Tri County Health Department Will Dissolve, Counties Assume Control

On December 1, 2025 officials confirmed that the long standing Tri County Health Department will cease operations at the end of this year. The joint agency, which provided regional public health coordination since 1948, will be replaced by separate county health departments for Arapahoe, Adams and Douglas counties. Under the transition plan residents will be served by their respective county health departments going forward.

The dissolution caps a multi year shift away from the regional model. Douglas County left the joint agency in 2021 over public health policy disagreements and later moves by Adams and Arapahoe counties finalized the break up while those counties transitioned to independent county health departments. Leadership at the joint agency reflected on its nearly 75 year history and the range of public health work conducted across the three counties during that period.

For Douglas County residents the most immediate change will be the move from a regional provider to a county managed system. That shift can allow for more locally tailored programs and direct county oversight of priorities and budgets. It also places responsibility on county governments to maintain continuity for services that residents rely on, including routine public health functions, emergency response coordination and preventive programs.

The change raises important public health and equity considerations. Local control can improve responsiveness to community needs, but it may also create differences in capacity and funding across county lines. Coordinated responses to communicable disease events, environmental health risks and large scale emergencies will require renewed intercounty cooperation to avoid gaps that disproportionately affect low income neighborhoods and other vulnerable groups.

County health departments will now be the point of contact for public health services and information. Residents should follow Douglas County communications for updates on vaccinations, testing, clinic schedules and other services that were previously managed regionally. As the transition continues, elected officials and public health leaders will need to prioritize resource equity and cross jurisdiction coordination to ensure that all Douglas County communities retain access to essential public health services.