The Jefferson County Health Department has announced it will close its Environmental Laboratory on Dec. 31.
A longtime lab technician, Jeannie Barton, plans to retire this month, so Health Department officials reviewed the Environmental Lab program, which provides bacterial water testing for private and public water supplies, to determine the practicality of keeping it open.
“When a program experiences staff turnover or a reduction in funding, we evaluate the program’s sustainability and current community needs,” said Steve Sikes, the Health Department’s deputy director of agency operations.
Jeana Vidacak, community services manager, told the board that Barton, “who was kind of a one-person show,” is retiring after 46 years.
“We had another staff (member) we were training to take that position over,” Vidacak said. “They actually left us, as well, to go to a different company.”
Following the review, Health Department officials announced on Nov. 30 their plans to close the environmental lab.
In the program’s evaluation, department officials considered access to and cost of services from other agencies that provide similar services.
JCHD currently charges $14 to test in-county private or public water samples.
“The state charges $10 to private citizens, and public water districts are free,” the department reported in a written statement. “This would be a cost savings for consumers.
“JCHD’s lab revenue does not currently cover its expenses, so additional funds are required from (tax revenue) to cover the difference. Closing the lab allows reallocation of those funds to other core public health community needs that are not currently met by other providers.”
“It costs us about $40,000 to run every year after you take out salary, fringe, supplies,” Vidacak added. “We do have some fees coming in, but they don’t offset what the program is.”
When the Health Department started the lab, the Missouri State Public Health Laboratory did not have courier services, and it was not feasible for residents to mail samples to the state lab, she said.
Testing would not have occurred within the proper timeframe, department officials added.
“So we were really the only option county residents had for private and public water testing,” she said.
But now courier services are available.
“We now have courier services that get picked up from our building and from Mercy (Hospital) Jefferson,” Vidacak said.
After the lab closes at the end of the year, residents may still drop off their samples at the Health Department or the hospital, and they will be sent with the daily courier to the state lab.
The department cautioned that public water samples must be submitted using the appropriate collection kit provided by the state lab. To request sample kits, visit health.mo.gov/lab.
Property owners may submit samples from private wells or other drinking water sources for bacterial testing.
For more information, visit health.mo.gov/lab/privatedrinkingwater.php.
For a list of other state lab courier pickup locations outside Jefferson County, visit health.mo.gov/lab/courierservices.php.