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Health director outlines staffing, WIC spending, immunizations and environmental health work in year‑in‑review
Summary
Health Director Lillian Koontz reviewed recruitment priorities, accreditation as a pilot county, secured short‑term care-management funding, major program volumes (WIC, immunizations, reportable diseases) and an environmental health drone program; board discussed septic permit enforcement and approved routine agenda items without dissent.
At the April 14 meeting of the Davidson County Board of Health, Health Director Lillian Koontz summarized department operations, recruitment goals, budget status and key program statistics from 2025.
Koontz said the department is actively recruiting for a PHN I (clinic), two Nutritionist II positions for WIC, and two Social Worker II positions for the care‑management team; several business‑office roles remain on hold pending completion of supervisory hires. She also said Davidson County is a pilot for North Carolina’s revamped accreditation process and that staff are preparing required documentation. "We could lose funding from the state if we are not reaccredited," Koontz said, noting statutory requirements for accreditation.
Corinne Bates, business officer, reported that the BOH’s approved budget has been submitted to county management and is under internal review; the final step is presentation to and approval by the Board of Commissioners. County management requested supporting data on the school nurse ratio and WIC participation tied to requested positions.
Operational highlights reported to the board included: WIC served 49,559 unduplicated participants (federal fiscal year Oct. 2024–Sept. 2025) with $3,794,093 expended in local WIC redemptions; the communicable‑disease team logged 1,796 reportable diseases in 2025 (1,025 were STDs; chronic hepatitis C was the largest single disease by count at 362); the clinic saw 6,142 distinct patients and administered 3,110 immunizations; vital records included 1,686 death certificates and 627 birth certificates.
Environmental Health reported heavy operational volume (1,717 food and lodging inspections, 378 permits issued and hundreds of complaint investigations), and staff described a drone program used to document onsite wastewater final inspections. "Now the drone takes an actual picture of the installation site which replaces the hand drawing," Environmental Health Onsite Water Protection Director Randy Swicegood said.
Board member Jason Gibson raised a practical concern about septic permitting: buyers sometimes discover a home listed as six bedrooms while the septic permit covers fewer bedrooms. Swicegood explained that plans sometimes list rooms as offices or dens rather than bedrooms and that point‑of‑sale diligence by buyers or inspectors is inconsistent; the department said revoking permits would require legal counsel and is not a routine remedy.
The board approved routine motions (agenda and consent items) and adjourned; no substantive policy votes were taken. The next BOH meeting is scheduled for June 2, 2026.
