Established under a special act of the state legislature in 1926, the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment provides public health and environmental services to more than 15 towns in Barnstable, Mass. BCDHE offers a wide range of programs, such as public health administration, environmental health, water quality testing laboratory, public health nursing, community septic loan and cape cod regional tobacco control program and cape and islands lyme disease prevention project. Open Monday through Friday, the department also offers standard turnaround of two weeks and also provides rush services. It is certified to test drinking water, bathing beaches, groundwater and wastewater. BCDHE performs all analyses in conformance with testing methods required by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and American Public Health Association standard methods.