Wasatch County Health Department gives annual report to Daniel council; highlights seniors farmers market, infectious disease trends and emergency preparedness

Jonelle Fitzgerald, director of the Wasatch County Health Department, presented the department's 2024 annual report to the Daniel Town Council during the May 5 meeting, outlining the department's programs, funding mix and priorities in Wasatch County.

Fitzgerald described the health department's core programs (emergency preparedness, environmental health, epidemiology/disease investigation, health promotion, clinical services and WIC) and highlighted several items from the 2024 year:

- Seniors farmers market voucher program: The department used a state grant to contract with a Utah County farmer to provide weekly produce vouchers to low-income seniors; Fitzgerald said the county plans to extend the program in the current year and invited sign-ups at the senior center.

- Youth prevention and school programs: Health-promotion staff coordinate youth groups at high schools and middle schools to focus on substance-use prevention and related activities.

- WIC services and virtual appointments: The WIC program expanded virtual appointment options for qualifying families.

- Infectious-disease surveillance: In 2024 the health department investigated reports of more than 400 infectious-disease reports; 234 were confirmed reportable cases after investigation. Fitzgerald said sexually transmitted infections (notably syphilis in Washington County by her report) remain a concern in some parts of the region and require case investigation and treatment to prevent spread.

- Medical advisor and clinical support: The county health department contracts with a medical advisor (Doctor Christiansen, identified as an Intermountain internal-medicine physician in the report) to support clinical services and immunization work.

- Emergency preparedness: Fitzgerald discussed the department's role in earthquake response and that the county has been revising its emergency-management plan and will be talking with municipalities about coordination and whether a municipality prefers to adopt the county plan or maintain a separate municipal plan.

- Budget and grants: Fitzgerald said a little more than half of the department's revenue comes from state and federal grants. She noted a reduction in federal COVID-specific funds compared with the pandemic years, explained the department had planned for the reduction and said staff cuts were avoided by earlier transition plans. She emphasized the importance of the department's public outreach and social-media presence to share information.

Council discussion

Council members asked about the department's environmental-health costs (septic inspections, food establishment permitting and inspections, body-art permits, liquid-waste-hauler permitting, public-lodging and swimming-pool plan review). Fitzgerald explained that environmental health covers septic permitting and inspection, food-stand permitting and inspections (including Swiss Days food booths), body-art facility permitting, public-lodging and pool-plan review and liquid-waste-hauler permitting. She said many of those efforts are fee supported (permit fees) and that fee income offsets environmental-health expenditures.

Fitzgerald also discussed WIC food/diaper-bank partnerships and other local services.

What the council received: The health director handed council members a printed annual report. Fitzgerald asked councilmembers to contact her with public-health questions and to indicate where municipalities would like assistance in preparedness and other public-health efforts.

Sources: Daniel Town Council meeting transcript, May 5, 2025; presentation notes provided at meeting.