Nassau County Executive Laura Curran and Health Commissioner Dr. Lawrence Eisenstein.
L to R: NCDOH Model Practice award winner Michael Alarcon, Health Commissioner Dr. Lawrence Eisenstein, NCDOH Model Practice award winner Rosemarie Mosca and NCDOH Attorney and NACCHO Legal Workgroup Chair Gerard Giuliano.
NASSAU COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AWARDED NATIONAL HONOR, NAMED HEALTH DEPARTMENT OF THE YEAR
Mineola, NY – The Nassau County Department of Health (NCDOH) has been named “Local Health Department of the Year” for 2018 by the National Association of City and County Health Officials (NACCHO). The announcement was made at the NACCHO Annual Conference on July 11.
“It is with great honor that I congratulate the Department of Health staff for being national leaders in the field of public health,” said County Executive Curran. “This distinct recognition as LHD of the Year is evidence of the Department of Health’s commitment to developing responsive and innovative public health programs that improve, promote and protect the health and safety of the residents of Nassau County.”
As recipient of Health Department of the Year, NCDOH demonstrated the theme of this year’s award as a Chief Heath Strategist by successfully partnering with leaders of the county’s comprehensive healthcare infrastructure to ensure access to healthcare and improved preventive health services. NCDOH brought providers, hospitals, and community based organizations together to evaluate the needs of the residents, and together created a county-wide Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan. NCDOH is a founding member of the Long Island Health Collaborative, which has grown from a three-agency online database to a grant-funded health initiative with almost 100 agencies.
“This honor from NACCHO is a testament to the talented and dedicated staff at the Nassau County Department of Health who work tirelessly every day to protect and promote the health of all,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Lawrence Eisenstein.
A recognized national public health leader, NCDOH was concurrently awarded two 2018 NACCHO Model Practice awards: The Enhanced-Early Intervention Service Coordination: A Health Equity Initiative for Early Intervention, and The Environmental Health Air Quality Protection Program, as well as a Promising Practice award, Using Public Health Enforcement as an Instrument of Change: An Integrated Regulatory/Non-regulatory Approach. Since 2013 the Department has won 15 Model and Promising Practice Awards, which places NCDOH as the leading NACCHO award winner of all local health departments in New York State.
Although Nassau County rates as one of the healthiest counties in New York, NCDOH recognizes that disparities exist, and has implemented award-winning programs aimed at achieving health equity. Included in this was the creation of an Office of Minority Health Affairs, participation in the “Cribs for Kids” program, and a novel program which places Early Intervention Service Coordinators in WIC (Women, Infant Children) sites to screen siblings for developmental delays. NCDOH is also the grantee for the Long Island Ryan White HIV Service grant. NCDOH is unique in that it sends “Newborn Welcome Mailings” with pertinent newborn health information to the families of all the approximately 14,000 babies born in the county each year. A second mailing is sent around the child’s first birthday with additional age appropriate health information.
“Every one of these awards represents a service or innovation that NCDOH provides to our residents. While the awards are special, the professional, highest caliber daily work done by the staff at NCDOH to keep us among the healthiest counties in the nation is what I am most proud of,” said Dr. Eisenstein. “This includes but is not limited to disease investigation and control measures which ensure that transmissible diseases are controlled and limited. Environmental inspections and education ensures that food is safe to eat, water is safe to drink, and health risks are limited at camps, pools, gas stations, fairs, beaches, tattoo parlors, and in new residential dwellings among others. We endeavor to give our children every opportunity to thrive through our comprehensive Maternal Child Health program, and we remain prepared for any man-made or natural event that comes our way. The Department’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness unit leads a troop of almost 1,000 volunteer medical professionals in our Medical Reserve Corps who train for emergencies and serve our residents by providing on-site medical coverage for the Games for the Physically Challenged and the Long Island Marathon.”
About the National Association of County and City Health Officials
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) represents the nation’s nearly 3,000 local governmental health departments. These city, county, metropolitan, district, and tribal departments work every day to protect and promote health and well-being for all people in their communities.
For additional information about the Nassau County Department of Health, visit our website at www.nassaucountyny.gov/health.