marcellus shale.jpg

A drilling rig used to extract natural gas from the Marcellus Shale in Washington County, Pa.

(The Associated Press, file)

The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Monday announced changes in its process for handling health-related complaints related to Marcellus Shale drilling.



The changes come about two months after a StateImpact Pennsylvania report which said health department workers were ordered not to respond to calls from the public regarding possible health-related impacts from the drilling.



State health officials denied that the department handled complaints improperly.



Still, the department on Monday said it made changes including:

Providing information on how to file a complaint and reaching out to health-related entities, including doctors, who are likely to hear of environmental health concerns;



Making the environmental health section of the department's website easier to navigate;



Changing policy to better track and document correspondence between the department and people who express concerns;



Improving coordination and communication between the health department and the Department of Environmental Protection regarding complaints involving both agencies.



"The department's priority is to address the public's concerns, whether they are about environmental health in general or specifically related to Marcellus Shale drilling," Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Michael Wolf said in a news release. "I believe by implementing these straightforward changes, Pennsylvanians will be better informed about what the department does and how we can be of assistance."



However, a group of experts and advocates quickly called the actions "a step in the right direction" but also declared them insufficient. They said they will call for additional changes during a rally Tuesday at the Capitol.