About the Board of Health
WHAT IS A BOARD OF HEALTH AND WHAT DO THEY DO?
The Park Ridge Board of Health is the autonomous policy making board which, as mandated under state law Title 26, is charged with the duty of ensuring that mandated public health services, as indicated in N.J.A.C. 8:52 Public Health Practice Standards, are carried out in Park Ridge. Members are appointed by the mayor and council. The board consists of seven regular members serving a three year term and two alternates, one of which is a two year term and the other a one year appointment. A board of health is not a health department. Provision of mandated public health services is through a contract with a health department under the administrative direction of a licensed health officer. Health inspections for the community are carried out by an environmental health specialist, who works for the health department under the direction of the health officer. The secretary of the board of health is an employee of the town and is the liaison between the health department and the board. The secretary also collects Vital Statistics for the community. The board of health meets regularly on the third thursday of the month under the Sunshine Law as an open public meeting. The public is encouraged to attend.
A BIT OF HISTORY
Emergence of Boards of Health: In colonial America, smallpox was especially devastating to both natives and settlers. With so many people dying, the recording of vital records was essential. In 1639 the Massachusetts colony ordered all births and deaths to be recorded. In 1701 laws requiring isolation of smallpox were passed. In 1799 the first Board of Health was formed in Boston with Paul Revere as its chairman. Paul Revere, among other professions, was a dentist.