The Tompkins County Health Department is responsible for the provision of public health services to residents of Tompkins County. Public health services include family and social hygiene, maternal and child welfare, infectious disease control, food inspection, regulatory enforcement, and education. The mission of the Health Department is "To promote a high quality of life in Tompkins County by promoting behaviors that support wellness and minimizing risk factors that lead to illness."
Their service areas include:
Services - include food protection, water protection, and regulation enforcement.
Education - includes public lectures on topics such as nutrition, communicable diseases, and behavioral health.
The Health Department offers a wide variety of services and programs to its residents; the following are examples of some of these services. The Tompkins County Health Department encourages immunizations by offering vaccination clinics throughout the County. The clinic can be visited at any time during operating hours. Each day, they offer flu shots and seasonal flu vaccine clinics, which occur throughout the year. In addition to vaccination clinics, the health department provides free vaccination information at every community health education event. The events include both public and school-based events, usually occurring near holidays or seasons such as Christmastime, springtime, or summertime.
How is the Tompkins County Health Department federally funded?
The United States government distributes funding to states, counties, and cities as part of its annual budget. The money is given based on a formula that takes into account several factors, including population and poverty rates. All counties have a health department. Because the Tompkins County Health Department is such a small agency, it relies on the New York State budget process to distribute funding. Each year in June, the state releases its proposed budget for the coming year. Legislators then consider which portions of this proposal to include in their final budget for that year. If it passes, this "enacted" budget becomes law when the governor signs it in July or August.
How does the Tompkins County Health Department make decisions about health issues?
To make decisions, the health department relies on the leadership of a board of commissioners. The board consists of five county residents and one resident from outside the county chosen by each party. Commissioners are chosen and appointed annually by the Tompkins County Legislature at its mid-year session. The local government also appoints a commissioner as its representative to the state for health services. All Board members must meet certain educational, legal, and physical qualifications that are explained in their job descriptions before they can be appointed to their positions.
How do Tompkins County residents get help with a health issue?
The health department handles most of the basic healthcare needs of Tompkins County residents. The department provides free immunizations to many children in kindergarten through third grade, free flu shots to adults over the age of 65, and several other services as well. As an example, in addition to its regular operations and local clinics, the county offers a Planned Parenthood Health Center. It also provides many medical supplies that are not available from any other provider such as medications for diabetes and asthma.
How does the Tompkins County Health Department work with other agencies?
Because of its small size, the county health department relies on several other agencies to assist in meeting certain needs. This allows the department to provide a broader range of services to residents than it could carry out alone. For example, in addition to food inspection and regulation enforcement, the health department also provides a number of educational programs for children and adults
Conclusion
The Health Department is the one place in Tompkins County where people go for many of their health needs. They may go to the department for personal care, such as free flu shots or to fill a prescription, or they may go there to receive a form of food inspection and regulation enforcement service. The Health Department operates primarily under New York State law and is regulated by the New York State Department of Health.
Every county has its own unique set of health issues and needs, so they are all organized differently. Some counties have several separate small departments but others have large county-wide departments that include many different divisions and services.
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