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Tooele County health officer presents 2026 annual report, flags measles cases and TB management
Summary
Health officer Grant Sonata told the County Council the department had $6,885,175 in revenue in 2025 and highlighted prevention, rising nurse home visits, active tuberculosis cases and 19 confirmed measles cases in 2026; he urged community collaboration and participation in the Utah Well‑Being Survey.
Grant Sonata, Tooele County health officer and executive director, presented the health department's 2026 annual report to the County Council on June 2, saying the department's work centers on preventing, protecting and promoting community health. "Doing hard things together," he said, summarized the department's approach to complex public‑health challenges.
The department reported total revenue of $6,885,175, the bulk coming from federal and state contracts, with local tax levy and fees each comprising about a quarter of funding. Sonata noted the county's dental clinic is unique in the region and that aging services and transportation report through separate channels.
Sonata described several specific program trends: increases in environmental health inspections tied to new restaurants and food trucks; expansion of nurse home visiting programs with newly added mental‑health assessments; continued sexually transmitted disease and tuberculosis work, including active TB cases the department is actively managing; and outreach such as WIC (women, infants and children) and injury‑prevention programs. He told the council the department has distributed more radon kits and emphasized suicide‑prevention efforts, including "hope boxes" and gun‑lock distribution when funding permits.
On infectious disease, Sonata said the county had managed a local measles outbreak in 2026 and had identified 19 cases to date. He also reported a spike in emergency‑department influenza visits between 2024 and 2025 and noted COVID‑19 and RSV remain part of the respiratory illness mix.
Council members asked about declines or fluctuations in prevention program participation and gun‑lock distribution; staff explained some drops were driven by funding gaps and personnel turnover in prevention teams, while others reflected supply shortages. Sonata and deputy director Jamie Zarin said the department is hiring and reorganizing prevention staff and aiming to improve measurement and outreach. They encouraged residents to complete the Utah Well‑Being Survey (the deadline was posted as the following day on the health department's Facebook page).
The presentation closed with an acknowledgment of community partners and a request that council members contact the department with follow‑up questions or to schedule a tour.
