Licenses and inspects food service operations, vending machine operations, retail food establishments, and temporary food and mobile food operations as described above. Responds to consumer complaints regarding restaurant. Reports and investigates food-borne illnesses.

Tobacco cessation program to help pregnant women quit smoking and stay tobacco free after baby is born. Women who enroll in the program, quit smoking and remain tobacco free after the baby is born receive free diapers for 12 months (voucher to Walmart each month).

Athens City-County Health Department strives to protect its residents from public health emergencies, by developing and maintaining emergency response plans that addresses foodborne outbreaks, bioterrorism, infectious disease outbreaks, etc. Health Department staff participate in annual exercises, that focus on public health emergencies, so that we can respond effectively and efficiently, at any given notice.

Disease reporting, questions and concerns regarding infectious diseases and other public health emergencies.

Provides a variety of services to assist with the identification and control of communicable diseases. Surveillance and follow-up is conducted by public health nurses on all communicable diseases reported to the health department by private physicians and hospitals.

Provides services that are directed toward IV drug users, crack users, and their sexual partners. Services provided through this program include: HIV and AIDS education, counseling, and testing; Hepatitis B testing; syphilis screenings; and blood pressure screenings. Every patient will also receive case management services.

Issues licenses for restaurants, grocery stores, vending machines that dispense perishable items, temporary food events, and mobile food operators. Conducts periodic inspections of these facilities in service area. Assists those who are planning to open businesses to make application for licensing. Responds to consumer complaints. Reports and investigates food-borne illnesses. Answers questions about food recalls. Offers food safety education classes.

Tobacco cessation program to help pregnant women quit smoking and stay tobacco free after baby is born. Women who enroll in the program, quit smoking and remain tobacco free after the baby is born receive free diapers for 12 months (voucher to Walmart each month).

Conducts surveillance of communicable diseases reported in Geauga County in compliance with the Ohio Department of Health Infectious Disease reporting requirements and CDC recommendations. Contact investigation and follow-up is performed by a public health nurse following strict confidentiality guidelines.

Disease reporting, questions and concerns regarding infectious diseases and other public health emergencies, including nuisance complaints and animal bites.

Communicable disease tracking and response of public health concerns, TB control, and Pan Flu coordination.

Includes investigation of all reported animal bites as mandated by the Ohio Revised Code

The Public Health Nursing Division provides important services to the residents of Highland County. Each of these programs is designed specifically to improve the health of our community. The Public Health Nursing Division prides itself in continuing to be an active and influential part of the community health care system. The Infectious Disease Program monitors various infectious diseases that are reported to our agency by health care providers, laboratories, and the community. Almost 100 infectious diseases are mandated by law to be reported to the health department. Our Public Health Nursing department monitors and analyzes data of these infectious diseases to identify trends such as increased incidence of disease “clusters" or "outbreaks", changes in medication-resistance disease patterns, and disseminating information derived from data analysis. Prevention, control, and providing education of infectious diseases is one of the most important aspects of the health department. Another program, sponsored by the Ohio Department of Health, is The Bureau for Children with Medical Handicaps (BCMH). The BCMH program is devoted to providing assistance to eligible parents/guardians of children with special needs. A nurse at the health department is available to assist families with the application process, home visits to the child and/or family, and coordinating services. The Health Department provides immunizations for both children and adults. Check our clinic schedule for dates, times, locations and cost for immunizations. The Care-A-Van (CAV) is a unique service provided by the Health Department. The CAV is a mobile unit, providing preventative services to many areas in the community. Immunizations, laboratory services, blood pressure screenings, and diabetes screenings are just some of the services offered on the Care-A-Van. The Highland County Health Department is proud to be have been one of the first jurisdictions in the state to offer this type of mobile clinic to our community. These are just a few of the services the Public Health Nursing Division offers to the community.

All animal bites (or exposures which draw blood) must be reported to the health department and investigation is required. The owner of the animal is notified of quarantine requirements. A veterinarian must examine the animal after the quarantine to verify the animal's good health and update its rabies vaccination. If the bite involves a wild or stray animal, the animal may be euthanized so it can be inspected by the Ohio Department of Health for rabies.A copy of the animal bite report form may be found at https://mchdohio.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/ANIMAL-BITE-FORM.pdf

Monitors and investigates the occurrence of specific diseases on a community-wide basis. By working closely with hospitals and other local public health partners, the program is able to promptly respond to the threats posed by infectious diseases.

Licenses restaurants, retail food establishments, mobile and temporary food vendors, and vending machines which dispense perishable items, and conducts periodic inspections of these facilities. Assists those who are planning to open businesses of these types in applying for the proper licensing. Responds to consumer complaints about these establishments. Reports and investigates food-borne illnesses. Answers questions about food recalls.

Washington County Health Department strives to protect its residents from public health emergencies, by developing and maintaining emergency response plans that addresses foodborne outbreaks, bioterrorism, infectious disease outbreaks, etc. Health Department staff participate in annual exercises, that focus on public health emergencies, so that we can respond effectively and efficiently, at any given notice.

Disease reporting, questions and concerns regarding infectious diseases and other public health emergencies. County residents play a major role in identifying and reporting communicable diseases at the local level. It is imperative that members of local communities are empowered with the knowledge and resources needed for fast and effective transfer of information. With a wealth of informational resources at our disposal, we will do our best to meet the educational needs of any county resident, medical professional or otherwise.

An agency that provides help to people with HIV and Aids

Environmental Health is the application of sanitary principles in disease prevention. Activities aimed at the preservation and the improvement of the environment have historically been a major part of public health. Our activities include inspection, consultation, plan review, sample collection, education, persuasion and enforcement.

Conducts a rabies prevention program. The department will place cats and dogs that bite on quarantine for 10 days and verify the animal has its current rabies vaccination. IF YOU ARE BITTEN BY AN ANIMAL YOU SHOULD: *Wash the wound with lots of soap and water right away. *Call your doctor. *Capture the animal, if you can do it safely, or get the name and address of the animal’s owner TO REPORT AN ANIMAL BITE: CALL FAIRFIELD COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT PLEASE HAVE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION AVAILABLE: *Date of bite *Name, address, and age of person bitten *Type of animal, breed and description of the animal (color, markings, long or short hair). *If it was a pet, name and address of owner. *If the owner is unknown, was the animal wearing a collar or tags.

Investigates all reported animal bites in order to prevent human cases of rabies. Enforces quarantine and oversees laboratory examination of animals involved in reported biting incidents.

Investigates and reports communicable disease. Provides education for residents, clients, physician offices, and schools; as well as case management and follow up of reportable infections in Medina County.