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Spotty restaurant inspection practices: another reason for new health department

August 7, 2005

Many conclusions were drawn from The Morning Call's nine-month study of food safety at Pennsylvania eateries and retailers. An editorial Wednesday analyzed significant changes needed in restaurant inspections in the Lehigh Valley. But the alarming disparities in inspection practices between communities also underscore the need for county health departments, an issue Northampton County already has tackled.

Fortunately, members of the Northampton County Interim Health Board, which began meeting July 6, recognize this. The nay-sayers, however — those who resist formation of a countywide health department — should re-evaluate their stance. Forming a county department no longer is just a matter of providing uniform health services throughout the county, and of preparing better for homeland security worries such as bioterrorism, though both goals matter greatly.

The investigation by reporters Tim Darragh and Christopher Schnaars showed that inspections occurred about three times more frequently in communities with local health agencies, compared to those that lack local oversight and get erratic state inspections. In fact, two of the county health departments being studied by the interim health board as models inspect establishments more frequently than many: 1.7 times a year in Bucks County and 1.8 times a year in Montgomery County.

The city of Bethlehem, in addition to Allentown, also does a better-than-most job of inspecting restaurants. So the city, too, should be evaluated closely as the interim health board strives to prove to Bethlehem that a county-wide board could do as good a job as the Bethlehem Health Bureau does now for city residents.

According to state law, if Northampton County Council agrees to create a health department, upon the recommendation of the interim health board, it would be required to provide food inspections. However, it was disconcerting to read in a story Wednesday by reporter Paul Muschick that the county would only have to inspect restaurants and food retailers prior to the issuance of an operating license plus three years later when it's renewed. A local health department should aim higher.

Two local, public health-related foundations are so convinced of the need for a Northampton County health department that they are footing the bill for start-up costs: The Dorothy Rider Pool Health Care Trust, affiliated with Lehigh Valley Hospital, and The Two Rivers Health and Wellness Foundation, which administers charitable funds left from the sale of Easton Hospital.

Actually, Plan A would be a regional health department, including Lehigh County. The Allentown Health Bureau is excellent and the county contracts for some services. But uniform services for all county residents would be superior. As the analysis of restaurant inspections shows, residents' health and safety is at stake.