The Westchester County Department of
Health today announced that the new hours for the Encephalitis Hotline this week. The new
hours, effective immediately, will be from 8:30 am - 4:30 pm. Residents who wish to
contact the Health Department regarding questions about West Nile-like encephalitis are
encouraged to call the hotline (285-2032) during these hours.
"The change in the Encephalitis Hotline hours is due to the fact that our call
volume is now approaching more manageable volume, now that the mosquito spraying has
concluded," stated Dr. Harold N. Adel, Commissioner of Health. "Since September
21st, when we initiated the Encephalitis Hotline, we have received nearly
18,000 phone calls. Our call volume is now down to several hundred per day."
The Health Department staff remain available 24 hours per day for public health
emergencies at the usual phone number, 813-5000. The Health Department responds to public
health emergencies such as sewage spills, oil or chemical spills, infectious disease
emergencies, rabies exposures, and other public health emergencies through the
813-5000 phone number. During daytime hours, staff answer this public health complaint line. After
hours, an emergency on-call administrator carries a beeper and arranges responses to
public health emergencies through the physician-on-call and through other health
department staff as necessary.
