DEPARTMENT: Public Health
FILE TYPE: Regular Information
TITLE
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Environmental Health Update
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PURPOSE/ACTION REQUESTED
Receive an overview of the Environmental Health program and updates on recent collaboration and outreach efforts.
SUMMARY
Pursuant to Minn. Stat. ? 375A.04, the Dakota County Board of Commissioners is, and performs the duties and exercises the powers of, a community health board under Minn. Stat. Ch. 145A, including the responsibility to protect against environmental hazards and to promote and protect the public health of Dakota County residents.
Since receiving dedicated levy dollars and leveraging grant funds in 2023, Dakota County Environmental Health (EH) has added personnel and increased its programmatic capacity to better respond to the increasing needs and concerns of Dakota County residents. A key tenet of environmental health is the prevention and control of human injury and illness by identifying and addressing exposures to environmental health hazards. To this end, the EH team is responsible for program areas that include radon, public health nuisances, lead hazard reduction orders, and clandestine drug labs. The team also responds to inquiries from the public and reviews mass assemblage license applications. Past activities and collaborations fuel plans for improvements to, and expansion of, resources and services for Dakota County residents (Attachment: Environmental Health 2024 Annual Report).
OUTCOMES
How much?
Each year, hundreds of County residents directly engage with EH program services, including:
- 1,041 radon test kits distributed to Dakota County residents (2024)
- 119 environmental inquiries addressed (2024)
How well?
The EH team is committed to increased community outreach and education, indicated by the following:
- 25 percent increase in number of radon kits distributed from 2023
- Averaged 1.6 calls to resolve an environmental complaint (among those engaged)
Is anyone better off?
The resourc...
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