news release
ANDREW J. SPANO, Westchester County Executive JOSHUA LIPSMAN, M.D., M.P.H., Commissioner of Health SUSAN TOLCHIN, Director of Communications

CONTACT: SUSAN TOLCHIN (914) 995-2932

MARY LANDRIGAN (914) 813-5013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 7, 2003

COUNTY EXECUTIVE SPANO TO LEAD AWARD CEREMONY AND 30-MINUTE POWER WALK MARKING NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY

Westchester County Executive Andy Spano will join Westchester County Board of Health member Dr. Harold Adel at a press conference on April 8, to begin National Public Health Week. The pair will be presenting the Distinguished Public Health Service Award to the creator of a successful school-based asthma management program in Yonkers.

“In addition to taking this opportunity to encourage Westchester residents to make healthy choices for themselves, National Public Health Week is also a good time to recognize the efforts of our public health professionals who work tirelessly to prevent illness by promoting healthful behaviors,” said County Executive Spano. "Thanks in great part to their daily efforts, the health and well-being of all our residents is enhanced," he said.

The Distinguished Public Health Service Award was established last year by the Board of Health to acknowledge the contributions made by individuals and organizations who promote public health in Westchester. This year's award goes to Jeff Byrne, Director of the Asthma Management Program at St. John's Riverside Hospital in Yonkers. In 1998, the first year of its operation, the School-Based Asthma Management Partnership program reduced by 80% the number of children in the Yonkers Public School System who were sent home or to a medical facility as a result of an asthma episode. By 2002, the program had been expanded to 226 schools in 38 school districts throughout Westchester and Putnam Counties and, last November, the New York State Department of Health adopted the program as a model for use in other school districts throughout

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the state. As the architect of this program, Jeff Byrne has helped improve the lives and academic performance of thousands of asthmatic children. Just as importantly, his program forged community partnerships that can only be beneficial to the cause of public health in Westchester.

County Executive Spano will also proclaim April 7 – April 13, 2003 National Public Health Week in Westchester County and invites county employees and the public to join him in a 30-minute “Power Walk” around White Plains to support the initiative.

"Public Health Week gives us the chance to emphasize the important role that public health plays in the overall health services system," stated Joshua Lipsman, M.D., M.P.H., Commissioner of Health for Westchester County. "Most of the improvements in life expectancy that have been achieved since the turn of the century are due to public health activities at the national, state and local levels," he said. "Public health has contributed to a decline in the rates of heart disease and stroke, infectious diseases, and environmental, occupational diseases and injuries. Public health also keeps our drinking water clean and our food supplies safe.”

In support of National Public Health Week, Spano reminds residents how vital public health is to our safety and well-being. “The Westchester County Department of Health provides a wide variety of public health services to preserve, protect and promote the health of all county residents,” said Spano. “Public health staff monitor and ensure the safety of the food we eat, the air we breathe and the water we drink. They work tirelessly to identify and address patterns of disease and illness in our communities. They teach prevention strategies and control the spread of vector-borne diseases such as West Nile Virus, Lyme Disease and rabies. They play a crucial role in monitoring and surveying conditions at the Indian Point facilities. I could go on all day citing the scope of important services that the Health Department provides on a daily basis,” he added.

County Executive Spano also urges residents to take advantage of county programs available through the Department of Health. They include services such as:

· Immunizations; HIV counseling and testing; tuberculosis screening and education; and clinics for family planning, pediatric dental care, and sexually transmitted diseases;

· Public health nurses who are available throughout the county to assist with nursing needs and therapy services;

· Low-cost mammograms and free breast examinations, as well as screenings for cervical cancer and colorectal cancer;

· Vouchers for free rabies immunizations to assist residents with having their dogs and cats vaccinated;

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· Nutrition services, which provide nutritious foods, advice and health care referrals to low-income women, infants and children up to the age of five;

· A storehouse of information on health matters available from the division of Health Education and Information;

· County tobacco cessation programs available through a variety of community-based organizations;

· Support for children with special needs through the Department's Early Intervention Program, Preschool Educational Advocacy Program, and a program for children with special health care needs.

For additional information about National Public Health Week or County Health Department services, residents can call (914) 813-5000, or visit the Department’s website at www.westchestergov.com/health.

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