[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 613-614]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    CELEBRATING THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ST. CLAIR COUNTY HEALTH 
                               DEPARTMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JERRY F. COSTELLO

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 24, 2011

  Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join 
me in recognizing the 25th anniversary of the St. Clair County, 
Illinois, Health Department.
  By 1985, there was gathering evidence of the need for a public health 
department to serve the residents of St. Clair County. Since the 1930s 
there had been a health department, the East Side Health District, to 
serve the residents of East St. Louis and several surrounding 
communities but public health care services did not exist for residents 
outside the East Side Health District service area.
  As Chairman of the St. Clair County Board at the time, I was very 
concerned that county residents did not have access to public health 
services. As a result, I appointed a citizens committee, made up of 
concerned citizens and health care professionals, to determine if there 
was, indeed, a need for a county-wide public health department.
  After many meetings and input from the public, in October of 1985, I 
presented a resolution to the St. Clair County Board that was approved, 
creating the St. Clair County Health Department. I am very proud to 
have played a role in establishing the St. Clair County Health 
Department.
  The new Board of Health met to elect officers in January, 1986, and 
recruited Kevin Hutchinson to serve as the Executive Director,

[[Page 614]]

a post he has held to this day. Funding for the Health Department came 
from the existing tuberculosis tax, which was converted to a public 
health tax.
  The new Health Department focused on the most critical priorities 
initially, targeting issues such as communicable disease prevention, 
food safety and maternal and child health. Today, the Health Department 
is organized into four divisions, Administration, Health Protection, 
Community Health and Personal Health.
  Evidence of the need for this department can be found in its growth 
and expansion during the past 25 years. From just over 20 employees and 
a budget of under $500,000, the department has grown to 70 employees 
and a budget exceeding $6 million. While the need is great, the 
dedicated professionals of the St. Clair County Health Department 
continue to meet that need by providing excellent health care, 
prevention services and educational outreach to the communities and 
residents of St. Clair County.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the 
board of directors, administration and employees of the St. Clair 
County Health Department, as well as the members of the St. Clair 
County Board, on their 25th anniversary, and wishing them the very best 
for many more years of continued service to the people of St. Clair 
County, Illinois.

                          ____________________