Middletown health department outlines EPA septic grant plan, disease trends and IT rollout

At the June 10 Middletown City Council meeting, the health commissioner reported several public‑health items the department is preparing to implement, including an EPA septic grant expected in July, ongoing communicable disease monitoring, a local tuberculosis case under treatment and difficulties rolling out the state’s Acela public‑health software.

The commissioner said the department and city staff have been preparing guidance for residents in areas served by septic systems and that a summary of the application process will be presented to council. "We are waiting for a summary from Deanna ... of the process that we're gonna go through, to provide possible assistance with our EPA grant to that area," the health commissioner said, and added the funds "should come in July." Officials described the grant as intended to help residents determine whether a septic system can be repaired, replaced or whether other steps will be required.

Health data and cases: the department reported recent communicable‑disease counts, with pertussis and hepatitis C among the higher counts for the month. The nursing director said staff are tracking hepatitis C screening patterns and that many recent hepatitis C cases were identified through treatment centers and donor organ screening. The department also updated the board on a local tuberculosis case and said household contacts are on medication; staff described logistical challenges with pediatric dosing but said the child was tolerating medication.

Planned events and programs: the commissioner said the department pushed its annual health fair from Aug. 2 to Sept. 27 at the event center (formerly Central Connections), 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and is seeking community partners and sponsors. The department also described outreach plans for an EPA septic grant and said organizers will begin public notification once the grant is active.

IT rollout and inspections: staff reported statewide rollout problems with Acela, the state public‑health platform the department must adopt. The environmental health director said the department is keeping inspectors on paper for now while learning the system and holding weekly calls with ODH and Acela support. "We're the beta... we're the people that they're practicing on," one director said, adding the change is increasing staff time and could affect inspection workflow and public portals. Separately, the environmental health director said inspectors will begin a five‑year inspection cycle for septic systems next week and that inspectors will notify property owners by street; the department expects to inspect roughly 485 systems in the upcoming cycle.

Ending: department leaders asked for help recruiting partners and sponsors for the fall health fair, and said they will present a more detailed EPA grant process to council at an upcoming meeting so the city can begin outreach when funds arrive in July.