Commendation — The Jefferson County Board of Health recognized Environmental Health Director Mark Maragos for his 30 years of service to the Jefferson County General Health District. — Christopher Dacanay
STEUBENVILLE — Following reports of historically low complaint numbers, members of the Jefferson County Board of Health have directed the Apex Landfill operator to continue its good work.
At the board’s regular meeting Tuesday, Mark Maragos, director of environmental health for the Jefferson County General Health District, said the Apex Odor Complaint Hotline received 17 calls in September and 11 more so far this month. It was reported that there was.
Terry Bell, board member and environment committee chair, said the latest figures mark an “outstanding month” for Apex, although the landfill has long suffered from odor complaints from surrounding communities. It is said that it shows.
“Calls have been pretty steady for the last few months,” Maragos said. “We haven’t had a spike. We haven’t gotten to a point where we have zero complaints yet, but it’s (an improvement) compared to the past few years when we had about 300 complaints.”
Carla Gampolo, a registered hygienist, said Interstate Waste Services, which owns the Amsterdam Landfill, used “6 compactors, bulldozers, trucks and a recently opened gondola unloading facility” to treat the site. He pointed out that the facility is equipped with “more than sufficient facilities.”
“It runs like a well-oiled machine,” Gampolo said. “If you haven’t been out in a while, just looking at the amount of waste that’s being put out there, things have changed a lot.”
She continued: “We installed several different organisms to stop or reduce the odors coming from the landfill. They just covered another 24 acres of the slope with a temporary cover, so the leachate No more leaching, no more gas escaping. So the only area they’re really concerned about is right next to the work surface where they’re actually putting the waste in. They’ve come a long way. Ta. “
“The numbers speak for themselves,” Bell added, addressing three IWS employees in the audience.
Separately, Director of Nursing Kylie Smogonovich updated the board on the department’s efforts.
Staff has scheduled 23 flu vaccine clinics, with dates and times posted at jchealth.com. All public clinics will be distributing naloxone and drug lockboxes while supplies last.
The Health Department has received its flagship testing machine. Smogonovich said staff members receive in-service training and receive online certifications to verify the individual’s lead level.
The department also launched a new subsidy year for children’s cribs. During the 2024 grant year, staff distributed 79 travel cribs, and in the 2023 grant year, 55 were distributed. This year, Smogonovich said, cribs can be distributed to non-custodial parents, allowing both parents of a child to have a crib on hand, regardless of who has custody at the time. said.
Finally, Smogonovich said the Jefferson County Diaper Bank received 3,630 diapers during a football diaper drive hosted with the Steubenville High School Key Club. The department is currently soliciting sponsors and preparing for a “Diaper Dash” fundraiser to be held on December 14th.
Kelly Wilson, Director of Financial Management, reported that JCGHD’s 2023 audit has been completed. The audit was reportedly of such high quality that the audit manager commented: “As far as your board is concerned, this was a very good and clean audit, so there should be no problems.” “The Board of Health received the best opinion from you.” Masu. ”
Wilson said he asked the manager for a farewell press conference, but the manager told him there was no need for one.
“I just wanted everyone to know how far we’ve come and where we are,” Wilson said, adding, “I just wanted everyone to know that we’re in really good shape.” . …It is no exaggeration to say that we have made tremendous progress. ”
“The 2020 and 2021 combined audits were terrible, all the findings that were made in that audit and the changes that were made in the 2022 audit,” Wilson said. “Everything was fixed in one year. He said he’s never seen a department turn around like this in one year, so he’s very happy.”
Other business:
• Henry said the health department should adopt performance management and quality improvement plans into its accreditation requirements through the Public Health Accreditation Commission. He presented the board with a joint plan (reportedly a blended plan) that leverages the most recent 2020 plan that was never submitted to the board for approval. The joint plan will allow staff to raise items for quality improvement, which will be scrutinized by the Quality Council using a review evaluation form. It added that the ministry must provide evidence of starting two QI projects by the end of the year.
• Henry said the Department of Health is applying for a portion of the $250,000 in funding available from the Ohio Department of Health for certification support. He said he hoped the funding would help cover the cost of each department’s 2025 Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan.
• The Board recognized Mr. Maragos for his 30 years of service to JCGHD. Maragos, a 1994 graduate of Francisco College of Steubenville, is the second Employee Spotlight recipient of the newly established JCGHD Staff Newsletter.
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