Salem Health Dept. issues
By MARY ANN GREIER/mgreier@reviewonline.comLISBON - Columbiana County Health Commissioner Robert Morehead questioned what he termed as inaccuracies about the type of service Salem officials claim their residents receive from the county, but said the city's welcome to go on their own if they want.
"We don't care whether Salem wants to form their own health department or not," he said Wednesday.
Morehead was reached by phone for reaction to a move by Salem City Council to end its contract for services with the county health district.
During a special meeting Monday, Council voted to send a six-month notice to the health board to let the district know they didn't want to renew the contract, giving the county a chance to provide a better contract.
Salem City Auditor Jim Armeni raised the issue, claiming he didn't think the citizens were receiving the services they deserve. He also pointed to a financial report that he said showed the county grossed $160,000 in one year from the various fees and licenses in Salem. The city pays the district $28,000 for services each year.
Morehead said Armeni never called him about any problems with services and the first time he heard of any possible problem was when he saw it in the newspaper in August when Armeni apparently told officials from East Liverpool that he wasn't satisfied with the services.
The comments then prompted Health Board Chairman and Medical Director Dr. Jack Amato to respond with a lengthy news release outlining the many services offered by the county health district. Amato later said he spoke with Armeni and they were "on the same page." The board admitted they needed to review all their contracts, noting one section of the contract dealing with a nurse staffing the Salem office two days a week for immunizations was no longer accurate.
Amato noted a dropoff in visits caused them to discontinue the immunization program at the Salem office in February 2007 and city officials were notified and lodged no objection. Morehead said the state had starting offering the free vaccine for children to doctors and encouraged more children be taken to a pediatrician so they could get more out of the visits than just a shot.
Morehead again learned about the latest action through the newspaper, but said the board had no plans to respond with a press release.
"We do what we're supposed to do," he said, adding "they don't have a clue what we do up there."
One alleged complaint had to do with dog complaints and Morehead explained the only time the health department is supposed to get involved is when there's an actual bite. He said they handled 22 dog bite incidents in Salem this year as of Tuesday, with the dogs quarantined for the required time and owners required to provide proof of vaccination.
If dogs aren't on leashes, he said that's not the health board's problem. Usually they're notified about a dog bite incident by the hospital or a doctor's office. He said they also handled 10 nuisance complaints in Salem. In some cases, he said they may not have been contacted.
He also said the city receives services that aren't necessarily reflected in the financial numbers they were quoting, including the Help Me Grow program which has a registered nurse visit the homes of newborns. From 2005 to 2007, 186 visits were made in Salem through Help Me Grow. Salem residents also benefited from the department's lice eradication program, at no cost.
As for the cancer clinics, Salem residents don't pay the property tax which supports the cancer levy, but they're not turned away from the different clinics. The board also makes efforts to secure grant funding to help pay for mammograms for women who reside in Salem, East Liverpool and East Palestine and provide financial assistance for additional testing which may be required.
"We're giving them service the same as we're giving the rest of the county," Morehead said.
He said he hasn't received any questions from any Salem officials about what services they're getting or what they're not getting. He also said he hasn't had any complaints from any residents in Salem.
