Daniel Ortiz, Environmental Health Director, and Diana Blue, Environmental Health Program Specialist, with the Cumberland County Department of Public Health are new members to the Lead and Healthy Homes Task Force. Daniel oversees two separate environmental health offices in Cumberland County and is involved in many committees inside and outside the Department. He chairs both the Cumberland County Safe Water Task Force and NC Well Contractors Certification Commission and is Vice-President of the Environmental Health section of NCPHA. In addition, he is an active member of the NC Environmental Health Supervisors Association and on the NC Registered Environmental Health Examiners Board. Daniel enjoys having the opportunity to help the community by providing guidance and educating the public as much as possible.
Diana is in charge of Cumberland County’s Childhood Lead program and childcare center and family childcare home inspections. She is also a member of the counties EPI team and a team leader in temporary food stand establishments and FDA program standards team. Recently, she became a member of the NC Mushroom Committee, a panel of NC Division of Public Health workers that provide guidance to restaurants about foraged wild mushrooms. In addition, Diana is program lead in the Cumberland County summer feeding program. Diana enjoys working for the Health Department because she has the opportunity to combine her Biology degree with her passion to work with the community. Overall, she loves working with children and making sure they are growing up in a safe environment.
Both Daniel and Diana expressed that the most exciting part of their job is that each day is a new adventure. This year the Cumberland County Health Department won a $350,000 five-year FDA grant for the implementation of FDA program standards. Cumberland County was the only county health department in the southeast United States to be awarded the prestigious grant award for quality improvement.