Investing in NYS Public Health

Over the past two years, New Yorkers have had the opportunity to see their local health departments (LHDs) in action as they rose to the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic. Emergency response is an important responsibility of our local health departments and one of the six core public health services they provide.

Across the state, LHDs act as the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH)’s partners and operational extensions, providing essential, population-based health services that promote and protect the health of all who live, work, and play here.

This white paper serves to educate state and local leaders, as well as the public, about the important public health services that local health departments provide under Article 6 of the Public Health Law and how they are funded.