Jefferson County Department of Health

Regulatory control was established; during which time dramatic reductions in air pollution levels took place. In addition, the Department began inspecting all establishments where food is prepared or sold to the public, including restaurants, school lunchrooms, food and milk processing plants, and mobile vendors. In 1986, JCDH concentrated on preventive care in its health centers. In 1989, special legislation was enacted to regulate boarding homes. By the 1990's, JCDH committed to direct patient care in our 7 primary care clinics; later that decade, adult outpatient care was added at 6 of our health centers. In April 1991, the Jefferson County Board of Health adopted statements which articulated the mission and values of the JCDH. In 1994, legislation was passed giving the Department authority to regulate tattoo parlors and tanning facilities. In January 2001, the Jefferson County Department of Health began its community assessment process through a series of half-day sessions with approximately 50 employees representing the various units of the agency. This development initiated a department-wide communication plan on the topics of community relations and created a vision of community health development for the agency. Following the terrorist acts in New York City on September 11, 2001, JCDH began to reconsider the rapidly increasing financial commitment to direct primary patient care in light of greater expectations for public health responses to acts of terrorism. With the accelerating costs of continuing to provide the same historically provided services into the future, the ability to maintain the quality and quantity of programs dedicated to more traditional and historical public health roles was reviewed. Shortly thereafter, rapidly rising costs for medical care and stagnant revenues forced the Department to make substantial reductions in force in both 2002 and 2004. In 2003, Western Mental Health Center, Inc. which was previously managed by JCDH as Western Health Center, became an independently operated 501c(3) not-for-profit agency under the local system-wide aegis of Jefferson-Blount-St. Clair Mental Health Authority.