Colette Scrimger, Barry Eaton District Health Department health officer, presented the annual report and an update on TOST to Barry County Commissioners Tuesday.
TOST is the Time of Sale or Transfer health department regulation that mandates inspection of the on-site septic and water systems of property in Barry and Eaton counties when the property is sold or transferred. Originally, if either system was deemed deficient by a certified heath department evaluator, it had to be repaired or replaced by the owner before the sale.
Critics complained from the beginning that the regulation was punitive, expensive, arbitrarily enforcement and, against the intent of the regulation, had the goal of bringing all systems up to today’s health codes whether they were failing or not.
Scrimger reported that the response to TOST is more positive since changes were made last fall in response to the feedback from the public. The officials revamped their notices of evaluations from failure to no action, action recommended and action required, giving more flexibility she said.
They actively promoted more communication with the home owners by sanitarians, either by e-mail, telephone or face to face, she said. Officials also improved communication with the public. More interaction with real estate agents, officials and certified evaluators also helped improve the process, Scrimger said.
The homeowners right to appeal is stressed in the letters, with the steps outlined, and health department officials work with unique cases to find the best course of action for them, she said. //
In the annual report, Scrimger outlined achievements by the BEDHD in 2015 in the areas of planning, promotion and evaluation, personal & community health services, environmental health, finance, Eaton behavioral health and the Charlotte dental center.
Among improvements listed are expansion of the Pathways to Better Health Program to serve those with chronic diseases; BEDHD compliance with 100 measures of quality public health services, part of the national Public Health Accreditation Board process; publication of the Healthy! Capital Counties Community Health Assessment and implementation of the MyEvolv electronic medical record system in Eaton Behavioral Health.
“The purpose of public health is to promote the health of the population, making sure that people have safe, clean and healthy place to live, work, and play and to make sure that diseases and injuries are prevented whenever possible,” the report said.
