Wauwatosa health director outlines rising workloads, lead testing and harm‑reduction data in annual report

Director Stevens presented the Wauwatosa Health Department's 2024 annual report to the Common Council, summarizing service expansions, disease investigations and capacity concerns.

The report covered mental‑health and senior services, substance‑use harm reduction, environmental health work, lead testing, communicable‑disease investigations, maternal and child health services, vaccination clinics, and the department's reliance on grant funding.

Stevens opened the presentation by saying, "I'm here tonight to do our Health Department and Board of Health annual report," and then reviewed board membership and recent staffing changes, including the board's new medical director, Kevin Robertson.

Why this matters: the report identifies growing operational demands — from human health hazard cases and increased communicable‑disease work to a rising workload for environmental health inspectors — that the department says could require additional staffing or sustained grant funding to maintain service levels.

The body of the report

Mental‑health and senior programs: Stevens described technology‑training efforts for older adults, including a Senior Planet course launched in May that served 360 participants and a one‑on‑one "tech time" program that served 194 people last year.

Substance use and harm…