The Bear River Health Department is committed to promoting youth health, through healthy lifestyles, screenings, and preventative care. The scorecard below highlights the department’s services and programs for children in the community. To learn more, visit the department’s website. It includes information on programs and services, Accreditation, Grievance processes, and STDs.
Programs and services:
The Bear River Health Department is one of 13 local health departments in Utah that work to improve the health of the state’s residents. It provides public health services to the residents of Box Elder, Cache and Rich counties. The department is governed by a board of nine members, one from each county. The board members serve three-year terms without compensation. They establish the public health policies for the Bear River Health District. Meetings are held on a rotating basis, and agendas and minutes are posted on the Utah Public Notice Website. Meetings may also be called on an as-needed basis.
Public health is an important aspect of community health and the Bear River Health Department is committed to promoting healthy lifestyles and preventative care. The Health Department’s programs are designed to keep children and young adults as healthy as possible. To achieve national accreditation, the department worked closely with the community to identify public health issues in the community. Through this collaborative process, measurable goals were developed to guide progress toward a healthier community.
Accreditation:
The Bear River Health Department recently announced it has been accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, a national organization that aims to promote excellence in public health practice. The accreditation process involves submitting documentation to a number of committees and reviewers who determine whether the Bear River Health Department is up to par with industry standards. In the process, the public health organization is also given a chance to reflect on its work and identify ways to improve it.
The Bear River Health Department is one of 13 local health departments in Utah, serving residents in Box Elder, Cache County, and Rich County. It currently has 110 employees working at 6 locations and serves more than 160,000 people in these three counties. For more information, visit the department’s website. This website also contains meeting agendas and minutes.
The Bear River Health Department offers multiple programs and services that help residents maintain their health. Its scorecard details the programs offered and the services it provides. In addition, it responds to infectious disease reports.
Grievance process:
If you are unhappy with a service at the Bear River Health Department, you have the right to file a grievance. The grievance process is outlined in Utah Code 26A-1-121. It allows you to request administrative review or a grievance hearing. It also gives you the right to review your file, ask questions about agency policies and copy contracts and treatment plans.
Bear River’s complaint was based on the premise that Prince received unnecessary medical care. Despite the PIP policy limit, he claimed that the department had not honored the coverage. In fact, he had kept up with his insurance premiums. The health department was not liable for the costs he incurred, but he did not receive his PIP benefits.
Prince moved to amend his complaint on November 8, 2000. He argued that the trial court had abused its discretion in denying his claim. The trial court denied the motion, but ordered him to file an affidavit detailing the attorney’s fees.
STDs:
STDs, or sexually transmitted diseases, are a growing problem in our society. These diseases are often passed from one partner to the next through sexual contact and can include chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital herpes, HIV, and human papillomavirus. Fortunately, there are many places in the region to get tested for these diseases. According to the National Institute of Health, over 20 million cases of STDs are diagnosed each year in the United States. Half of these cases are among young people.
Air pollution:
The Bear River Health Department is working to address air pollution in Cache Valley. It will host a community health event with speeches from health officers and educators. The event will also feature representatives from law enforcement, schools, and local government. Residents are encouraged to wear protective masks while outside.
The EPA has set standards for ambient air quality in the United States. The areas with high air pollution, it will issue non-attainment designations. Five counties in Utah have been identified as non-attainment zones. In Cache County, the Bear River Health Department will implement I/M Program activities to ensure that air pollution levels are within the federal standards.
Air quality in the area:
The air quality in the Bear River area is much better than the national average. It is about 82 percent better than the US average. The city’s air quality index is 82, compared to 58 for the entire US. This number is based on new EPA measures of hazardous air pollutants. The National Air Toxics Assessment also models cancer and respiratory illness risk down to the zip code level.
The Bear River is 550 miles long and drains a 470,000 acre watershed. It is located in Idaho and ends in Utah, but there is a portion of the river in Idaho. It also contains tributaries that flow into Utah, and there are 39 segments on the Idaho SS 303(d) list. In addition, several streams in the Bear River Basin enter Utah, and therefore must meet Utah’s TMDL standards.
The existing diversions in the Bear River have reduced the lake’s volume by 48 percent. Since the Bear River provides 60 percent of the water that flows into the Great Salt Lake, further diversions would be detrimental. Additionally, the proposed projects would result in the destruction of huge stretches of internationally significant wetlands, a large portion of which is home to migratory birds.
STDs in the area:
The Bear River Health Department recently received national accreditation for its programs. National accreditation is a mark of excellence that reflects a commitment to public health practice that emphasizes performance improvement, strong infrastructure, and innovation. To earn accreditation, a health department must meet or exceed a set of specific quality standards.
STD cases reported to the Bear River Health Department are not representative of Utah as a whole. In the state of Utah, syphilis is the third highest-prevalence STD. However, Utah is not a national leader in the prevalence of the disease, and the number of cases reported in the health department area was not among the highest in the state. However, in the Salt Lake City metro area, more than one in every two cases of chlamydia were reported. In 2009, the number of reported chlamydia cases in the metro area was the eighth-highest among major U.S. metro areas.
In the area, there are several health departments that offer STD testing and treatment. One location is operated by Planned Parenthood and offers free testing and treatment for most STDs. Another location, at 655 E 1300 N in Logan, offers walk-in and curbside services.
