Food Establishment Regulations: The health
department permits many of the facilities that prepare food for public
consumption including, but not limited to, restaurants, school
cafeterias, licensed day-care providers, hospital cafeterias, and
temporary food service units at festivals. Training classes are offered
to food services managers and others in order to provide information on
new regulations and food safety issues.
Sewage Regulation: Environmental Health Specialists
(EHS) conduct soil studies and site evaluations on property to
determine suitability for a onsite wastewater disposal. If the property
is unable to accommodate a conventional septic tank and drain field,
the EHS determines if an alternative sewage disposal system may be
installed. Ensuring that sewage is properly treated and disposed of
protects groundwater resources and protects the public from many
diseases that untreated sewage may carry.
Altenative
Onsite Sewage Systems:
Click on this line for more details.
Migrant Labor Camps: EHS inspect migrant labor camps to ensure a potable water supply, proper sewage and garbage disposal, and adequate housing are provided.
Water: VDH permits all private
drinking water wells (except monitoring wells), and agricultural wells
installed in the District. As part of the permitting process, we locate
the well to provided proper set backs from potential contaminant
sources (drain fields, barns, graveyards, etc.) and determine the
minimum construction requirements that must be used.
Rabies Prevention: Rabies is a virus, which attacks
the brain of humans and warm-blooded animals. It is nearly always fatal
to humans if not stopped before the virus infects the brain. If a dog,
cat or ferret bites a human or exposes a human and is alive, we enforce
a ten-day quarantine period, during which the animal's health is
monitored. If the dog or cat is dead or dies during the 10 day
confinement, brain tissue from the animal is tested for the presence of
rabies virus. If an animal other than a dog, cat or ferret is involved,
the incubation and viral shedding periods are unknown, so the animal
must be euthanized and the brain tested for the virus. If the animal
cannot be found or captured, we advise potentially exposed persons to
seek the advice of their physician and consult with the Health Director
about beginning post-exposure course of treatment with a
combination of vaccine and immune globulin to prevent rabies. This
course of therapy must begin before symptoms develop in the
human. In any case, if a human sustains an exposure to an animal
the health department should be notified as soon as possible.
Lead Exposure: The health department maintains a
certified lead inspector/risk assessors on staff to conduct an
environmental investigation when indicated as a part of a workup of a
child with an elevated blood lead level. The investigation consists of
collecting samples from possible sources of lead contamination
including paint, soil, water and dust from the environment in which the
child lives, and interviewing families and caregivers regarding
behavior and activities to determine the most likely source(s) of
exposure.
Outbreak Investigations: The health department
investigates outbreaks or cases of certain illnesses and conditions,
which are reported to the health department. By law, several infectious
communicable diseases and certain other conditions must be reported by
local physicians, hospitals, and labs. A team of Environmental Health
Specialists, Public Health Nurses, Epidemiologists, and the Physician
Health Director investigates outbreaks. When outbreaks are believed to
be food or water borne, identification and testing of the potential
sources in food and water are conducted in order to locate and
eliminate the cause of the illness. Education of the public is provided
to minimize risk of future outbreaks.
For more information:
In Wise County & the City of Norton, please call 276-328-8000.
In Scott County, please call 276-386-1312
In Lee County, please call 276-346-2011