Public health consists of services that protect the community as a whole. These services are intended to improve our health through education, promotion of healthy lifestyles and research for disease and injury prevention. The Cayuga County Department of Health & Human Services - Health Division provides services that focus on disease and injury prevention. The departments include Community Health Services, the Division of Environmental Health, the Cayuga County Home Health Agency and Women, Infants and Children (WIC).
How does the health department protect our public water supply?
In order to minimize potential health hazards related to the quality and quantity of public water supplies, the Environmental Health Division works to ensure that all public water systems are in compliance with the NYS Sanitary Code. The division investigates reports of water-related illnesses, issues “boil water orders” and other advisories, provides information to the water suppliers regarding system security and emergency preparedness and provides technical assistance to water suppliers regarding water quality and water treatment. In addition, program staff assist water suppliers in creation of their Annual Water Quality Reports, conduct inspections of public water supplies and issues written reports, collects surveillance sampling of public water systems, responds to complaints and conducts investigations, provides information to the water suppliers regarding watershed and wellhead protection, approves water system operators, performs enforcement actions for violations of New York State Sanitary Code and reviews and approves plans for water system improvements or modifications.
How is our food protected?
The Environmental Health Division aims to prevent environmental illnesses related to food preparation and consumption. Permits are issued to all food service establishments in Cayuga County. Program staff perform inspections of food service facilities, provide plan review and approval for food service facilities, investigate food born illness outbreaks and investigate food service facility complaints. The division also provides public information and education concerning food safety, enforces the requirements of the New York State Sanitary Code as well as the New York State Clean Indoor Air Act and answers questions from the public regarding food protection in the home.
What about community environmental health?
The prevention of environmental illnesses and injuries to the public is the focus of the division's regulation of mobile home parks, children's camps, hotels, motels, campgrounds, agricultural fairgrounds, migrant labor camps, swimming pools and bathing beaches. Program staff review and accept plans for realty subdivisions, new sewage disposal systems or replacement or repair of existing sewage disposal systems, review inspection reports of sewage disposal systems and issue permits for all sewage disposal systems in Cayuga County. In addition, the division provides technical advice to private well owners, investigates public health nuisances, enforces the Clean Indoor Air Act and the Adolescent Tobacco Use Prevention Act and manages a residential lead program. In addition, program staff provide information to the public regarding West Nile Virus, indoor air issues, mold, radon and Lyme disease.
The Environmental Health Division manages a rabies prevention program in order to prevent the occurrence of rabies in humans and animals throughout the county. The division responds to reported animal bites and potential exposures, consults with medical personnel for follow-up treatment, submits suspected animal specimens to the New York State Laboratory in Albany for rabies analyses and monitors 10-day or confinement and six-month quarantine of domestic animals involved in human contact or contact with potentially rabid animals. The division also sponsors free rabies immunization clinics three times a year for dogs, cats and ferrets owned by county residents.
Who keeps track of the numbers?
The Cayuga County Department of Health conducts health monitoring to keep track of health trends and potential threats to community health. For example, the department maintains and updates a community health assessment referred to as a Community Report Card. This is a valuable tool because it helps to assist community planning and problem solving, helps the health department to gain a better understanding of how the public sees its community, is instrumental in determining where to target health education and is used for grant writing purposes. The Community Report Card can be found at: http://co.cayuga.ny.us/hhs/doh/reportcard/index.htm.
In what other ways is health promoted?
Your local Health Department encourages health promotion through educational material, workshops and preventive programs including:
€ Preventive Dentistry Program - School-based program providing preventive dental education, screening, sealants and parent notification and referral
€ Eat Well, Play Hard -Provides community education about the benefits of nutrition and exercise; geared toward educating children and their families
€ Public Health Education - Public health educators are available through the health department to provide general information about a broad range of health topics from AIDS to Zoster Virus
€ Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention - Works to reduce the prevalence of high lead levels in children (birth to 6 years old), puts on community education, tracks cases, offers lead testing to clients without a physician or medical insurance and offers case management of children identified with lead poisoning
€ The RAP (Reduce Adolescent Pregnancy) Coalition - A group of community organizations, schools, churches and individuals using several strategies to reduce adolescent pregnancy in Cayuga County; programs include: “Straight Talk,” parent/adult training, seminars for teens and preteens, and “Baby Think It Over#” (The health department is a member of the coalition)
€ WIC (Women, Infants and Children Supplemental Food Program) - Open to pregnant, lactating and post-partum women, infants (birth to 1 year) and children (1 to 5 years old); provides nutritional education and vouchers for supplemental food for those who meet eligibility guidelines; holds monthly clinics in Auburn, Cato and Moravia; offers farmers market coupons during summer months; provides breast-feeding support and electric pumps; to learn more, call 253-1406
How does the Health Department help people access health care?
The Cayuga County Department of Health sponsors and funds the following programs so everyone can get the health related care they need:
€ Healthy Men & Women Partnership - Offers breast and cervical cancer and colorectal cancer screening and prostate cancer education
€ Migrant Farm Worker Program (seasonal) - Provides and coordinates health and social services, as identified by needs assessment, to migrant populations in the county
€ Administration of NYS Early Intervention Program - Ensures that infants and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities and their families receive needed services, case management and individualized family service plans; offers screening and evaluation of cognitive, physical, communication, social and emotional abilities, and provides with self-help skill development (Any infant or child up to 2 years old with developmental delays or disabilities residing in Cayuga County is eligible for evaluation and potential services, which are voluntary, with no cost to families)
€ MOMS (Medicaid Obstetrical Maternal Service) - For pregnant women who are seeking medical care; provides pre and postpartum nursing and education on pregnancy, nutrition, labor, delivery, baby care, infant growth and development, breastfeeding, exercise and other topics for new mothers and infants along with assistance for finding a physician, accessing Medicaid, WIC and other programs; in addition, offers pregnancy testing, HIV education and pre/post-test counseling and screening for presumptive (Medicaid eligibility offered)
€ Certified Home Health Agency - Provides home care services, offers comprehensive assessment and education through home health visits to all age groups for patients who are under a physician's plan of treatment for which skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, phlebotomy, respiratory therapy, nutritional services, medical social work, home health aide and/or other therapeutic services have been prescribed
€ Long Term Home Health Care Program - Provides in-home services for people who are medically eligible for nursing home care; services include: nursing, therapy, aides, medical social services, nutrition services, respiratory services, as well as other Medicaid funded waiver services
Elane Daly is director of Health and Human Services for Cayuga County. She can be reached at 253-1560 or cchealth@dfa.state.ny.us
In order to minimize potential health hazards related to the quality and quantity of public water supplies, the Environmental Health Division works to ensure that all public water systems are in compliance with the NYS Sanitary Code. The division investigates reports of water-related illnesses, issues “boil water orders” and other advisories, provides information to the water suppliers regarding system security and emergency preparedness and provides technical assistance to water suppliers regarding water quality and water treatment. In addition, program staff assist water suppliers in creation of their Annual Water Quality Reports, conduct inspections of public water supplies and issues written reports, collects surveillance sampling of public water systems, responds to complaints and conducts investigations, provides information to the water suppliers regarding watershed and wellhead protection, approves water system operators, performs enforcement actions for violations of New York State Sanitary Code and reviews and approves plans for water system improvements or modifications.
How is our food protected?
The Environmental Health Division aims to prevent environmental illnesses related to food preparation and consumption. Permits are issued to all food service establishments in Cayuga County. Program staff perform inspections of food service facilities, provide plan review and approval for food service facilities, investigate food born illness outbreaks and investigate food service facility complaints. The division also provides public information and education concerning food safety, enforces the requirements of the New York State Sanitary Code as well as the New York State Clean Indoor Air Act and answers questions from the public regarding food protection in the home.
What about community environmental health?
The prevention of environmental illnesses and injuries to the public is the focus of the division's regulation of mobile home parks, children's camps, hotels, motels, campgrounds, agricultural fairgrounds, migrant labor camps, swimming pools and bathing beaches. Program staff review and accept plans for realty subdivisions, new sewage disposal systems or replacement or repair of existing sewage disposal systems, review inspection reports of sewage disposal systems and issue permits for all sewage disposal systems in Cayuga County. In addition, the division provides technical advice to private well owners, investigates public health nuisances, enforces the Clean Indoor Air Act and the Adolescent Tobacco Use Prevention Act and manages a residential lead program. In addition, program staff provide information to the public regarding West Nile Virus, indoor air issues, mold, radon and Lyme disease.
The Environmental Health Division manages a rabies prevention program in order to prevent the occurrence of rabies in humans and animals throughout the county. The division responds to reported animal bites and potential exposures, consults with medical personnel for follow-up treatment, submits suspected animal specimens to the New York State Laboratory in Albany for rabies analyses and monitors 10-day or confinement and six-month quarantine of domestic animals involved in human contact or contact with potentially rabid animals. The division also sponsors free rabies immunization clinics three times a year for dogs, cats and ferrets owned by county residents.
Who keeps track of the numbers?
The Cayuga County Department of Health conducts health monitoring to keep track of health trends and potential threats to community health. For example, the department maintains and updates a community health assessment referred to as a Community Report Card. This is a valuable tool because it helps to assist community planning and problem solving, helps the health department to gain a better understanding of how the public sees its community, is instrumental in determining where to target health education and is used for grant writing purposes. The Community Report Card can be found at: http://co.cayuga.ny.us/hhs/doh/reportcard/index.htm.
In what other ways is health promoted?
Your local Health Department encourages health promotion through educational material, workshops and preventive programs including:
€ Preventive Dentistry Program - School-based program providing preventive dental education, screening, sealants and parent notification and referral
€ Eat Well, Play Hard -Provides community education about the benefits of nutrition and exercise; geared toward educating children and their families
€ Public Health Education - Public health educators are available through the health department to provide general information about a broad range of health topics from AIDS to Zoster Virus
€ Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention - Works to reduce the prevalence of high lead levels in children (birth to 6 years old), puts on community education, tracks cases, offers lead testing to clients without a physician or medical insurance and offers case management of children identified with lead poisoning
€ The RAP (Reduce Adolescent Pregnancy) Coalition - A group of community organizations, schools, churches and individuals using several strategies to reduce adolescent pregnancy in Cayuga County; programs include: “Straight Talk,” parent/adult training, seminars for teens and preteens, and “Baby Think It Over#” (The health department is a member of the coalition)
€ WIC (Women, Infants and Children Supplemental Food Program) - Open to pregnant, lactating and post-partum women, infants (birth to 1 year) and children (1 to 5 years old); provides nutritional education and vouchers for supplemental food for those who meet eligibility guidelines; holds monthly clinics in Auburn, Cato and Moravia; offers farmers market coupons during summer months; provides breast-feeding support and electric pumps; to learn more, call 253-1406
How does the Health Department help people access health care?
The Cayuga County Department of Health sponsors and funds the following programs so everyone can get the health related care they need:
€ Healthy Men & Women Partnership - Offers breast and cervical cancer and colorectal cancer screening and prostate cancer education
€ Migrant Farm Worker Program (seasonal) - Provides and coordinates health and social services, as identified by needs assessment, to migrant populations in the county
€ Administration of NYS Early Intervention Program - Ensures that infants and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities and their families receive needed services, case management and individualized family service plans; offers screening and evaluation of cognitive, physical, communication, social and emotional abilities, and provides with self-help skill development (Any infant or child up to 2 years old with developmental delays or disabilities residing in Cayuga County is eligible for evaluation and potential services, which are voluntary, with no cost to families)
€ MOMS (Medicaid Obstetrical Maternal Service) - For pregnant women who are seeking medical care; provides pre and postpartum nursing and education on pregnancy, nutrition, labor, delivery, baby care, infant growth and development, breastfeeding, exercise and other topics for new mothers and infants along with assistance for finding a physician, accessing Medicaid, WIC and other programs; in addition, offers pregnancy testing, HIV education and pre/post-test counseling and screening for presumptive (Medicaid eligibility offered)
€ Certified Home Health Agency - Provides home care services, offers comprehensive assessment and education through home health visits to all age groups for patients who are under a physician's plan of treatment for which skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, phlebotomy, respiratory therapy, nutritional services, medical social work, home health aide and/or other therapeutic services have been prescribed
€ Long Term Home Health Care Program - Provides in-home services for people who are medically eligible for nursing home care; services include: nursing, therapy, aides, medical social services, nutrition services, respiratory services, as well as other Medicaid funded waiver services
Elane Daly is director of Health and Human Services for Cayuga County. She can be reached at 253-1560 or cchealth@dfa.state.ny.us
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