The Snohomish Health District will add more people to inspect local restaurants and give shots at its health clinics next year, part of its $17.4 million budget for 2005.
Two new food inspectors will be added, joining a staff of seven current employees who inspect the county’s 2,848 restaurants and grocery stores.
Inspectors look for problems in food storage and preparation that could lead to food-borne illnesses.
Inspectors also look over the operations of 800 temporary food booths at fairs and other community events, said Rick Zahalka, food program manager.
New food preparation rules take effect next year, based on federal Food and Drug Administration standards that have been adopted by the state Health Department, said Rick Mockler, deputy administrator.
The countywide public health agency will also add four full-time employees to help with vaccines and immunizations, which provide flu and childhood shots.
The extra help is needed because many people don’t have health insurance and turn to the health district for these services, Mockler said.
More staff also are needed to respond to any future public health emergencies, he said. “If we have some kind of outbreak, deliberate or otherwise, we simply don’t have the ability to react in the way the public wants and needs us to.”
The additional employees “will give us some enhanced ability to react,” he said.
One additional employee is being added to assist with administrative duties in the communicable disease division.
Overall, next year’s budget is $291,362 larger than last year.
Some staffing is being cut back, with $150,000 cut from the agency’s work to check for West Nile virus. Although the mosquito-borne illness hit some states hard the past several years, no outbreaks among humans have been reported in Washington.
One employee who worked on the project has been shifted to other duties, Mockler said.
The financial stability of the public health agency has been debated all year.
In April, board members, who are either members of city councils from throughout the county or members of the Snohomish County Council, asked the agency to come up with possible program cuts should tough financial times occur.
Mockler said the agency can probably make it through 2005 without cutbacks, but that it is “highly unlikely” to make it through 2006 without reductions.
Reporter Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.
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