Section 1125.330  Office of Health Protection

 

a)         The Office of Health Protection is composed of the following components:

 

1)         Division of Environmental Health.

 

2)         Division of Laboratories.

 

3)         Division of Food, Drugs and Dairies.

 

4)         Division of Infectious Diseases.

 

5)         Emergency Response.

 

6)         Plumbing Program.

 

7)         Local Health Protection Grant Program.

 

b)         The following activities are administered by the Division of Environmental Health:

 

1)         Licensure of occupations involved in performing lead inspections, risk assessment, contracting, supervision, and abatement and mitigation in dwellings and child care facilities; approval of lead training course providers who offer training to individuals seeking licensure; and investigation of dwellings and child care facilities to identify and eliminate environmental lead hazards that are sources of lead poisoning.

 

2)         Review and approval of building plans for manufactured housing; and inspection of manufactured housing units at the factory and at final locations.

 

3)         Review and approval of manufactured home tie-down equipment; and inspection of tie-down installations.

 

4)         Inspection and regulation of non-community public water supply systems.

 

5)         Inspection, bacteriological and chemical analyses, and technical assistance to citizens regarding their private water supplies; licensure of water well drillers and water well pump installation contractors; permitting, inspection and sampling of new water wells to ensure proper construction; and provision of grants and training to local health departments to conduct the program.

 

6)         Licensure of private sewage disposal system installation and pumping contractors; review of plans for the installation of systems; inspection of systems, trucks used to pump septic tanks and sites for final disposal; and consultation and training for local health departments conducting the program.

 

7)         Review of plans and specifications for public swimming pools and bathing beaches, issuance of construction permits, and inspection of public swimming pools and bathing beaches for annual licensure; and laboratory testing of pool and beach water.

 

8)         Approval of plans and issuance of permits for construction or alteration of manufactured home communities; annual inspection for proper water supply, sewage disposal, electrical systems and other health and safety requirements; and licensure of manufactured home communities.

 

9)         Inspection and licensure of migrant labor camps to ensure proper sanitation, adequate and safe water supply, and proper sewage disposal.

 

10)         Inspection and licensure of recreational areas and youth camps for compliance of water supply, sewage disposal and electrical systems, and food handling procedures and facilities; and plans and specifications for new recreation areas and youth camps are reviewed and permits to construct are issued.

 

11)         Surveying and responding to inquiries regarding chemical exposures and possible health effects to humans; investigation of health risks to populations residing around hazardous waste sites; and investigation of health-related complaints involving indoor air pollution.

 

12)         Investigation of injuries associated with consumer products and of suspected product defects.

 

13)         Licensure of structural pest control technicians and businesses; inspection of the use of pesticides in and about structures; and investigation of incidents of misuse of pesticides.

 

14)         Collection of blood samples from wild birds to determine the presence of antibodies to St. Louis encephalitis and eastern equine encephalitis, which collection allows advance warning of an encephalitis outbreak; and public information and mosquito control measures are then implemented to reduce the severity of an outbreak.

 

15)         Licensing of occupations involved in performing asbestos abatement in schools and commercial and other public buildings; inspection of asbestos projects; review of asbestos management plans for schools; approval of asbestos training providers; and inspection of schools to determine compliance with State and federal laws.

 

16)         Ensuring that adequate toilets, handwashing facilities and drinking water are provided by farm operators who employ ten or more workers for more than two hours a day.

 

17)         Reduction of injury or illness to school children caused by exposure to art and craft materials that contain toxic substances, through review of these products and assurance of proper labeling.

 

18)         Short term studies of the health status of populations living around hazardous waste sites and recommendation of medical follow-up, as appropriate.

 

c)         The following activities are conducted by the Division of Laboratories:

 

1)         Laboratory testing for bacteria, viruses, parasites and environmental toxins that threaten the health of individuals.

 

2)         Blood testing of every newborn infant for evidence of phenylketonuria, hypothyroidism, galactosemia, biotinidase deficiency, congenital adrenal hyperplasia and sickle cell disease/trait, and other hemoglobinopathies.

 

3)         Laboratory examination of swimming pool water as needed for public health protection.

 

4)         Certification of private environmental laboratories that conduct microbiological water testing.

 

d)         The following activities are administered by the Division of Food, Drugs and Dairies:

 

1)         Inspection of food processors, manufacturers, and warehouses to ensure food is wholesome, unadulterated, and properly labeled.

 

2)         Issuance of food advisories and recalls and issuance of Certificates of Free Sale for Illinois firms who wish to export their products to foreign countries.

 

3)         Inspection of drug, cosmetic and medical device manufacturers to ensure products are wholesome, unadulterated and properly labeled.

 

4)         Compilation and maintenance of a formulary for use by physicians and dispensers of prescription drugs which formulary defines generic drugs that are therapeutically equivalent to brand name drugs.

 

5)         Conducting sanitary rating surveys to qualify Illinois produced and processed milk and dairy products for shipment in interstate commerce.

 

6)         Inspection of Grade A fluid milk and manufactured milk plants, producer dairies, bulk milk tank operators, receiving and transfer stations, milk vendors and distributors, to ensure compliance with rules and regulations.

 

7)         Certification of food service management personnel.

 

8)         Training and certification of local and State food sanitation supervisory personnel in food establishment sanitation techniques; and review and evaluation of local food sanitation programs.

 

9)         Inspection of retail food establishments to ensure compliance with sanitary standards.

 

10)         Daily sanitation surveillance over the operation of food concessions and daily operations at the annual Illinois State Fair and DuQuoin State Fair.

 

11)         Consultation and education in food service management to promote adequate sanitation.

 

12)         Sampling of dairy farm and dairy plant raw and finished products and water supplies to ensure bacteriological safety.

 

13)         Issuance of permits to tanning facility operators and grants to local health departments to conduct annual inspections of such facilities for sanitation, operator training, equipment maintenance, physical standards, and proper recordkeeping.

 

14)         Providing grants to local health departments to assure the safe food preparation and service to underprivileged children at a special feeding program during the summer.

 

e)         The following activities are administered by the Division of Infectious Diseases:

 

1)         Technical guidance to local health departments on the investigation and control of infectious diseases.

 

2)         Statewide direction in tuberculosis control by providing consultation, educational programs and limited direct assistance to local authorities.

 

3)         Comprehensive sexually transmitted disease prevention and containment including the coordination of similar efforts by local health departments through surveillance, patient and partner referral counseling and testing and treatment, education, and technical consultation and assistance.

 

4)         Comprehensive vaccine-preventable-disease-control through surveillance; outbreak control; technical and general consultation to all health care providers and school administrators; education and motivation; assessment of immunization levels in specified populations; and provision of vaccines for use in public clinics.

 

5)         Statewide communicable disease control including the coordination of similar efforts by local health departments and other health care providers to promote reporting, investigation and control of the communicable diseases required by regulation to be reported; collection and evaluation of data to determine appropriate action needed to control reportable communicable diseases; and investigation of cases and outbreaks of infectious diseases in areas without local health departments.

 

6)         Funding, consultation, training and planning for the provision of medical and social support services to persons living with HIV; provision of HIV-related therapeutic drugs for low income persons living with HIV; funding, training and consultation to local health departments for HIV/AIDS counseling, testing, referral and partner notification services; provision of HIV health education and risk reduction information services; and monitoring of the HIV/AIDS epidemic through case reporting requirements.

 

7)         Conducting epidemiological investigations of communicable disease outbreaks involving food borne illness, natural disasters, transportation emergencies, fires and other unique health related emergencies.

 

f)         Emergency Response.  The Department's response and recovery activities for statewide public health emergencies are coordinated in the Office of Health Protection.  Activities include development of emergency operating procedures for natural and technological disaster response and recovery activities, and representation of the Department in the State Emergency Operations Center during statewide emergency operations.

 

g)         The following activities are administered by the Plumbing Program:

 

1)         Examination and licensure of all Illinois plumbers and inspection of the work of licensed plumbers.

 

2)         Identification and initiation of enforcement action against individuals conducting plumbing procedures without a license.

 

h)         Local Health Protection Grant Program.  This program provides funding to local health departments that agree to assure the provision of health protection programs, including food protection, potable water supply, private sewage disposal, and communicable disease control, in their jurisdictions. Participating local health departments are reviewed by the Department for compliance with grant requirements.

 

i)          The Office also administers other regulatory, preventive, and enforcement activities provided by the Department by law.

 

(Source:  Amended at 24 Ill. Reg. 11622, effective July 20, 2000)