When's the last time you heard of a case of bubonic plague? How about typhoid, cholera, yellow fever? Small Pox has been in the news again lately as a terrorist threat, but we haven't really heard of any outbreak in the U. S. You can thank your public health officials for the lack of news about epidemics. The history of Public Health is quite fascinating and there are many sites online to explore.

In the early years of industrialization in America, expanding industries threatened air and water quality in cities. The workers of the expanding industries lived in close proximity to the workplace. Houses were built closer together. The east side of Alliance is a prime example of housing for industrial workers. The lots are small, the houses are big, with many containing rooms for boarders. So many people living in close quarters became a public health issue. People living close together spread disease more quickly. City officials in larger cities, such as New York, faced a host of complaints about the spread of epidemic disease in tenement districts. Epidemics of contagious diseases, such as small pox, yellow fever, and cholera, had devastating effects throughout the 19th century. They killed many people, spread panic and fear, disrupted government, and caused Congress to enact laws to stop their importation and spread.

In those troubling but simpler times, the work of public health was limited to maintaining basic sanitary living conditions and preventing the spread of communicable diseases. When the Ohio State Board of Health was created in 1886, its primary work was to help coordinate the fight against tuberculosis. Today the duties of Public Health agencies have expanded tremendously.

In Alliance, we are fortunate to have our own Health Department, with Randy Flint as the current Health Commissioner. The Alliance City Health District was created in 1872, even before the creation of the State Board of Health. The first documentation of board of health minutes dates back to 1909 with Dr. L.A. Crawford as health officer. Alliance used to have health department inspectors called sanitary policeman who quarantined homes for diphtheria and other contagious diseases and provided fumigating.

Ohio law establishes city, county and general health districts in the state, even though Alliance's health district is older than the state law. As the health commissioner, Randy is responsible for all the programs, services and enforcement of rules and regulations. Randy has a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Biology from Youngstown State University. He also has a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Minnesota. He is a Registered Sanitarian in the State of Ohio and a Certified Pest Control Operator. Randy has been with the City of Alliance since January 9, 1984. Prior to coming to Alliance, he was with the Mahoning County Health Department as a Sanitarian.

How does a person get interested in public health? Randy says it goes back to Youngstown State and the degree in biology. Job options with a degree in biology back then were somewhat limited to teaching, pharmaceutical sales, or lab work. Randy got connected in environmental health with the Mahoning County Health Dept. and this was the start of his public health career. He wanted to get into the work force to determine which area of public health he was most interested before pursuing additional education at the Master's level. Mahoning County provided a one-year educational leave for Randy to obtain a Master's degree in public health.

The subject of public health and disease isn't something we sit around the dinner table talking about generally. But if you're interested in knowing more about the history of public health or Alliance's Health Department and their services, just call them at 330-821-7373. Randy or one of his staff will be glad to help you and answer your questions.