The Tioga County Legislature proclaimed the week of April 4 – 10, 2022 as Public Health Week in Tioga County. This corresponds with National Public Health Week, which provides an opportunity for Tioga County residents to learn about public health concerns and success stories that are vital to healthy communities such as immunizing against infectious disease, providing services for children with developmental delays, ensuring safe living conditions, enforcing environmental health regulations, providing dental services to underserved families, and preventing lead poisoning.
The people of Tioga County benefit every day from the efforts of the public health workforce when eating at restaurants, drinking tap water, and learning about prevention of diseases. Public health activities protect from infectious and chronic diseases, environmental and workplace hazards, unintentional injuries, and violence.
Educating people about the benefits of healthy behaviors is an essential element in attaining good health and preventing premature illness and death. Public health efforts alone cannot accomplish the goal of a healthier Tioga County without cooperation and partnership with communities and individuals. Each of us needs to do our part by taking personal responsibility to improve behaviors by following public health recommendations: having an established primary care provider, abstaining from tobacco use, prioritizing sleep, staying up-to-date on vaccinations, making time for regular, safe physical activity, and eating more fruits and vegetables in order to prevent disease.
The importance of public health has stood out throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Public Health workers have worked diligently to minimize the burden of disease throughout the pandemic through community outreach, collaboration with community partners, contact tracing, issuing isolation and quarantine orders, and holding COVID-19 vaccination and booster clinics. We continue to monitor the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in our county, regionally, and statewide so that we are prepared to act should we see an increase in severe illness in cases that require hospitalization.
For COVID-19 resources, including New York State Data, Vaccination Locations, Testing Sites and more, visit our website at ph.tiogacountyny.gov.
Check out the Tioga County Public Health Facebook Page to meet members of our team and to learn more about the programs that we offer!
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