Fewer than 40 homeowners are eligible for exemption from the Lakeland Regional Sewer District, the Kosciusko County Board of Health heard Wednesday. The county health department is working with the sewer district to determine eligibility for exemption from system hookup. Neal Brown, deputy administrator and environmental scientist with the department, has finished making site visits to lakeside homes. About 37 homeowners are eligible for exemption out of 150 who applied, the board heard. These homeowners could be exempt from the sewer system for up to 20 years. Also during the meeting, Health Officer Dr. Bill Remington reported on the accreditation process. He said he sees it as inevitable that the county will have to go through the process to keep up with a nationwide push, but recommended waiting until after the state health department goes through accreditation. He said he hopes that funding would be more accessible after the state is accredited. Application for accreditation would cost the county about $21,000. Remington also provided the board information on the county Well Child Clinic showing a drop in clients from 2011. There were 281 total visits to the clinic this year, 149 of them new clients, down from 332 total visits last year. The percent of those on Medicare rose slightly, from 55 percent to 57 percent, while those without insurance also rose two percentage points to 31 percent. Among respondents to a survey of clinic clients, 40 percent said they chose the Well Child Clinic because of no expense – seven percentage points higher than last year. And Administrator Bob Weaver reported that progress continues toward Medicaid reimbursement for the county clinic. He said the goal of reimbursement is for the clinic at the K21 Health Pavilion to become self-sufficient.
