New Health Department office provides resources to Key Peninsula community

The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department is extending its services to accommodate Key Peninsula residents by offering office hours two days a week in the Key Peninsula Community Council office.

This expanded service came at the request from the community and as a way to provide services for those in the community with limited travel resources, said Frank DiBiase, division director of Environmental Health for the department.

“There’s been a direct request more than once from folks in the community to have a presence out in the community,” he explained. “The community was willing to contribute resources to make it happen.”

The Key Peninsula Community Council office is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday to Friday and the Health Department will have office hours 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The office will primarily provide resources and information on permitting, including septic systems and building, and information on water quality and water systems, at the request of community members, DiBiase said.

“We do quite a bit of work on the Key Peninsula related to water quality in the Puget Sound,” he said.

This water quality monitoring is to help keep groundwater clear for local commercial shellfish companies and so the Puget Sound waters stay clean and safe for recreation.

Another reason for the office extension within the community is the public health concerns identified within the Key Peninsula, such as obesity rates and tobacco use.

“We know that the community out there relative to other areas of Pierce County have some more significant public health-related challenges,” DiBiase said. “From a public health perspective it makes sense for us to be out there.”

He added that the office is looking to engage the community to positively change these poor health standards by offering resources and information.

The office can be reached at (253) 432-4948 and is located at the Key Center Corral, 9013 Key Peninsula Highway North in Lakebay.

This story was originally published March 23, 2017 at 10:31 AM with the headline "New Health Department office provides resources to Key Peninsula community."