Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
A PROPOSAL TO CONSOLIDATE <br /> HEALTH, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES <br /> U Q 8 FUNCTIONS OF STATE AGENCIES <br /> INTO A DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT <br /> James G. Martin, Governor <br /> State of North Carolina <br /> I am pleased to report to you my recommendation for consolidation of <br /> health and environmental functions into a new Department of Health and <br /> Environment. It would combine the Division of Health Services, currently in <br /> the Department of Human Resources , with the natural resources and <br /> environmental management programs, currently in the Department of Natural <br /> Resources and Community Development. It also recommends moving from DNRCD the <br /> community development block grant and employment and training to the <br /> Department of Commerce, economic opportunity to DHR, and some community <br /> assistance planning aspects to the Department of Administration. Finally, the <br /> Marine Affairs Division of the Department of Administration, which includes <br /> the aquaria, would be transferred to the new Department. Existing pesticide <br /> control and radiation protection programs would not be affected by this <br /> consolidation for reasons which are described below. <br /> Actions that impact the environment will also impact both the health of <br /> the people who live in the environment and the State's natural resources. <br /> Therefore, while it is essential that health and environmental programs be <br /> closely linked, it is also important to retain the existing relationship <br /> between natural resources and environmental protection. <br /> Since most counties are organized with health and environmental programs <br /> in a single health department, a network is already in place to deliver these <br /> services at a level close to the constituents. In the new department, one <br /> secretary will have responsibility for both health and environmental <br /> protection concerns , thereby allowing the local health departments to <br /> coordinate with just one State agency. <br /> In recent years , issues related to health and the environment have <br /> received increased public attention. Discovery of increased cases of disease <br /> related to past and present waste disposal practices have emphasized the need <br /> to closely coordinate the work of the public health and environmental <br /> protection communities. At the present time, the realization that the State's <br /> natural resources are finite and subject to permanent degradation if not <br /> properly managed and protected has highlighted the need to retain the ties <br /> between natural resources and environmental protection. Combining the public <br /> health, environmental protection, and natural resources agencies into a single <br /> department will serve to <br /> 1) emphasize the interrelationship between health and the environment <br /> while maintaining the link between environmental protection and <br /> natural resources management, and <br /> 2) reduce the layers of bureaucracy needed to coordinate health and <br /> environmental - programs, thereby allowing for quicker and - more <br /> accurate responses to problems and permit applications. <br /> - 1 - <br />