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Community Corner

Killingworth Selectmen Weigh Cost, Benefit of Regional Health District

Group recommends town join Chatham Health District to satisfy local, state needs.

After firmly rejecting an alliance with a regional health district in 2006, selectmen are reconsidering regional health services for Killingworth.

After a year-long evaluation of how best to fulfill Killingworth’s public health needs, the Public Health Agency, an appointed group that advises town officials about health matters, has recommended that Killingworth join the Chatham Health District as the best way of satisfying town needs and state requirements.

Killingworth currently provides its own health services, under the direction of interim Health Director Thad King, who also is director of the Chatham district, and Richard Leighton, acting as his agent to perform inspections and process applications. Leighton also serves as the town’s sanitarian, acting as an agent for licensed sanitarian.

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Selectmen agreed in 2006 that Killingworth would be better served by retaining control of its own health services, provided at a lower cost than those in a regional district.

But First Selectwoman Catherine Iino said the town’s long-time health director, Dr. Ed Winokur, resigned over a year ago and Killingworth has utilized interim health directors ever since – a practice not well-regarded by state officials and not in accord with new state regulations for the qualifications of health directors.

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The town currently spends almost $50,000 to provide health services for Killingworth, a per capita cost of $7.60, the Public Health Agency reported. But, the agency’s report reads, “Our fragmented system of contracting public health services lacks the oversight and coordination to help prevent a future incident that could threaten both the health of our town and our budget.”

Membership in the Chatham district would cost about $54,000, a slight increase in cost that would bring “better service to the people of Killingworth, avoid penalties from the state, prepare for the future, and gain some insurance against the risks of a major health crisis,” the agency’s report concluded.

The alternatives would be continuation of the present system of health services, or more costly membership in the Connecticut River Area Health District, which includes Clinton and which selectmen considered in 2006.

Current members of the Chatham Health District are the towns of East Haddam, East Hampton, Haddam, Hebron, Manchester and Portland, with Colchester about to join. The PHA said Killingworth’s affiliation with Haddam in the Region 17 school system, and the lower cost, made the Chatham district the more logical choice.

Should Killingworth join Chatham, the town would have one representative on the district’s board of directors and the district sanitarian would maintain the office of the town health agent/sanitarian on a part-time basis.

The district would provide its existing health services and develop other services as required by Killingworth, including public health education, and make a financial contribution towards Killingworth’s contract with the Visiting Nurse Association, as well as various management and business services.

Iino said towns invariably find their cost of health services is reduced by joining a regional district – which the state encourages small towns to do – but Killingworth is unique in that it has few restaurants and no hotels or other businesses that require the oversight of health inspectors.

“For a variety of reasons, it would be more expensive for Killingworth,” she said, “but we also would get more services.”

Town officials – and a town meeting – must decide by the end of June whether to join Chatham, when its current interim contract expires.

“I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion at the moment either way” selectmen might decide, Iino said.

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