposure through the Hepatitis B positive mother. Please also note the increase in Hepatitis C in the area. This is probably caused from the increase of needle drug use. Hamilton County ranks 12th nationwide in documented syphilis cases, but ranks third with population taken into account.
PAGE 7 ANNUAL REPORT 2011 SHARONVILLE CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT SHARONVILLE CHRISTMAS FUND Jean Nelson - Christmas Fund Committee Member CHRISTMAS FUND STATISTICS FOOD AND NECESSITIES Families Helped 177 Adults Helped 326 Children Helped 250 Transient / Homeless Helped 43 Food Bags Distributed 929 Gift Cards Distributed 362 Total Gift Cards Value: $ 7,255.00 Hair Care Vouchers: 24 Haircuts From the Heart Lodging Nights 20 Total Lodging Value: $ 1,026.00 Diapers 34 Laundry & Dish Soap 41 School Supplies 19 CHRISTMAS ADOPT-A-FAMILY Families Adopted 43 Businesses Adopting Families Churches, Schools, Organizations & Families Adopting Families Toy, Food, Personal Care Items and Clothing Drives 18 15 14 X-Tek Holiday Baskets 20 Church Christmas Baskets 25 THANKSGIVING Church Food Baskets 53 EASTER Church, Organizations & 10 Clubs - Food Baskets CASH DONATIONS Christmas Drive $ 13,312.50 Memorial Donations $ 0 GE Foundation Matching Gifts $ 300.00 Unsolicited Donations $ 2,270.00 TOTAL DONATED $ 15,882.50 n support of the Health Department s I mission to assess and support the medical and physical needs of our residents, the Sharonville Christmas Fund, established in 1967 as a non-profit 501(c)(3), endeavors to raise funds throughout the year on behalf of the less fortunate. The food pantry is located in the Health Department and distributes nonperishable food, toiletries and cleaning supplies to residents in need as often as every 60 days. Transients are helped on a one-time only basis and 43 were given emergency food and/or shelter this year. Funds raised through unsolicited donations and the annual Christmas Fund Drive are used to purchase food and supplies for the pantry throughout the year. The Sharonville Christmas Fund also receives donations from the General Electric Foundation Matching Gifts Program, which generated $300 this year. Food and personal care item drives sponsored by local churches and schools helped supplement the pantry staples. In 2011 a total of $15,882.50 in cash was donated to the Christmas Fund. This amount is down from 2010 as there were no memorial donations during the year. Cash donations in the range of $15,000 per year have been the average during most years. In addition to the daily food pantry, special events are organized to help truly needy families with holiday food and gifts. During Easter and Thanksgiving, Health Department staff help identify needy families for food basket drives by area churches. In 2011 sixty-three families received food baskets at Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. By far the largest event of the year is the Christmas Adopt-A-Family Program. Beginning in early November, the Christmas Fund Committee and Health Department staff begin matching sponsors willing to adopt a family, with disadvantaged families willing to be adopted. Businesses, organizations and individual families are paired with families in need and then receive their family s wish list so they can shop. Because of the generosity of our sponsors almost all reasonable wishes are granted and the families are truly grateful. Christmas Fund cash donations were used to purchase non-perishable food, toiletries and cleaning supplies. Each family received four bags of food and supplies, and then were given two more paper grocery bags to fill with extra food, clothing and toys which they could choose for themselves. A total of 43 families were adopted in 2011, transforming Christmas for 77 adults and 87 children. SHARONVILLE CHRISTMAS FUND COMMITTEE Tracey Lovitt Debbie O Toole Ray Dyer Dottie Magella Lt. John Cook Adrien Gertz, RN Dennis Propes, RS Jean Nelson Council Chambers Accommodates 43 Adopted Christmas Families Despite the bad economy, Sharonville businesses, schools, organizations and many individuals went all out to make sure these families were able to enjoy a happy Christmas. The 2011 Adopt-A-Family event was once again a tremendous success. During the course of 2011 the Christmas Fund was able to help some residents with special, extraordinary or onetime-only needs to help them overcome a temporary problem. Some examples of this type of support are hotel fees, prescription medication, lice medication, wound dressing supplies, cremation funeral expenses, bus tickets and eyeglasses. Because of the continued weak economy, the food pantry continued to see an increase in the number of people asking for help. This year the Christmas Fund food pantry served a total of 177 families, consisting of 326 adults and 250 children. Of those people, 156 adults and 129 children had never asked help of the Christmas Fund before. It was difficult keeping the pantry stocked and there were a few days when the shelves were almost bare. Thanks to regular donations from certain area churches and organizations no one was ever turned away empty handed. These are tough times for many with no immediate relief in sight. Through the generosity of those living and working in Sharonville, the Christmas Fund will continue to offer help and support to those less fortunate.
SHARONVILLE CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT PAGE 8 ANNUAL REPORT 2011 SHARONVILLE HEALTH DEPARTMENT PUBLIC HEALTH. Prevent. Promote. Protect. The Sharonville City Health Department. Then & Now Wealth Without Health Is Folly I n 1964, the City of Sharonville decided it needed its own health department. Contracting those services from the Hamilton County Health Department was growing costlier and an upgrade in the availability of services was desired by the citizens of Sharonville. After a 6 to 1 vote, Sharonville City Council approved an ordinance to establish its own health department. Food establishments could now be inspected as often as every two to three months, catching problems such as chronically dirty kitchen areas and food handlers without chest x-ray cards which were required at the time. School cafeterias were now inspected monthly and hotels more frequently than before. Residents were urged to test their homes for radon and test kits were provided free of charge. Seeing a need in the community for basic help with food, clothing and the necessities of life, Harold Meyer Health Commissioner Harold Meyer worked to establish the Sharonville with food and toys to be distributed Christmas Fund, laying the for Christmas in 1976. groundwork for another component of the Health Free chest x-rays were offered to city residents through the cooperation of the Academy of Department as it exists Medicine Anti-Tuberculosis League and the today. In 1983 a board Sharonville Health Department in 1965. of directors was established to oversee operation of the fund The Sharonville City Health Department and make policy was established on January 1, 1965. Its first decisions. The board health commissioner was Harold Meyer, RS, exists today with eight an experienced registered sanitarian with the members. In 1965 a Boone County, Kentucky Health Department. total of $132 was Patricia Martin, RN, was hired as the first donated to the Needy public health nurse, with clerical support Health Commissioner R.C. Banks, Barb Trulock Fund. In 1967 provided by Barbara Young. In 1965 -- as it is (center) and Director of Nursing Pat Martin donations had risen to today -- the purpose of the health department prepare food and gifts for distribution to 40 $400, with $90 that year was declared in three basic concepts: Prevent Christmas Fund families in December 1987. going towards Christmas the spread of communicable disease, food baskets, toys and Promote health education, and Protect the clothing. Monetary community at large through the established donations and needy public health laws of the state. citizens have been increasing ever since. Programs established in the early years of the In 2011 The Christmas Sharonville City Health Department were somewhat different Fund raised a grand than they are today. Chest x-ray clinics were held to prevent total of $15,882.50 and the spread of tuberculosis. The Health Department nurse served over 600 people. treated rheumatic fever patients with doses of penicillin. There were 24 reported cases of mumps in Sharonville in After 47 years, program just the first six months of 1965. Free rabies shot clinics Health Commissioner R.C. Banks changes, modernization, were held with the help of volunteer veterinarians so that shows radon gas test kits the city and new personnel, the dogs in Sharonville could all be vaccinated against the provided free to residents in 1990. Sharonville City Health disease. Containing a hepatitis outbreak during its first Department continues to month in operation was a challenge that gave the health department staff the confidence that they could face a health offer a wide variety of timely services to the citizens, businesses and organizations that call Sharonville home. problem of this nature and succeed.