The Elkhart County Health Department began in 1949. The first staff included a part-time Health Commissioner, Public Health Nurses who visited schools and homes, Sanitarians who inspected restaurants and dairy farms, plus Vital Record Clerks who kept birth and death records. Today, the department comprises over 100 people, including 70 full-time employees, working in five divisions. The Health Department offers services to all county residents with a vision of “Healthy Lives, Healthy Communities.”