Hopewell Township is excited to welcome Gary Dorsi as our new health officer.
The Health Department is dedicated to promoting and safeguarding the safety and well-being of the community. To fulfill its mission and commitment to public safety, the department focuses on a wide range of health surveillance activities. They comprise public health nursing and education, social support and outreach, environmental protection, animal control and vital statistics.
The health department’s role also extends to ensuring the safety of the food served in restaurants, the quality of drinking water, cleanliness of swimming pool water, and safety of day camps, schools, day cares, and nursing homes, just to name a few.
Gary Dorsi brings a wealth of experience in public health and a strong dedication to promoting community well being. He describes this vision for the Hopewell Health Department as follows:
“Looking ahead, beyond the Covid-19 pandemic, I see an opportunity for us to glean valuable insights from our experiences. This is a moment to refocus our efforts on community well-being and shape the future of public health. Through enforcement, prevention, health education, and support from existing programs and partnerships, our goal is to address health inequities amongst our residents to create a healthy, thriving community.”
Currently, the Hopewell Township Health Department is responsible for ensuring the health of the entire Hopewell Valley, including Hopewell Borough and Pennington Borough, after the Township Committee entered into shared services agreements with both Boroughs in April of 2023, and providing health services and animal control. This saves taxpayer money while allowing us to elevate the services available through the Health Department.
The Health Department has many areas of responsibility.
For safe drinking water and wastewater, it provides guidance on maintaining private septic systems and wells as well as for public water systems. The Registered Environmental Health Specialists conduct regular inspections, including those related to real estate transactions. These inspections include tests for per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS levels according to local standards and the NJ Private Well Testing Act.
The department also offers information and recommendations for properly maintaining water treatment devices and conducting annual water testing for pH, nitrate levels, and bacterial contamination to ensure water safety.
On the public water side, the Hopewell Valley is served by multiple public water systems, and the health department organizes educational forums and Q&A sessions to ensure tap water is safe to drink. Water quality testing and reports are accessible on the township website.
The department has also collaborated with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to organize presentations raising awareness of PFAS and addressing related concerns.
The health department has additional key responsibilities, including preventing communicable diseases, providing guidance, and investigating sources of community outbreaks. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Department and all staff members worked hard and collaborated with community partners and key agencies to provide accurate information, and it organized multiple vaccine clinics for all ages.
Additionally, the Health Department routinely conducts health care screenings and flu vaccine clinics. Recently, it organized Shingles vaccine clinics, with more than one hundred people receiving their vaccine. As part of adult health services, the department offers free blood pressure screenings and runs Project Healthy Bones to prevent osteoporosis and related risks. Numerous resources and educational materials are available to promote an active and healthy lifestyle and to manage tobacco and alcohol addictions.
The department also secured a grant and has been offering in-house radon testing kits to limit exposure to harmful gases as well as water testing kits to monitor well water. Additionally, the Office of the Registrar of Vital Statistics manages the accurate permanent records and the issuing of birth, death, and marriage certificates.
Concerning animal control efforts, the department conducts free rabies vaccination clinics several times a year throughout Hopewell Valley. Additionally, a door-to-door campaign is conducted to ensure pets are registered and properly vaccinated.
Finally, local health departments collaborate with emergency management and other local officials to proactively build a plan to respond to natural disasters, novel disease outbreaks, and bioterrorism threats that may significantly impact the local community.
Hopewell Township is fortunate to have community members serving on the Board of Health Advisory Committee and engaging in active discussions to further our mission. They include a doctor, a veterinarian, representatives from the local food service community, and more. I would like to recognize the time commitment of all volunteers and appreciate them sharing their expertise to strengthen community bonds.
The Hopewell Township Committee members and I admire the dedication of the entire staff who are on the front lines to fulfill the responsibility of protecting the community. We welcome Dorsi and look forward to seeing him implement his vision for a safe and healthy Hopewell Valley.
Uma Parandare is the deputy mayor of Hopewell Township, which provided this content.
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