health department

More than 100 volunteers and staff practiced a mass emergency medical drill today in the Genesee Community College Forum.

Called "Anthrax in Autumn," the drill was designed by the state Health Department and is designed to test the county Health Department's ability to deal with an urgent health and welfare situation affecting a large population of people.

In this case, the hypothetical scenario involved terrorists getting access to the marketing mail distribution of a large financial institution and mass mailing anthrax to population centers in credit card solicitations. 

"There's a high likelihood that because anthrax has been used for a weapon before, it can be used again," said Kristine Voos, public information officer for the county Health Department.

While local officials knew a drill was coming, they were only provided with details of the scenario a week ago.

In a typical real-life situation, the county would expect to have 48 hours to set up the distribution center.

The federal government has numerous locations around the country where the antibiotics needed to treat anthrax are stored. Once a distribution of anthrax is detected, local officials begin to mobilize their resources and the feds deliver the antibiotics. 

Today, the drill was about anthrax, but many of the skills and routines necessary to set up the distribution center would be used in a variety of health emergency situations.

While many of the volunteer patients today were students, members of the community were invited to participate. Upon arrival, they were registered, screened and then taken to a nurse who dispensed the medication with instructions on how it's administered.

For drill purposes, patients could pick either M&Ms or Skittles as a substitute for the antibiotics.

They were then treated to a lunch of pizza.

The controversy that erupted two weeks ago over a health department demand that the Batavia Little League secure the proper permits to sell hots and pizza was actually years in the making, department officials told members of the County Legislature yesterday.

At the request of the Human Services Committee, Paul Pettit, Public Health director, and David Whitcroft, Environmental Health director, attended the committee's meeting at the Old Courthouse and answered legislators' questions.

The fee schedule for various permits issued by the department changed in 2003 and that made it mandatory for most of the area nonprofit groups that hold events and serve food to acquire health permits. 

It was sticky issue when nonprofits were exempt because it isn't always clear what qualifies as a nonprofit, or what events should get exempted, Whitcroft said.

"It was an ethical problem," Whitcroft said. "It was entirely subjective. Who determines who doesn't have to pay? There was no standard to decide and that gives a lot of power to individuals to decide who gets waivers. I wasn't comfortable with that power."

In 2013, the county's Public Health Committee learned that for some reason, youth baseball had been exempted from the permit requirement, and nobody really knew why that was or how that happened.

"It seemed unfair because if I'm playing with a bat and ball, I don't have to pay, but if I'm playing with a soccer ball, then I have to pay," Pettit said.

Most of those bat-and-ball organizations complied with the new rules once it applied to them, Whitcroft said, and in many cases, the department was able to work with organizations to help better determine which permit was appropriate to the situation, or how food operations might be changed to lower permit costs.

The rules can be "interpreted generously" when organizations are cooperative, Whitcroft said.

Whitcroft implied that Batavia Little League was less than cooperative, telling officials that they refused to comply. That left the county with no option but to require a permit level with a $175 price tag.

Now, the league is more cooperative and the department is working with league leaders on what could be a lower cost option.

Permit fees barely even cover the costs of field inspections of food services, Pettit said. The department is not looking to turn a profit on permits, just cover the direct costs of inspections, he said.

Every business, group or organization that serves prepared food (rather than pre-packaged food) is required to obtain some level of Health Department permit. It's not just a piece of paper, Pettit said. It serves as notice to the county that food service is taking place and triggers an automatic inspection of the food service. There is an inspection with each and every permit issued.

There are some exceptions to the permit requirement. Churches with kitchens that serve only their own members need only obtain a letter of permission. There are about 60 letters of permission on file in the county.

Outside groups that use church kitchens for fundraisers or other public meals are required to get a temporary health permit.

Bake sales involving anything that doesn't need to be refrigerated are not required to get a permit.

Your kid's lemonade stand, however, is required to have a health permit.

"It's required under New York State law and I should enforce it, but I never have," Whitcroft said.

In all, various permits issued by the Health Department generate about $90,000 in revenue annually. Less than $8,000 of that revenue comes from groups that could be considered nonprofits.

Batavia Little League has paid for a health permit, according to County Manager Jay Gsell.

Gsell said a VP with the league showed up at the County Health Department this morning and paid the fee, Gsell said.

The department had told league officials they couldn't sell pizza and hot dogs without a proper permit, which costs $175 per food stand.

Report from our news partner 13WHAM about the County Health Department requiring Batavia Little League to acquire a health permit to sell pizza and hot dogs.

Press release:

The Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming county health departments are encouraging residents to “Think Health.” Taking time to think about your health and taking positive health steps will lead to healthier outcomes. Learning something new every day is one way to “Think Health”…

Summer allows more time for children to play outdoors, but when kids are covered with bug bites after spending time outside, parents may start to worry about disease spread by mosquitos, such as West Nile Virus (WNV), or by ticks, such as Lyme disease. Luckily, parents can take simple steps to prevent bites and diseases spread by bugs.

Take action

One case of WNV has already been confirmed in a mosquito pool (collection and testing of at least 50 adult mosquitos) in New York State this year. Prevent WNV and other mosquito-borne diseases by using insect repellant, wearing long sleeves and pants when practical, screening windows and draining standing water. Typically the mosquitos that transmit WNV breed in very small and dirty pools of water (as opposed to ponds and lakes). Common breeding sites include old tires, roof rain gutters, bird baths, wheelbarrows, and any other item that will hold small amounts of water for several days.

Choose an effective insect repellant

Parents may feel overwhelmed by the many products in the grocery aisle, wondering which ones are best. The national Center for Disease Control recommends a variety of effective products to avoid mosquito bites. Check the label for one of the following active ingredients:

-DEET

-Picaridin

-IR 3535

-Oil of lemon / eucalyptus

Most pediatricians recommend using products with 30 percent or less of these ingredients on kids. Once you’ve bought an insect repellent, use is whenever you and your children are outdoors. Put a few bottles or packets of repellent anywhere you might need them – in the car, by the door, in your bag. Make it easy so you’ll remember!

Most individuals, 70 to 80 percent, who contract WNV do not develop any symptoms. Those who do develop symptoms, about 1 in 5, will experience a fever, headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea or rash for several weeks or months. In rare cases, less than 1 percent, experience serious neurological illness, such as encephalitis or meningitis (inflammation of the brain or surrounding tissues).

Make your backyard a tick-free zone

While often thought that ticks only live in the woods, ticks also can lurk in backyards. You can take some simple steps to make your backyard more tick-safe. Keep patios, play areas, and playground equipment away from scrubs, brushes, and other vegetation. Also, tick control chemicals are available for use by homeowners, or can be applied by a professional pest control expert.

Check for ticks

After playing outside, don’t make ticks an uninvited guest into your home. Ticks can ride in on parents, kids, and even the family pet, so check your gear and pets as soon as you get inside, even if your outdoor adventures were only in the backyard.

1. Parents should check themselves and their children for ticks under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist and especially in the hair. As soon as you find a tick, remove it using fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skins surface as possible. After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and dispose of a live tick by submersing it in alcohol, placing it in a sealed bag/container, or flushing it down the toilet. Never crush a tick with your fingers. If a tick is attached to your skin for less than 24 hours, your chance of getting Lyme disease is extremely small. But to be safe, watch for signs or symptoms such as rash or fever and see a doctor if they develop.

Bathing when you get inside can also help you find ticks and remove them. Additionally, you can tumble clothes in a dryer on high heat for an hour to kill any remaining ticks.

By following simple prevention steps, parents and kids can keep pests away so they can focus on fun outdoor activities like gardening, camping, hiking and just playing.

For more information about vector-borne diseases (transmitted by mosquitos, ticks, and fleas) visit the following website: http://www.cdc.gov/ncezid/dvbd/

For information about health department services contact,

Genesee County Health Department at: 344-2580, ext. 5000, or visit their Web site at www.co.genesee.ny.us/departments/health/index.html. Visit Facebook at Genesee County Health Department and Twitter @GeneseeCoHealthDept.

Orleans County Health Department at: 589-3278 or check out their Web site at:  www.orleansny.com/publichealth. Visit Facebook and Twitter: the user name for both is OrleansCoHealth.

Wyoming County Health Department at: 786-8890 or visit their Web site at www.wyomingco.net/health/main.html

There is apparently a recommendation for a small number of Genesee County residents to boil their household water because of a possible manure spill in the area of Batavia Oakfield Townline Road and Lewiston Road.

The announcement came from the NY-Alert system, not from the County Health Department.

The announcement was released just before the health department closed for the weekend, though it contained information to call the health department for further information.

The announcement says, "At this time, the extent of the contamination is unknown and we would therefore recommend that you boil tap water in your home or use bottled water for drinking and cooking. If your well water quality changes as noticed by color and/or smell, immediately stop using it for all household uses other than flushing toilets."

The first version of the announcement was a recommendation for all Genesee County residents to boil water, then a second version said the spill was in the area of Batavia-Oakfield Townline Road and Lewiston Road.

Because the health department is closed, no further information is available at this time.

Press release:

The Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming County health departments are encouraging residents to “Choose Health” -- taking small steps in our day-to-day living and making positive health choices will lead to healthier outcomes.  Learning something new every day is one of those small steps…

August is National Immunization Awareness Month. If you think you outgrew the need for vaccines when you graduated high school and/or moved out of your parents’ house -- think again. Every year, thousands of adults in the United States suffer serious health problems, are hospitalized, or even die from diseases that could have been prevented by vaccinations.

Most people do not realize that adults need immunizations, too. While many know that a flu vaccine is recommended every year, few adults are aware of the need for other vaccines to help protect their health.

Protection from some childhood immunizations wears off over time, leaving you at risk to disease. For example, there has been a rise in cases of whooping cough (pertussis) in the last few years with more than 41,000 cases being reported in 2012. We have learned that protection from DTaP whooping cough vaccine given to children doesn’t last into adulthood, so all adults are now recommended to get one dose of Tdap whooping cough vaccine.

Adults may be recommended for certain vaccines due to their age, job, hobbies, travel, or health condition. Other vaccines may be recommended if they didn’t get certain vaccines as children.

Check your immunization records to be sure you have had the HPV vaccine, measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, and varicella (chicken pox) vaccine and are up to date on them, as some vaccines are administered less often than others.

Vaccines not only help protect you from disease, but they also help prevent you from spreading diseases to those who are most at risk of complications -- infants, older adults and those that have chronic health conditions, including asthma and diabetes.

For example, because older age increases the chance of getting shingles, CDC recommends that adults get the shingles vaccine once they turn 60 years old. People with diabetes, heart disease, COPD or asthma, even if well managed, are more likely than those without these conditions to have complications from the flu. To prevent possible difficulties like pneumonia, people with these chronic conditions should get the pneumonia vaccine along with their yearly flu vaccine.

Check with your doctor, local pharmacy, school health center, workplace, community health center or local health department for more information about vaccines and what is best for you.

For information about health department services:

• The Genesee County Health Department currently has FREE DTap and Tdap vaccine, simply call to learn if you are eligible! Contact us at 344-2580, ext. 5000, or visit our Web site at www.co.genesee.ny.us/departments/health/index.html.  Find us on Facebook at Genesee County Health Department and Twitter @GeneseeCoHealthDept.
• Orleans County Health Department call: 589-3278 or check out our Web site at:  www.orleansny.com/publichealth. Visit Facebook and Twitter: the user name for both is OrleansCoHealth. 
• Wyoming County Health Department call: 786-8890 or visit their Web site at www.wyomingco.net/health/main.html.

Press release:

The Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming County health departments are encouraging county residents to “Choose Health.” Taking small steps in our day-to-day living and making positive health choices will lead to healthier outcomes. Is this a step you can take?

When you consider the information that you receive regarding your health, where does the majority of the information come from? A doctor, the Internet, family, friends, or coworkers? Some of this information might be excellent, while other information may be incorrect or too broad to adopt as part of your healthy routine. As always, we encourage you to seek out the best information in order to make informed health choices.

Beginning in September, the Genesee County Health Department will offer new and up-to-date technology to all patients in the clinic waiting room and to those we meet during educational community events. The new technology is made available through an exciting award to the county through the National Network of Libraries of Medicine. The award provides iPad devices, kiosks, a printer, and a large screen television to make accessing health information fun and inviting.

Free of charge, patients have the opportunity to get directly connected to health information using Web sites that the National Network of Libraries of Medicine support, ensuring the information you receive is reliable. This can be health information relevant to your visit, or related to other health concerns. Patients have the ability to print the information out to take home or to use it to consult with a health professional at the clinic.

Unsure how to use an iPad tablet? The waiting room will be stocked with directions as to how to easily operate and use the technology while waiting.

The National Network of Libraries of Medicine supports various Web sites including Medline Plus, AIDSinfo, NIH Senior Health, ToxTown, and many more. Each Web site is designed to be easily understood and offers tips on how individuals can make healthy choices. Even if you do not use Genesee County clinics or miss the opportunity at community events, we highly recommend each of the Web sites for great day-to-day health information.

There are three different clinics that are offered through the Genesee County Health Department; Immunization, STD/HIV Testing and Tuberculosis Testing.  The Immunization Clinic is offered by appointment, twice a month, for both adults and children. The STD/HIV Testing Clinic is a walk-in clinic, offered every Tuesday from 9 to 11 a.m. The Tuberculosis Testing Clinic is also available twice a month and on a walk-in basis, too. To make an appointment and to check for clinic dates please visit the department’s Web site or Facebook page.

You can easily become a health-conscious consumer by accessing reliable health information and using it to make healthier choices. Utilizing this educational opportunity now makes it easier than ever! 

This project has been funded in whole or in part with federal funds from the National Library of Medicine, National Institute of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. HHS-N-276-2011-00003-C with the University of Pittsburgh, Health Sciences Library System.

A special thank you goes to Carrie Whipple for her assistance and research for this column. Carrie is a Public Health Intern with the Orleans County Health Department and is receiving her master’s degree from the University of New England.

For information about health department services:
    •    Genesee County Health Department call: 344-2580, ext. 5000, or visit their Web site at www.co.genesee.ny.us/departments/health/index.html. Visit Facebook at Genesee County Health Department and Twitter at GeneseeCoHealthDept.
    •    Orleans County Health Department call: 589-3278 or check out our Web site at:  www.orleansny.com/publichealth. Visit Facebook and Twitter: the user name for both is OrleansCoHealth.  
    •    Wyoming County Health Department call: 786-8890 or visit their Web site at www.wyomingco.net/health/main.html.

Press release:

Community Health Assessment Survey

New York State relies on local health departments to promote, protect, and improve the health of their residents. The Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming County health departments and local hospitals are working with community partners to collect information to help with public health planning for the next several years. The information is put into documents called Community Health Assessment (CHA) and Community Services Plan (CSP).

To fully assess the health status of our communities we are asking for your input! We are using Survey Monkey for those who will take the survey on computers and will have paper copies of the surveys at local libraries, various events and throughout each of the counties for those who do not have access to computers.

Watch the Health Department Web sites for the link to the survey:

• Genesee County: www.co.genesee.ny.us/departments/health/index.html;
• Orleans County:  www.orleansny.com/publichealth
• Wyoming County:  www.wyomingco.net/health/main.html

You can also access the link at this address:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TriCoCHA

The survey is anonymous and only takes about 15 minutes to complete. Your honest thoughts and opinions will help guide efforts in resolving local health issues over the next several years.

The survey can be taken by individuals living and/or working in Genesee, Orleans, and Wyoming counties. All ages are encouraged to take it for themselves. If you are under the age of 18 years old, be sure to receive permission to take the survey from your parent(s) or guardian(s).

Health departments and hospitals all across New York State are working hard to learn about your views because your health counts. Your responses will help us identify services that are working, need improving, or to be created. The more members of the public who take this survey, the larger and stronger the “building block” of these projects will be.

If you have any questions, or would like to comment on the survey, call your Health Department at 344-2580, ext. 5000, for Genesee County, 589-3278 for Orleans County, and 786-8890 for Wyoming County.

Paul Petit will soon officially be in charge of two county health departments -- Genesee and Orleans.

Over the past couple of weeks the two counties have hammered out an agreement to share health department services.

Petit, out of Orleans, will become Genesee County's public health director while retaining that position in Orleans County.

Genesee County's interim director, David Whitcroft, will become the environmental health director for both counties.

The official appointment of Petit was approved Wednesday by the Ways and Means Committee and will next be voted on by the full legislature next week.

Petit will be paid by Orleans County and get reimbursed for a portion of his salary by Genesee County, and Whitcroft's $65,000 salary will remain on Genesee County's payroll, but Orleans will share in the expense.

Over time, County Manager Jay Gsell, the arrangement may lead to more shared services between the two health departments, meaning potential cost savings.

For now, the real cost savings comes from the fact the county won't need to hire its own public health director.

For several years, Genesee County has relied on interim health directors, but the state is putting a stop to such an arrangement.

The county must have an actual public health director, but the qualifications for such a position put the annual salary in the $80,000 to $100,000 range. The shared services arrangement will help the county avoid that expense.

Very few of us ever work for the same employer for 33 years, the span of a single career, but Randy Garney walked out of Genesee County Building #2 today being able to say he did it.

Garney started with the county Health Department right out of college in 1978 as a public health technician trainee. Over the next several years, he worked his way up the ranks and eventually became public health director for the county.

Never once did he leave and work for another agency.

"Work is such a large segment of your life that I feel very blessed that this segment of my life was so enjoyable," Garney said. "Have there been hard times? Absolutely. But working with the people I've worked with, and with the directors I've worked with over the years, there was never a day when I didn't look forward to coming to work. I know there are people who don't enjoy their jobs, so I feel very fortunate."

Garney, now 55, who grew up in Oakfield and attended Notre Dame High School, and his wife Deborah, sold their home and are moving to Florida to be closer to their children, Heather, 35, and Steven, 32, and their four grandchildren.

Now is the time to retire, Garney said, while he still has his health and he can use his energy for his family and for ministry.

Once in Florida, Garney said, he hopes to find a church-affiliated group that cares for the homeless and devote much of his time to helping those in need.

"We really have a burden for the poor and the indigent," said Garney, who along with Deborah have worked with Care-A-Van Ministries.

He won't miss the current budget process, acknowledging that it's become very difficult and will be a real challenge for public health in future years, but he will look back on his career with Genesee County as a good one.

"I really enjoyed public health and helping people," Garney said. "It stuck with me and I really enjoyed it. I never thought I would get the chance to be public health director, but it’s really been the highlight of my career to administer public health throughout the county. It’s been a lot of fun."

BATAVIA, NY -- The gulls roosting atop Latina's may be noisy, stinky and prone to poop on anything and everything, but they are not a public health hazard, according to the County Board of Health.

Board President Mary J. McJury notified BID Director Don Burkel of the board's finding in a July 7 letter.

"Although the Board of Health empathizes with the current situation, it was the board's determination, following careful review of the investigation, that this situation does not constitute a public health nuisance."

The Latina's building was condemned last week by the city for allegedly unsanitary conditions.

LKLWL Properties, the building's owner, has been summoned to City Court on July 23 to answer a complaint by the city that the company has failed to deal with unsanitary conditions on the property.

In her letter, McJury notes that the Herring Gulls are attracted to the Latina's roof because it is flat, warm and protected from harassment and predation.

"It is a short flight for them to feeding opportunities in the agricultural land surrounding the city," she wrote. "They are omnivores and eat anything from garbage to berries."

She said the actual issue with the property appears "to be property maintenance and aesthetic in nature."

She notes that the New York Department of Health issued a report finding no negative human health issues associated with Herring Gull populations.

Also, to date, there have been no reports of illnesses related to Batavia's gull infestation.

Here's important information for parents and guardians from the Genesee County Health Department:

In response to the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, the local health department has coordinated H1N1 vaccine distribution to numerous physician offices throughout the county. In addition, we have conducted several Points of Dispensing (POD’s) in order to assist the medical professionals in protecting our community against this virus. A large number of these clinics were established directly at schools within Genesee County prior to the holiday recess in December.

On Jan. 23, a clinic was held at the Batavia City Centre to target the child population requiring a second dose. Children less than 10 years of age need to receive two .25 ml doses of the vaccine at least 28 days apart, to provide the proper immune protection against the H1N1 Virus.

If your child has not received their second dose, we ask you contact the Genesee County Health Department or your primary care physician to schedule an appointment as soon as possible. The vaccine is FREE. Some physicians may require an administrative fee.

For more information on the H1N1 virus and for a schedule of H1N1 clinics in Genesee County, please visit: HYPERLINK "http://www.readyGenesee.com" www.ReadyGenesee.com or call the Genesee County Health Department for an appointment at: 585-344-2580 ext. 5000.