To the editor: I am
writing this correspondence to alert your readers about my concern
as the public health officer for Logan County regarding the pending
expiration of the Environmental Health Practitioner Licensing Act in
Illinois. The intent of this state law is to safeguard the health,
safety and general welfare of Illinois residents by assuring
qualified and competent professionals are performing critical health
protection services in Illinois, such as food safety inspections,
regulation of private water supplies and the management of on-site
wastewater disposal systems.
If this licensing act is not renewed during the General
Assembly's veto session this November, there will be no employment
standards mandated for hiring of health inspectors. The loss of
professional standards will result in Illinois taking a huge step
backward in the protection of the public's health.
Therefore, I urge everyone to contact your state representative
and demand that the House of Representatives adopt the pending
legislation to extend the Environmental Health Practitioner
Licensing Act.
Sincerely,
Mark Hilliard, MPH, CHES
Public health administrator
Logan County Department of Public Health
[Posted
November 11, 2008]
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