[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 176 (Tuesday, October 31, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1462]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNIZING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FAIRFAX COUNTY HEALTH 
                               DEPARTMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 31, 2017

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 100th 
anniversary of the Fairfax County Health Department. Through a century 
of continuous service the department has distinguished itself as a 
national leader and a model public health department working to 
protect, promote and improve the quality of life for all its residents.
   The origins of the Fairfax County Health Department can be traced 
back to April 1917, when the county launched a campaign for better 
health in the very same week that the United States would enter World 
War I. When the first public health physician and his successor were 
sent off to war, it left only one public health nurse to provide 
services for the entire county. Shortly after war's end the staff 
consisted of a full time health officer, one full time sanitation 
officer, one full time nurse and a part-time clerk, with funding 
provided by the Virginia State Health Department, the Fairfax County 
Board of Supervisors, the County Chapter of the Red Cross, the 
Tuberculosis Association, and donations from private citizens.
   In the early years, the Health Department was primarily concerned 
with the spread of infectious diseases like diphtheria, smallpox, 
tuberculosis and typhoid fever. With better sanitation, education, and 
immunization practices, many of these threats began to wane and the 
department's services began to expand to accommodate the county's 
growing population.
   With more facilities and staff, the department was able to offer 
maternal and child health clinics, home health care, speech and 
hearing, dental, and school health services. At the same time, a 
systematic program of environmental health was developed to include 
sewage disposal, protection of water supplies, fly and mosquito 
control, and general cleanliness of dwellings, tourist places and food 
establishments.
   Due to its long history of financial and leadership support for 
public health, in 1995, Fairfax County sought and was granted the 
authority to operate its own health department by an act of the 
Virginia General Assembly. Since that change in legislative authority 
more than 20 years ago, the Fairfax County Health Department has become 
more efficient, effective, and responsive.
   Throughout its history, the Health Department has been a leader in 
the prevention and control of communicable diseases. During the polio 
epidemic of the 1950s, Fairfax County participated in the Salk vaccine 
trials and became the first county in the United States to provide 
polio vaccine to its grade school children. In 1960s, it was the first 
department in the nation to participate in a mass measles vaccination 
trial program. And in 1989, when there was an outbreak of Ebola virus 
in monkeys at a laboratory in Reston, Virginia--an event dramatized in 
Richard Preston's book ``The Hot Zone''--Fairfax County Health 
Department was once again on the front lines of an emerging disease 
threat.
   While the emphasis on communicable disease control and prevention 
has not changed, the Health Department has dedicated more of its 
resources to population-based health services that address disparities 
within its increasingly diverse community. The Health Department's 
Adult Day Health Care, Community Health Care Network, Skin Deep Tattoo 
Removal Program, HIV case management program, and Homeless Health Care 
program have been a model for other departments in Virginia and around 
the country.
   Research on newer and better methods of onsite sewage disposal have 
often originated in Fairfax County. The department's laboratory is the 
largest local public health laboratory in the Commonwealth, performing 
more than 200,000 scientific tests annually.
   Since the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001, the Health 
Department has assumed a first responder role with significant 
responsibility for a wide range of disaster planning and response 
activities. In response to lessons learned from the anthrax crisis, the 
Health Department organized a Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) unit, a cadre 
of trained volunteers, to augment surge capacity during public health 
emergencies. In the years since, the Health Department has activated 
its Incident Management Team and the MRC in response to natural 
disasters such as floods and hurricanes, H1N1 influenza pandemic, Ebola 
virus, Zika virus and other outbreak investigations.
   The Fairfax County Health Department has achieved and sustained a 
well-earned reputation for excellence due in part to the dedication and 
compassion of its well-trained workforce, the quality and innovation of 
its programs and services, and the commitment of its leadership to 
continuous quality improvement. That commitment was demonstrated again 
in 2016 when the department achieved national accreditation by the 
Public Health Accreditation Board.
   Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in recognizing the 
Fairfax County Health Department for a century of protecting, promoting 
and improving the health and quality of life for all in Fairfax County. 
Their selfless efforts, made on behalf of all citizens of our community 
are truly worthy of our highest praise.

                          ____________________