Saratoga County officials have appointed Brian M. Miner of Halfmoon as the county’s first-ever director of environmental health at the county’s Department of Health.
Miner will help lead the county’s efforts in forming a Division of Environmental Services as the county’s Public Health Services department becomes a full-service local Department of Health.
Miner has more than 36 years of experience as a public health leader dedicated to protecting and improving the health of the community.
He was most recently director of the state Department of Health Bureau of Community Environmental Health and Food Protection where he oversaw multiple statewide environmental health programs. He has held many high-level public health positions at the state Department of Health in which he was responsible for developing regulations, policies, and procedures; planning and monitoring program effectiveness; measuring program performance; and providing guidance and reporting on a wide range of important public health initiatives and programs.
Miner holds a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental health with a minor in biology from SUNY Cortland.
Clifton Park Town Supervisor Phil Barrett, chair of the Public Health Advisory Task Force said, “As we work cooperatively with New York state to develop a Division of Environmental Health, we take a significant step forward by welcoming Brian Miner as Director of Environmental Services. Brian brings a wealth of experience in the public health field, which will be invaluable as we develop Saratoga County’s first environmental health program.”
Dr. Daniel Kuhles, Saratoga County Commissioner of Health said, “Having previously worked together with Brian for a decade at the NYSDOH, I know first-hand that his expertise and professionalism is unsurpassed, and it will ensure that the county’s Environmental Health programs are the best in the State.”
The Department of Health’s Division of Environmental Health will enforce the State Sanitary Code and regulate and/or operate the following programs: cooling towers for legionella, drinking water supplies, food service establishments and community sanitation, nuisance control, swimming pools and bathing beaches, temporary residences, mass gatherings and children’s camps, migrant farmworker housing, mobile home parks, ionizing radiation, realty subdivisions, lead poisoning prevention program, and individual water and sewage systems (e.g., wells and septic tanks).
Miner will be responsible for working with Dr. Kuhles to plan, direct, and supervise these programs and with the Board of Supervisors, Health Committee and Task Force to establish the Division of Environmental Services.
The county Board of Supervisors created its Public Health Advisory Task Force in 2021 to oversee the county’s transition from a partial health service county to a full-service local health department, as it is anticipated that the conversion will require significant planning and investment.
Officials said due to Saratoga County’s population increase, the county must assume responsibility for the provision of environmental health services from the state Department of Health as part of the department’s transition to a full-service local health department. Saratoga County is working directly with the state Department of Health during this transition process.