To begin my new term in the Onondaga County Legislature, I have been appointed to serve on three standing committees: Health, Environmental Protection and Planning & Economic Development. I have been asked to serve as Chairman of the Health committee and will serve as a member of Environmental Protection and Planning & Economic Development. I have had several meetings with the Health Commissioner, Dr. Indu Gupta, and attended Health Advisory Council meetings to learn from our health care providers what challenges they are facing. I have visited and toured Upstate and Crouse Hospitals so that I can get a better understanding about the public health policies we set and how they affect our community partners.
Onondaga County’s Health Department is broken down in to various divisions: Community Health, Disease Control, Environmental Health, Forensic Laboratories, Healthy Families and the Medical Examiner’s Office. Within each of these divisions are several programs and services. For 2018, the budget for the Onondaga County Health Department is a little more than $80 million. The local share, which is funded largely out of sales tax revenues and property taxes, is $34 million, making public health one of the most expensive services we provide. A great deal of the programs and services Onondaga County provides are mandated by New York state or the federal government. However, there are services Onondaga County chooses to provide which are regionally driven — for example, vector control/mosquito surveillance. This is an area that isn’t mandated by the state, but is very important to the residents of the greater Cicero area that deal with our mosquito problem every year.
The county health department employs more than 250 people to achieve its mission to protect and improve the health of all Onondaga County residents. Our county employees work directly with our community partners to promote the physical, social and emotional well-being of our residents. For more information on the vast programs and services the Onondaga County Health Department offers, please visit their website at ongov.net/health.
Tim Burtis represents the Third Legislative District, which includes the town of Cicero and portions of the town of Manlius. Tim welcomes constituent feedback; he can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at (315) 396-3300.
