Norwood sparks renewed interest in County Health Dept.
Maybe the borough of Norwood can do what the county of Delaware could not.
For years Democrats railed at the Republican-controlled County Council about the lack of a separate county Health Department, noting Delco stood alone among its neighbors in not doing so.
And just as quickly, the GOP members of council would fire back, saying the cost of a setting up and running a separate Health Department was prohibitive, and the county was being well-served by the Intercommunity Health Department.
Of course, Democrats now hold a 5-0 majority on County Council, courtesy of another sweep at the polls in November. And the issue of a separate Health Department is being raised once again, this time fueled by the health concerns and a feared cancer cluster in Norwood.
For years residents have been tracking what they believe are higher than normal incidences of cancer and other illnesses they fear are linked to the operation of the now-defunct Norwood Landfill, right next door to a residential area. They wondered if what was dumped there is causing so many of them to be diagnosed with cancer or autoimmune diseases.
A recent public hearing to air the findings of an investigation drew hundreds to the local fire hall, a crowd that spilled out into the street. They did not like what they heard. An Environmental Protection Agency spokesman said the initial findings of ground and soil samples indicate the landfill does not pose a health risk to the community, although they said they will continue to listen, and continue to test.
One of the factors residents pointed to was how long it took to get any action in looking into the situation.
Now the new members of Delaware County Council are using the Norwood situation as one more aggravating factor they say point out the need for a separate health department.
They say a local agency would be able to notice and track those kinds of maladies much quicker than a federal agency.
“I think having a public health department will help us gather statistics and understand problems as they arise so we can do something about them,” said new County Councilwoman Elaine Paul Schaefer. “When you have a public health department, you are in a much better position to gather data and have it analyzed and be better informed in making delivery decisions.”
Fellow Democrat Christine Reuther said it’s a matter of residents having confidence that a local agency is looking after them, as opposed to waiting for the feds to get involved.
“I do think that when there is a place that people can report a problem that they think is paying attention to them, they are going to report the problem,” Reuther said.
The third new Democrat on council, Monica Taylor, concurred.
“Because we don’t have a health department, we have no one tracking those problems,” Taylor said.
The Democrats are now planning a trek to Harrisburg for a sit-down with the state officials to discuss the process of establishing a health department.
“We’re hitting the ground running,” Schaefer said. “Next week, we have a meeting with the Pennsylvania Department of Health to start the process. This is a priority. This is definitely a priority for all five of us.”
Reuther is still trying to get her head around the fact that the most densely populated county in the region does not have its own health department.
“That is staggering to me,” Reuther said. “Given (our) population density, staying on top of public health patterns and trends is really critical.”
Of course, Republicans would remind them they still have to find a way to pay for it. It’s a legitimate point. One we’ve yet to hear addressed.
But we think Democrats are on the right track. Norwood is just one more example of how a separate department would be beneficial to the county.
They are planning a series of public forums to keep the public involved in the discussion.
They should hold one in Norwood. They still have lots of questions they’d like answered about why so many residents are dying of cancer.