Hudson Regional
Health Commission

The mission of the Hudson Regional Health Commission is to protect the air, water, and land resources of Hudson County, and to ensure the health, safety, and quality of life of the county’s inhabitants.

The Commission was formed in order to obtain critical public health functions on a cost-efficient regional basis. Municipal membership in the Commission is governed by the Joint Agreement of all twelve municipalities in the county. Each member municipality is represented on the Board of Commissioners. The Commission also contracts with the County of Hudson for the provision of environmental and public health-related services county-wide.

Originally established in 1971 to conduct a local Air Pollution Control Program pursuant to Section 105 of the Clean Air Act, the Commission’s role expanded in 1986 when it was designated by the County of Hudson and delegated authority by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to administer environmental control programs under the County Environmental Health Act. These programs include air, noise, and water pollution control; hazardous materials emergency response; solid waste management; and pesticide control. In addition, the Commission is designated as the lead agency for administration of the New Jersey Worker and Community Right to Know Act in Hudson County.

Since the late 1980’s, through its Childhood Lead Exposure Prevention Program, the Commission has been conducting environmental investigations to identify lead hazards for cases of children with elevated blood lead levels (above the blood lead reference value). This includes assessment of the lead content in paint and consumer products using an X-ray fluorescence analyzer, and assessment of the lead content in dust within the child’s residence through laboratory analysis.

The Commission’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program was formed in 2003, in the wake of 9/11, to provide strategic leadership and coordination to respond to public health threats and emergencies. This involves coordinating mass prophylaxis (distribution of medical countermeasures to the public in the event of potential public health emergency, whether stemming from a naturally-occurring emerging disease, or a terrorist attack with a biological, chemical or radiological/nuclear material), operating the Local Information Network Communications System (LINCS, a network providing timely public health alerts to more than 5000 county partners), and training the Medical Reserve Corp (MRC, a group of approximately 200 volunteers to assist in an emergency). The Commission also runs a Vaccine Program providing free or low-cost vaccines for eligible uninsured or underinsured residents.

Since 2005 the Commission has operated the Mosquito and Vector Control Program for Hudson County. The goals of the program are to protect the population of Hudson County from mosquito-borne diseases and minimize the negative impact of nuisance mosquitoes on outdoor activities. Hudson Regional employs integrated mosquito management principles to provide a comprehensive, science-based program that is operationally effective, environmentally sensitive, and fiscally responsible. Our team conducts adult and larval mosquito surveillance and control, responds to public service requests and tests mosquitoes for diseases such as West Nile virus, Eastern equine encephalitis, and St. Louis encephalitis. Mosquitoes are controlled through a variety of chemical and non-chemical means such as habitat elimination and biological control with mosquito-eating fish. In addition to mosquitoes, we also conduct tick surveys around Hudson County to monitor species composition and distribution, population levels, and diseases such as Rickettsia and Ehrlichiosis. Our laboratory supports these efforts by conducting efficacy testing of new insecticides and repellants, improving mosquito trap design, and other research projects often in cooperation with several universities. We maintain an airspray contract for treating large areas of marsh quickly but we also operate our own fleet of unmanned aircraft for mosquito surveillance and targeted control efforts. During the winter months, our crews collect illegally dumped tires and hand-clear ditches and streams to reduce future breeding sites.