Richland Public Health renewal levy used for continued operations, building, salaries
Officials of Richland Public Health say a 10-year, 0.5-mill operating levy scheduled for renewal this year is needed to continue the expansion and growth of the department to make sure all residents are receiving excellent public health service.
The levy, to commence in 2024, will cost the owner of of $100,000 home $17 a year, according to the Richland County Board of Elections. The Richland County Auditor's Office estimates the renewal levy will generate $1.9 million annually.
Richland Public Health Commissioner Julie Chaya said the levy on the November ballot is essential.
"Richland Public Health has been Richland County’s trusted public health agency since 1910. We provide service to all villages, townships and cities (except for Shelby) in Richland County," she said.
"Our 100-plus services include WIC, vital statistics (i.e., birth and death certificates), environmental health (i.e., food inspections, body art/piercing inspections, pool inspections, plumbing inspections), public health nursing (i.e., immunizations, newborn home visits, children with medical handicaps, school health, Narcan training), and community health and prevention sciences including AED/Red Cross CPR program, drug free communities, personal responsibility education program, pediatric dental health, healthy eating active living, hike for health, menstrual health equity," she said.
RPH was accreditation by the Public Health Accreditation Board in 2019 and is preparing to apply for re-accreditation in 2024, Chaya said.
"Our staff is very passionate about providing quality public health service to Richland County residents and strives to make our community a place that everyone can safely work, live, and play," Chaya said.
What are levy funds used for?
"Operations, our building, and staff salaries. This money also helps us expand grant-funded programs and keep our successful and award-winning initiatives sustainable," Chaya said.
Richland Public Health expanding services
"We recently purchased a mobile clinic unit through grant funding from the Ohio Department of Health. This vehicle will provide us the opportunity to bring quality public health services to all corners of the county. We recently expanded our vector program this past spring to provide free mosquito surveillance, testing, and spraying to all Richland County villages, townships, and cities that registered for the program. This initiative also includes free “bug bags” to residents to prevent and safely address tick bites, mosquito bites, mosquito breeding, and more! We are also continuing to expand many of our programs and services that provide numerous free resources to residents including our AED/Red Cross certification and training program, car seat program, menstrual health equity program, and pediatric dental health program," Chaya said.
Richland Public Health employs 65.
The levy helps RPH keep fees for things such as licenses low, she said.
"We not only want to make sure our local businesses and events (i.e., restaurants, food trucks, pools, Inkcarceration, 2024 Solar Eclipse) are safe, but our local economy is healthy as well. Keeping our fees on the lower side make operating businesses in our area more accessible and appealing," Chaya said.
lwhitmir@gannett.com
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Levy helps RPH keep fees such as licenses low, Julie Chaya said.
