Delegations and Agreements. This section is the substance of this MOU. The agreements within each area are based upon the needs of programmatic staff and reflect a consensus of the staff in those areas. Details in this section give the document an operational level of specificity and, consequently, are its greatest strength.
Delegations and Agreements. XXXX and MDE agree to work with local environmental health directors and health officers to strengthen local environmental health in the State of Maryland. • DHMH and MDE will meet with the Maryland Conference of Local Environmental Health Directors on a regular basis to discuss programmatic development and issues of common interest. • DHMH and MDE agree to designate specific individuals or units as points of contact to assist with the following:
a. Facilitate communication between Local Environmental Health Authorities and the Departments.
b. Coordinate and provide technical assistance related to local environmental health as needed, including providing health-related data and analyses, as allowed by statutes, regulations, and policies that govern the confidentiality of health and other information.
c. Facilitate the review and approval of delegations and other agreements between Local Environmental Health Authorities and the Departments. DHMH, MDE, and Local Environmental Health Authorities agree that, whenever possible, standardization of delegations and agreements should guide the review and approval process. DHMH and MDE will provide updated written delegations and agreements to Local Environmental Health Authorities in a timely fashion when statutory or regulatory changes render the delegation agreement inadequate or incomplete. If delegated duties do not change, DHMH and MDE will, upon request of the delegated approving authority, provide written acknowledgement stating that existing delegations and agreements remain in effect.
d. Establish an inventory of current programs and develop evaluation criteria and mechanisms for those programs (conforming to Managing for Results methodologies).
e. Assist Local Environmental Health Authorities when appropriate in communicating with local and state elected officials.
f. Coordinate a unified approach to infrastructure maintenance and workforce development for environmental health at the state and local levels.
g. Provide consultation or technical assistance to Local Environmental Health Authorities regarding evidence-based and/or promising practices in the development of workforce capacity, training and education.
h. Assist in the development of training opportunities for the local environmental health workforce by establishing contacts with entities that promote the development of future environmental public health workers.
i. Assist in coordinating the development of environmental health-related legislatio...
Delegations and Agreements. Department of the Environment and Department of Health and Mental Hygiene with Local Environmental Health Authorities
a. For those areas that fall within MDE’s jurisdiction and that have been delegated to Local Environmental Health Authorities, MDE will interact directly with the Local Environmental Health Authority.
b. XXXX, MDE, and Local Environmental Health Authorities agree to share information and expertise to assist one another in their respective strategic planning processes and to work collaboratively to examine and address the relationships between environmental quality and public health outcomes. Parties agree to assist each other in the planning, development and implementation of environmental public health improvement plans.
c. DHMH, MDE, and Local Environmental Health Authorities will exchange current lists of contact persons and programs in areas of joint interest.
d. Where a Departmental contact is not otherwise assigned in this MOU, DHMH and MDE agree to establish a point of contact for the purpose of coordinating activities between the two Departments and facilitating communication with Local Environmental Health Authorities. At DHMH the preliminary point of contact is the Environmental Health Bureau. At MDE the preliminary point of contact is the Science Services Administration.
e. The EHLC will meet bimonthly to coordinate efforts between MDE, DHMH, and Local Environmental Health Authorities on a variety of environmental health issues to improve services to clients and their families and to work generally toward the goals and objectives of their respective programs.
f. DHMH, MDE, and Local Environmental Health Authorities agree to work in a collaborative effort to resolve issues in program areas where policy issues are of mutual interest and may impact the delivery of services. Generally, the EHLC is available to serve this purpose. At times it may be necessary to establish informal workgroups and, when needed, advisory committees to work on issues of mutual concern. These workgroups and committees may include other state and local agencies and members of the community, and will be established with the concurrent approval of both Departments.
g. Where responses to the news media and press releases involve aspects of operations at MDE, DHMH, and/or Local Environmental Health Authorities, the interested parties will fully discuss the issues and their ramifications prior to issuing a public statement. The Communications Officer in each age...
Delegations and Agreements. Department of the Environment with the DHMH Laboratories Administration Department of the Environment with Washington County Health Department Department of the Environment with Local Environmental Health Authorities
Delegations and Agreements. Department of the Environment with DHMH Laboratories Administration
Delegations and Agreements. For programs delegated to counties by MDE, MDE’s Water Management Administration will: • Set regulatory standards. • Provide training as resources are available in general, and in response to Local Environmental Health Authority requests or in response to regulatory changes. • Provide technical assistance. • Provide legal support for contested cases and enforcement concerning State regulations. • Develop statewide program policy. • Provide information on available capacity on water and wastewater facilities. • Provide a list of MDE contacts for referral of questions at headquarters and regional offices.
Delegations and Agreements. MDE and DHMH agree to work together to ensure that Maryland residents receive an optimal concentration of fluoride in their community drinking water. In furtherance of this goal, DHMH and MDE agree to meet annually to discuss and establish a framework for fluoridation activities in Maryland. • DHMH agrees to notify MDE when State funding is available for fluoride treatment systems in order to discuss potential candidates for the fiscal year. MDE agrees to contact water systems for potential interest in the addition of fluoridation equipment. • MDE and DHMH agree to provide information to public water systems that are considering the addition of fluoride treatment, and to assist in public meetings for the purpose of responding to the public’s concerns. • MDE agrees to provide fluoride data on public water systems to DHMH staff to use as background data for evaluating dental health in Maryland counties and to assist with periodic updates to the CDC on public water system fluoridation for Maryland. • MDE agrees to notify Local Environmental Health Authorities when there are changes in fluoridation practices in their jurisdiction. This includes, but is not limited to, the addition of fluoride to the drinking water, or the removal of fluoridation equipment by a community water system.
Delegations and Agreements. In programs delegated to counties by MDE, MDE’s Water Management Administration will: - Set regulatory standards. - Provide training as resources are available in general, and in response to Local Environmental Health Authority requests or in response to regulatory changes. - Provide technical assistance. - Provide legal support for contested cases and enforcement concerning State regulations. - Develop statewide program policy. - Provide information on available capacity on water and wastewater facilities. - Provide a list of MDE contacts for referral of questions at headquarters and regional offices. • Water Management Administration delegates the implementation of the following regulations:
x. XXXXX 26.04.02: “Sewage Disposal and Certain Water Systems for Homes and Other Establishments in the Counties of Maryland where a Public Sewage System is not Available” ii. COMAR 26.04.03: “Water Supply and Sewerage Systems in the Subdivision of Land in Maryland” iii. COMAR 26.04.05: “Shared Facilities” • The following agreements delegate authority to the Local Environmental Health Authorities
i. To administer and enforce certain sections of COMAR relating to septage management, such as inspecting and permitting septage vehicles, investigating complaints regarding local handling of septage, enforcement actions, and providing MDE with annual reports of all permits issued and/or denied.
ii. Septage Waste delegation agreements with the following local jurisdictions: Allegany County, Baltimore County, Xxxxxxx County, Xxxxxxxx County, Xxxxx County, Xxxxxxx County, Dorchester County, Xxxxxxxxx County, Xxxxxxx County, Xxxxxx County, Kent County, Xxxxxxxxxx County, Prince George’s County, Queen Anne’s County, St. Mary’s County, Talbot County, Washington County, Wicomico County, and Worcester County.
iii. Septage Complaints:
1. Septage complaints related to MDE permitted facilities are handled by MDE.
2. Local jurisdictions handle septage complaints not related to MDE permitted facilities.
iv. Vehicle Inspections: Septage waste MOUs delegate inspection of septage transporting vehicles to all counties. • The Laboratories Administration at DHMH agrees to provide laboratory services at no cost to Local Environmental Health Authorities to support the required wastewater quality testing of on-site sewage disposal systems under the above listed delegated programs. • The Laboratories Administration at DHMH agrees to assist a local jurisdiction with conducting laboratory tests. • ...
Delegations and Agreements. Department of the Environment with Local Environmental Health Authorities
x. XXXXX 26.08.09: “Public Bathing Beaches” • Local Environmental Health Authorities will:
i. Process permits, monitor water quality, provide public notification, and maintain and operate permitted beach(es) in accordance with COMAR 26.08.09.02 through 26.08.09.06.
ii. Monitor local beach(es) in accordance with COMAR 26.08.09.07.
iii. Issue notification when indicator organism density exceeds the recreational water quality standard or when there is a health hazard in accordance with 26.08.09.08, and promptly notify public and MDE of this notification.
iv. Maintain a list of all beaches in their jurisdiction and update MDE when there are changes to list or to monitoring priority (Tier) for each beach.
v. Perform a sanitary survey before opening a beach, and share survey information with MDE.
vi. Communicate with MDE when beach information is requested or to provide updates about status of beaches in their jurisdiction.
Delegations and Agreements. Department of the Environment with Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
i. Central and regional DHMH microbiology laboratories perform necessary water and shellstock analysis for bacteriological quality.
ii. DHMH lab activities must conform to NSSP requirements including maintenance of USFDA certification of labs and laboratory certification officers. • Information Exchange
i. Information shall be shared freely between MDE and DHMH concerning shellfish harvesting waters, relaying operations, and sample results, as needed, to respond to public inquiries and facilitate management of the shellfish program.
ii. MDE and DHMH will discuss matters relating to the shellfish program on an ongoing basis and will discuss their positions relating to NSSP issues prior to acting as Maryland's voting delegates at the annual NSSP meetings. • A formal MOU, required by the NSSP, exists among MDE, DHMH, and DNR. It defines State agency responsibilities for conducting the shellfish sanitation program. • MDE and Local Environmental Health Authorities will work together to ensure that sewage violations uncovered during shoreline surveys are corrected and no longer present a source of pollution to shellfish growing waters.
