Health Department
700 Fuller Avenue NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Phone: (616) 632-7100
Fax: (616) 632-7083
Mission Statement
The Kent County Health Department shall be responsive to the community health needs of the citizens of Kent County by continually and diligently endeavoring to prevent disease, prolong life, and promote the public health.
2006 Public Health Food Safety Awards
Questions and Answers about MRSA in Schools
Sheldon Clinic Closing – Effective August 28th, 2007
Faces of Health - A Year in Review 2007
Evaluating Community Food Security in Kent County, 2006
Overview
The Kent County Health Department is responsible for continually assessing the health of the community and ensuring that appropriate services are available and accessible for its citizens. To this end, the Health Department investigates the causes of disease, epidemics, morbidity and mortality, and environmental health hazards using vital and health statistics for epidemiological studies. The Department plans and implements public education and enforces public health laws.
The Health Department is responsible for assuring the
provision of programs in the following areas: vision
and hearing screening, public water supplies, private
and Type II groundwater supplies, food service
sanitation, immunization, sexually transmitted
diseases, on-site sewage disposal management, and
general communicable disease control.
During 2007, the Health Department made great strides in a number of areas. Numbers indicate a 70 percent decrease in the number of childhood lead poisoning cases since 2000, even with efforts to increase testing. The department kicked-off Kent Steps Up!, a four-week, pedometer-based competition that armed area elementary school students with pedometers and challenged them to walk 10,000 steps a day. Also in 2007, the Health Department partnered with area agencies to launch Ride Link, a single access medical transit system. The pilot program, which targeted seniors, met capacity and provided 2,172 rides for doctor’s visits. Finally, in a team effort, the Health Department reached nearly 13,500 former patients of Dr. Robert W. Stokes, a local dermatologist accused of reusing medical instruments intended for use on a single patient, on multiple patients. Department staff answered questions, and tested hundreds of individuals for infections in the wake of this potential exposure. The Health Department has much to look forward to in 2008, including an expansion of the Ride Link program with the eventual goal of targeting pregnant women and other underserved populations, the launch of a campaign to recognize area restaurants that offer healthy menu options, and the construction and opening of a new, state-of-the-art Animal Shelter.
Goals
- Provide regular assessment, monitoring, and surveillance of local health problems for the purpose of coordinating services and resources within the community
- Promote and provide a full range of clinic-based prevention services utilizing a network of community sites
- Provide home, school, and clinic-based services to promote positive health behaviors in atrisk individuals and families and to facilitate appropriate access to medical care
- Promote and provide public health education and control for the purpose of health risk assessment and reduction
- Provide all environmental health regulatory and consultation services, including comprehensive animal control
- Determine the cause and manner of unexpected deaths
2008 Adopted Uses: $27,906,612
2008 Adopted Revenues: $17,194,324
Department History of Uses
| Uses |
2005 Actual |
2006 Actual |
2007 Adopted |
2008 Requested |
2008 Adopted |
Adopted % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Personnel |
$16,670,280 |
$16,765,696 |
$18,258,258 |
$17,513,875 |
$17,578,151 |
-3.72% |
Commodities |
3,471,826 |
3,568,777 |
5,242,735 |
4,768,634 |
4,788,809 |
-8.66% |
Contractual Services |
5,446,710 |
3,773,985 |
3,693,068 |
3,895,472 |
3,797,268 |
2.82% |
Capital Outlay |
596,532 |
351,903 |
263,381 |
371,5229 |
302,589 |
14.89% |
Other Charges |
1,831,935 |
1,632,537 |
1,106,513 |
1,439,794 |
1,439,795 |
30.12% |
Total Uses |
$28,017,283 |
$26,092,898 |
$28,563,955 |
$27,990,304 |
$27,906,612 |
-2.30% |
Personnel FTE |
285 | 276.5 | 259 | 259 | 259 |
Public Health Officials
Health Department Administrators
- Administrative Health Officer: Cathy Raevsky
- Medical Director: Mark Hall, M.D.
- Deputy Administrative Health Officer: Bill Anstey
- Finance Director: Gail Brink, C.P.A.
- Community Clinical Services Division Director: Roberta Peacock, R.N., B.S.N.
- Community Nursing Services Division Director: Sandra Walls, R.N., M.S.N.
- Environmental Health Division Director: David Kraker, R.E.H.S. / R.S.
