Politics & Government

Did You Know Killingworth Has Its Own Health Department?

According to its director, many residents are still in the dark about the existence of the department and the services it offers.

 

"Many people still come up to me and say they didn't know there was a health department in Killingworth," says director Maura Esposito.

Yes, it is part-time and yes, she's the only employee, but it is a department at town hall.

Find out what's happening in The Haddams-Killingworthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Esposito, who has been in the role for a year, has two main focuses: the regular town health tasks such as sanitation, water and septic testing, and restaurant and daycare inspections, along with preventative care for its residents.

"Killingworth is all septic and all wells, so it's very important to keep them all working properly so they do not contaminate anything," she said.

Find out what's happening in The Haddams-Killingworthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Esposito said she is a big advocate of preventative care.

"I have been working closely with the VNA in Guilford to offer blood pressure clinics, flu clinics and other such services to residents," she noted.

The good news? She has seen an increase in the attendance of these workshops.

She is also working on getting information to residents about issues such as the flu, carbon monoxide, mold, radon, e-coli, West Nile and H1N1.

"We hope you don't have a problem, but if you do, we want to help you," she said.

Esposito, who has a Master's degree in radon, previously worked as an intern at the state health department (focusing on radon) and the Middletown Health Department. She is a member of the Connecticut Association of Directors of Health and a member of her town's Water Pollution Control Commission.

Free radon test kits are available to Killingworth residents on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. They are available at town hall in the health department office, or if that office is closed, in the town clerk's office.

"This is an ideal time to check your house for radon while it is cold out, the house is closed up and the heating system is on," said Esposito.

But there's still plenty of work to be done. If you head to the town's website to glean more information on the health department, you'll come up short.

"One of my other goals is to get our own web-page up," she said.


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