Photos: The Chatham County Detention Center (left) and Chatham Hospital are two examples of institutions Chatham County Environmental Health inspects.

Institutions include hospitals, nursing homes, adult care homes, residential care facilities, adult daycares, and local confinements. Other agencies permit these facilities, but Environmental Health Specialists conduct routine sanitation inspections of institutions. Hospitals, Nursing Homes, and Adult Care Homes are inspected by an EHS once every 6 months. The scoring systems for these institutions are based on a letter and number grading system. Establishments that receive 90 to 100 are awarded an A, 80 to 89.5 are awarded a B, and 70 to 79.5 are awarded a C. Any facility receiving less than a number grade of 70 is reported to the licensing agency within 24 hours.

Local Confinements are any county or municipal confinement facility, local lockup, regional or district confinement facility, any detention facility for children or adults, any county or municipal workhouse or house of correction, and any other confinement facility operated by any local government for confinement of person awaiting trial or sentences. These facilities are inspected once per year. The grading system is on a demerit system. A facility is approved if it receives a demerit score of 20 or less and no 6-demerit item is deducted. It is provisional if it receives 21 to 40 demerits or has a 6-demerit deduction, and a facility may only remain on a provisional status for no more than 7 days. A disapproval is issued if the demerit score is greater than 40, the conditions found are dangerous to the health of the persons confined, or if the conditions resulting in the provisional classification have not been corrected within the specified period.

Current inspection reports can be found: Chatham County Sanitation Scores

For questions, contact: Barry Oldham at 919-545-8479

 The Environmental Health Division can be reached from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at (919) 542-8208.