The time is now for a county health department [column] | Local Voices

Yes, it’s time. We need a county health department, and we need it now.

Over the past few years, there’s been discussion of a county health department and the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners, with the exception of Commissioner Craig Lehman, have insisted it was not a necessary need or expense for our citizens. We disagree.

There are 67 counties in Pennsylvania and of the largest seven, all but Lancaster County and Delaware County have public health departments, and Delaware County is preparing to launch one.

Lancaster County, meanwhile, is the sixth-largest in population. It’s time we join the other large population centers in our state to support the health care of our citizens.

We have learned much from the current COVID-19 pandemic, and one important takeaway is that health care professionals must play a role in protecting the health and safety of citizens. Who do you want to treat your medical condition? A politician? Or a doctor? Health care professionals need to be in charge of making important medical decisions based on their medical expertise and using science to guide them.

We’ve had firsthand experience trying to make decisions without guidance from medical professionals. During this pandemic, we struggled with decisions on how to best protect the health and safety of our residents, our employees and our visitors. We had to decide when and how to reopen the public library. When our library staff went to the state for guidance, we were told to follow the lead of our local experts. But our county was offering no guidance, leaving it up to municipal leaders to make those decisions. In such a situation, we chose to err on the side of caution and open the library for contactless service, eventually reopening with limited capacities.

Another example in which we lacked guidance is the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in Lancaster County. Many issues likely had an impact on the nightmarish rollout, but the lack of communication with our residents was particularly bad. Our seniors — and others — continue to struggle to understand a disjointed system requiring them to access multiple websites online at different times. Having one point of contact/coordination would have greatly aided the situation, and a county health department should have played this role.

Our Manheim Township Board of Commissioners voted recently to unanimously approve Resolution 2021-21 supporting the creation of a county health department and calling on the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners to establish it.

We sent our resolution and letter requesting support to elected officials in 60 municipalities and 17 school districts in Lancaster County. Our county covers an area of 950 square miles and includes close to 550,000 residents. We need to be serviced by a countywide department of health that can make recommendations and evaluate medical concerns for our citizens.

A county health department could respond to and promote the needs of its local communities, including services and resources such as:

— Developing effective immunization programs.

— Tracking outbreaks and pockets of active diseases.

— Informing and communicating to officials and residents during health emergencies.

— Creating partnerships and engagement with stakeholders to improve community health.

— Examining environmental health concerns such as lead levels, water and air quality, and toxic substances and hazardous wastes.

— Developing and using data.

— Offering training and information to local governments.

For those concerned about the cost of developing a countywide health department, there is state funding available to help counties establish health departments, and grant funding for continuing operations. Cost should not be the driving factor behind this initiative.

Citizens who are uninsured with medical conditions that are not treated appropriately often require medical care in an emergency setting that is at a much higher cost than initial preventive care. In these situations, we all pay.

It’s time to let our county commissioners know that we expect them to work with a county health department to make thoughtful and strategic decisions about the health of our county’s residents. Our citizens’ health should be treated with respect, dignity and expertise.

We urge all residents to contact their elected municipal and county officials and ask for support for a Lancaster County health department that will be of benefit to all residents, school districts and municipalities throughout our county.

The Manheim Township Board of Commissioners: Tom O’Brien, president; Sam Mecum, vice president; Donna DiMeo, Barry Kauffman and Carol Gifford.