Here at Barren River District Health Department we have a communicable disease team (CD team) that is a foundational part of Kentucky’s core public health services. This team works to monitor the occurrence of infectious diseases, develop strategies for preventing disease, and works to control the spread of disease within the community. CD team members provide consultations to the healthcare community, community partners, and the public for over 70 reportable diseases, which are required to be reported by Kentucky law. The CD team utilizes reports, investigations, and disease surveillance to identify cases and outbreaks; these tools are used to aid the CD team in the control of reportable diseases. 

The CD team also provides case management for individuals with active tuberculosis (TB) disease, which includes direct observed therapy and contact investigation. The CD team holds monthly TB clinics, provides management for latent TB infection, and assesses all recently immigrated individuals for TB disease from other counties; Dr. Douglas Thomas is our Chief TB Control Officer.