When Pennsylvania counties like Delaware County opt to have their own health departments, local residents benefit, according to a study by epidemiologist Becky Dawson and other researchers.
The study shows counties with health departments tend to have more primary care doctors, more vaccinated residents, and lower infant mortality rates, writes Alan Yu for WHYY.
“When we do public health the way that public health is supposed to be done at the local level, we actually do see a huge impact,” Dawson said.
In 2022, Delaware County became the first county in Pennsylvania to open a health department in more than 35 years.
“It really is a huge success story in the fact that we were able to build this without a lot of money coming directly from the county,” said Rosemarie Halt, chair of the county’s board of health.
Since then, Delaware County has been able to better address chronic diseases, mental health, and maternal and infant care.
It worked with local school districts to vaccinate children who were missing mandated vaccines.
It set up kiosks so residents could buy flu and COVID-19 tests, first aid kits and feminine hygiene products.
Find out more about the impact of local health departments at WHYY.
