Integrated Pest Management


Our Regional Medical Center used a pair of four-legged friends to help control weeds and other highly flammable brush on the center's 13.5-acre campus. The idea for the goats stemmed from a move two years ago by the Board of Supervisors that limited the use of pesticides in county operations.

Contra Costa Health Services has hired a nationally recognized expert to help implement the County's Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Policy as part of ongoing efforts to reduce the use of toxic chemicals. Tanya Drlik is known for her extensive work in IPM, an environmentally friendly strategy that focuses on long-term prevention of pests and their damage. IPM uses methods such as sanitation, pest exclusion, mechanical controls (e.g. mouse traps and mowing weeds) and habitat manipulation to effectively manage pests.

Our Public and Environmental Health Advisory Board (PEHAB) initiated the IPM effort in 2001 with a study presented to the Board of Supervisors on the harmful effects of pesticides. PEHAB has continually advocated for IPM, resulting in the adoption of the IPM policy by the Supervisors, the formation of the County's IPM Task Force and the creation of an IPM Coordinator position.

- 2009 Annual IPM Report to the County Transportation, Water, and Infrastructure Committee (PDF)

For information on IPM, contact Tanya Drlik at tdrlik@hsd.cccounty.us or 925-335-3214, or for PEHAB, visit the PEHAB website.