Under N.J.A.C. Title 26 section 8:52 Public Health Practice Standards, every community in New Jersey must be served by a governmental public health entity to assure deliverance of essential public health services for the protection and promotion of wellness.  The Park Ridge Board of Health is the autonomous policy-making board mandated under this section.  Members are appointed by the Mayor and Council. The Board consists of seven regular members and two alternates.  The Board is responsible for the development of public health policies in accordance with state policies and in response to current health risks. The Board of Health meets regularly on the third Thursday of the month, under the Sunshine Law, as an open public meeting. The public is encouraged to attend.

A board of health is not a health department. Provision of mandated public health services is through a contract with a health department under the administrative direction of a licensed health officer. The contracting agency is responsible for providing essential services such as:

• Enforcement of laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety
• Provision of communicable disease control
• Investigation of health hazards
• Informing and educating the community

A bit of history 

Every community in New Jersey must be served by a governmental public health agency working in partnership with the community to assure health safety and health promotion.  This has been a long-established mandate.  Maintaining vital records dates back to colonial times.  Small pox outbreaks conferred the authority to quarantine; the emergence of new understandings of how food-related, respiratory outbreaks and animal/mosquito transmissions, occur initiated safety and communicable disease control regulations.  Governmental public health practices moved forward with immunizations and continues to advance with new technologies and the inclusion of social science insights.