Overview: The Toledo-Lucas County Health Department (TLCHD) is nationally accredited through the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) and serves as the local public health authority in Lucas County. TLCHD is a combined regional health district, serving all of Lucas County’s cities, townships, and villages. TLCHD generates revenue through intragovernmental shares, charges for service, licenses and permits fees, contracts, and grants. Furthermore, TLCHD receives fiscal support from local, state, and federal grants, which contribute toward public health programs and services.
Responsibility: The Toledo-Lucas County Health Department strives to protect and improve the community’s health by preventing and controlling the spread of disease and injury, protecting against environmental hazards, promoting and supporting healthy behaviors, and preparing for and responding to emergencies. TLCHD provides a variety of services including access to birth and death records, health education, immunization clinics, health screenings, maternal child health, and disease surveillance. TLCHD administers core environmental health programs such as inspections related to food safety, body art, public swimming pools, campgrounds, sewage, and water, as well as other environmental programs such as lead poisoning prevention and nuisance/smoking complaints.
Objectives:
The 10 Essential Public Health Services
1. Monitor health status to identify and solve community health problems
2. Diagnose and investigate health problems and health hazards in the community
3. Inform, educate, and empower people about health issues
4. Mobilize community partnerships and action to identify and solve health problems
5. Develop policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts
6. Enforce laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety
7. Link people to needed personal health services and assure the provision of healthcare when otherwise unavailable
8. Assure competent public and personal healthcare workforce
9. Evaluate the effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of personal and population-based health services
10. Research for new insights and innovative solutions to health problems
Structure: The Lucas County Regional Board of Health is the legal entity that has overall responsibility for the operation of the Health Department. TLCHD employs a dedicated staff of 120+ professionals delivering nearly 100 programs and services across Lucas County. TLCHD actively promotes positive union-management relationships through open communication channels, regular joint meetings, and a commitment to fair and transparent decision-making.
Administration led by the Health Commissioner, Deputy Health Commissioner, and Chief of Staff, this service area provides essential oversight and direction to the entire agency through a common mission, vision, and values, and ensures a sound fiscal, human resource, and IT/communications infrastructure are in place to support operations and drive organizational development.
Childhood Wellness focuses on protecting and promoting the health of Lucas County youth.
Environmental Health focuses on our natural and manmade environments and how they impact health in Lucas County.
Innovation, Quality, and Informatics focuses on driving continuous quality improvement efforts across all service areas in the department, bridging the gap between public health practice and academia to train the next generation of public health professionals, monitoring and mitigating the spread of infectious disease in our community, and ensuring effective response to public health threats through emergency preparedness planning efforts.
Nursing & Clinical Services focuses on providing direct patient care and population health services.
Culture: TLCHD believes the quality of its workforce and the services it provides will be enhanced by recognizing and embracing the differences in all of us. TLCHD is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, disability, military status, veteran status, genetic testing, or other unlawful bias.
The community that we live in is increasingly made up of unique individuals who bring to us a variety of experiences, beliefs, abilities, and knowledge. It is through understanding and appreciating these differences that we can make Public Health services relevant, valuable, and respectful to all members of our community.
Our dynamic Public Health team thrives in an environment that values collaboration, innovation, and open communication. At TLCHD we believe that our greatest strength lies in our people. To ensure that every team member can contribute to their fullest potential, we uphold a set of rules of engagement that define our workplace culture:
TLCHD fosters a culture built on a strong foundation of core expectations. We prioritize creating a safe and inclusive environment where participation and open communication are encouraged. We value asking questions and challenging the status quo, but always with a focus on challenging ideas, not individuals. When issues arise, we believe in collaboratively seeking solutions and embracing them as opportunities for improvement. At TLCHD, we learn from the past but strive to stay future-focused. Respect is paramount, and a touch of humor can enrich our work environment.
The Toledo-Lucas County Health Department is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Department operates in accordance with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.