Orange County spotlights public health efforts during National Public Health Week

Orange County is putting its health system on display with a message that starts at the clinic door and runs through restaurant inspections, water and septic reviews, and emergency preparedness. County Executive Steve Neuhaus and the Orange County Department of Health marked National Public Health Week, observed April 6 through April 12, with the national theme “Ready. Set. Action!” and used the week to point residents to services already operating in Middletown, Newburgh and Goshen.

The county said public health in Orange County is about much more than outbreak response. The Department of Health handles prevention and control of communicable and chronic disease, tuberculosis and sexual health clinics, HIV testing and counseling, immunization clinics for children and adults, environmental inspections for restaurants and other public facilities, engineering reviews of water and septic systems, developmental screenings and early intervention, epidemiological surveillance, nutrition and physical activity education, tobacco prevention, housing inspections, lead prevention, maternal and child health programs, emergency preparedness and medical examiner services. The county’s public health page says immunization clinics to prevent communicable diseases are offered year-round for adults and uninsured children at health department offices in Middletown, Newburgh and Goshen.

Neuhaus described public health as the foundation of a strong and thriving community, while county health officials said the work helps keep residents safe and ready for emergencies. The county also tied its message to a longer history, noting that more than 150 years of public health efforts have helped increase life expectancy and improve quality of life in the United States. Dr. Jennifer L. Roman, the county’s acting health commissioner, said the department remains committed to protecting the health of all Orange County residents and to reinforcing prevention, education and community partnership.

That planning is built into the county’s health work year-round. Orange County uses the Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships, or MAPP, framework for its Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan, a process that includes the local health department, area hospitals and other community stakeholders. County planning documents say the assessment draws on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the New York State Department of Health, the New York State Education Department and the Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The county’s latest health reports show why the work matters now. All four local hospital systems were screening for food insecurity by the end of 2023, and 30,207 people were screened for food access that year, including 15,888 in the final quarter alone. Referrals for food access rose from 1,086 in 2023 to 1,250 in 2024. In 2024, the county also held four cancer screening events at the Middletown Thrall Library, the Newburgh Armory, the Newburgh Farmers’ Market, the Newburgh Free Library and the Newburgh Armory Unity Center. Veterans’ coupon redemption at farmers’ markets increased in Newburgh between 2022 and 2024 and nearly tripled in Port Jervis between 2022 and 2023, showing how public health reaches far beyond a single office or clinic and into everyday life across Orange County.