Immunization, family planning, nutrition, animal control, food sanitation, lead poisoning, rodent control and environmental services are also in the department's budget. While the Detroit Health Department has a national reputation for its comprehensive communicable disease control and reporting, there's a question about its effectiveness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported an outbreak of syphilis cases in Wayne County, among the highest in the nation. The state health department recently required Detroit to meet a number of criteria in 17 areas. Detroit came up short in four of them, which resulted in a provisional accreditation.
Primary care is another area deserving scrutiny.
Because Detroit found it difficult to attract qualified physicians, the department was forced to contract with private health systems to provide primary care. At Herman Keifer, only adult medical services are available. The Henry Ford system provides physicians to Herman Keifer. At Northeast, they are from the St. Johns system. The hospitals with contracts have difficulty getting paid for services.