Health Officer

Citing arsenic levels that are 60 times higher than normal, Howard County's top health official called yesterday for mandatory comprehensive testing of land at the Turf Valley planned community in Ellicott City, where the owner has been trying for two decades to add more than 1,000 homes. Health Officer Peter L. Beilenson said he ended negotiations with Turf Valley over voluntary ground testing for the project after learning last week of tests done two years ago that found a high arsenic level on the property.

After 22 years as Howard County's health officer, Dr. Joyce Boyd is retiring Feb. 1 to return to practicing pediatrics, she says."I've been thinking for several years that I wanted to go back to take care of babies and children and work with parents directly," the 61-year-old physician said. "Time was marching on."Boyd, who lives in Columbia with her husband, David, a surgeon, said she told County Executive James N. Robey about her plans after his election in November. A committee is seeking her replacement, according to the county public information office.

County health officials are analyzing food samples from two area restaurants where an 11-year-old Taneytown girl dined in the 10 days before she died of an illness that is frequently linked to a toxic strain of E. coli bacteria.Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture food safety inspectors are also checking several restaurants in the Hanover, Pa., area that were patronized by the family of Kara L. Staley.Health officials say the tests are a standard precaution, and no evidence exists of an outbreak of food-borne illness.

Margaret Flowers named pediatric headDr. Margaret Flowers has been appointed director of Carroll County General Hospital's pediatric program, which provides 24-hour coverage by pediatric specialists for all in-patient pediatric care.She graduated from Georgetown University and received her medical degree from the University of Maryland.Other new doctors on the pediatric staff are Kathleen Loomes and Brijit Reis. Loomes is a graduate of Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Reis attended medical school at Cornell University in New York.

The memory surfaces as Dr. Janet Neslen discusses her 40-year career in public health.It was a turning point in her life, but she was too young to know it. The event led her to pursue the study of medicine -- a field she's leaving after 15 years as the county's health officer.It happened in 1928 when she was a 3-year-old in Paterson, N.J. Her mother was holding her infant brother and slipped on ice. Neslen remembers blood and a bone protruding from her mother's leg."As I grew up that kept haunting me, and I kept going back to it," said Neslen, who retired Oct. 1. "And in my own mind I see very clearly that's when I wanted to become a doctor.

Dr. John M. Krager, deputy director of the Baltimore County Department of Health, died Sunday of a heart attack at his Ruxton residence. He was 69.Dr. Krager joined the Health Department in 1965 as assistant health officer, director of the Bureau of Preventive Services and chief of the Division of School Health.Since 1991 he had been deputy director of the Health Department. He was acting health officer from late 1994 -- when Dr. Margaret L. Sherrard retired as director -- until August, when Dr. Michelle A. Leverett was appointed to the position.

The memory surfaces as Dr. Janet Neslen discusses her 40-year career in public health.It was a turning point in her life, but she was too young to know it. The event led her to pursue the study of medicine -- a field she's leaving after 15 years as the county's health officer.It happened in 1928 when she was a 3-year-old in Paterson, N.J. Her mother was holding her infant brother and slipped on ice. Neslen remembers blood and a bone protruding from her mother's leg."As I grew up that kept haunting me, and I kept going back to it," said Neslen, who retired Oct. 1. "And in my own mind I see very FTC clearly that's when I wanted to become a doctor.

Carroll health officials are asking local merchants to request photo identification cards from anyone claiming to represent the Health Department, after reports that a woman misrepresented herself to local food establishments as a department employee.Merchants at Cranberry Mall in Westminster informed the health department that a woman visited food establishments there on Dec. 15, requesting discounts because of her position with the Health Department, said the acting county health officer, Larry L. Leitch.

Teen-age smoking continues to increase despite prevention programs, so the county health department is trying something new.The department is distributing "Quit Kits" through schools, youth groups and at tables at local malls. It also is sending education materials to local merchants that include posters and stickers saying that the store won't sell to minors, information on identifying minors and a list of state tobacco laws.Ending teen-age smoking "has been a community-wide concern where even retailers are hungry for information," Frances B. Phillips, county health officer, said yesterday as she introduced the initiatives, part of the county's "Learn to Live" program.

In an unusual joint political action, the governor and governor-elect are expected to name Dr. Martin P. Wasserman, the Prince George's County health officer, as the new state health secretary on Monday.Dr. Wasserman, a physician and lawyer, has been a leader in the fight against smoking. He will be the first major appointment for Gov.-elect Parris N. Glendening.Mr. Glendening and a spokesman for Gov. William Donald Schaefer declined to comment, but sources confirmed the appointment yesterday.

When Michelle McCoy attended River Hill High School, she went to a tanning salon every other week in winter. Then she noticed moles on her hip and arm. Now 21 and a student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, McCoy covers up in the sun, uses sunblock and worries about skin cancer. "I have a cousin who got skin cancer," McCoy said. She attended the news conference held by County Executive Ken Ulman and health officer Dr. Peter L. Beilenson on Tuesday to support their effort to make Howard the first county in Maryland to bar indoor tanning for anyone younger than 18. "Minors don't know what's good for them," she said, noting that she had once stayed in a tanning bed for 18 minutes and been burned.

Howard County's highly praised attempt to provide low-cost, preventive medical care for uninsured residents is off to a slower than expected start. Only about 200 people have joined since enrollment in Healthy Howard began last Oct. 1, county health officer Dr. Peter L. Beilenson said, falling short of the admittedly ambitious goal he set of signing up 2,000 members in the program's first year. "Enrollment is not where I hoped it would be," Beilenson admitted under critical questioning at a recent county council budget hearing.

Anne Arundel County health officials have obtained money for an innovative electronic application system for enrolling some residents in health and social services programs. The system, designed to simplify what can be a complex and tedious paperwork process, will be used in the county to enroll uninsured residents in a program in which 600 county physicians offer their services free to about 1,600 residents, according to the county's health officer, Frances B. Phillips. A state grant for the computer-based system has been approved.

Inspired by Howard County's success in finding uninsured children eligible for federal health coverage, state officials are launching a search of their own. Health officials are preparing to mail notices to tens of thousands of people across Maryland whose family members might be eligible for a federal program that provides access to affordable health care. A bill approved this month by the General Assembly directs the comptroller's office to review state tax information to determine who might be eligible and then notify the families.

Frederick County Human remains found in woods Human skeletal remains were discovered Friday on a wooded property near Emmitsburg in Frederick County, according to local law enforcement officials. A real estate professional found the remains while surveying a property at St. Anthony's and Hemler roads and called 911. The remains appear to have been at the location for a long time, according to criminal investigators with the Frederick County Sheriff's Department. The sex and age of the deceased is unknown, as is the cause of death.

The Harford County Council has appointed Susan Kelly acting health officer and Dr. Yngvild Olsen as deputy health officer, effective Jan. 3. Kelly, a longtime department employee, had been deputy to Dr. Andrew Bernstein, who resigned this month amid a dispute over proposed cuts in the department's budget. County officials said they are likely to take a few months to hire Bernstein's replacement. "I feel confident with Ms. Kelly at the helm," said Billy Boniface, the council president.

Less than two months after presenting an ambitious program to expand mental health and substance abuse recovery programs, Harford County's health officer has resigned, reportedly stressing his disappointment with nearly $2 million in cuts to his agency's budget. In a letter to the County Council, which has not been made public, Dr. Andrew Bernstein expressed concerns with the state funding cuts, as well as the county's inability to make up the difference, officials said. Bernstein, whose department is funded through the state and county resources, left the county's employ, effective Jan. 2, and has not been available for comment.

Facing cuts, health officer in Harford resigns Faced with nearly $2 million in cuts to his agency's budget, Dr. Andrew Bernstein, Harford County's health officer, has resigned. The resignation, made public at Tuesday's Harford County Council meeting, takes effect immediately. Billy Boniface, council president, said Bernstein timed his departure to draw attention to the impact the decreased revenue will have on health programs. "He is greatly concerned with the state cuts made during the special session," Boniface said.

In an initiative likely to be closely watched in Maryland and across the nation, Howard County is preparing to launch a program aimed at providing low-cost access to care to an estimated 20,000 county residents who are uninsured. County officials say their plan might be a model for other communities seeking to provide a health care safety net to low-income residents at a time of significant national concern about the availability of affordable health care. The plan is to begin operating July 1, with a goal of enrolling around 2,000 adults.

Citing arsenic levels that are 60 times higher than normal, Howard County's top health official called yesterday for mandatory comprehensive testing of land at the Turf Valley planned community in Ellicott City, where the owner has been trying for two decades to add more than 1,000 homes. Health Officer Peter L. Beilenson said he ended negotiations with Turf Valley over voluntary ground testing for the project after learning last week of tests done two years ago that found a high arsenic level on the property.