THE $10M RX
DELCO LAWMAKERS ASK GUV FOR FUNDS TO START COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT
Delaware County legislators have called on the state to provide $10 million towards the establishment of the Delaware County Health Department.
Ten legislators wrote a letter to Gov. Tom Wolf asking him to allocate Act 315 funds for the county to create its own health department.
Act 315 is also known as Pennsylvania’s Local Health Administration Law, which provides funding to local governments if they meet certain requirements in providing services to improve a community’s health needs. Delaware County has been pursuing the creation of its own health department for over a year and the COVID-19 pandemic has only amplified the need for local services as Delco reached an agreement with Chester County to provide all coronavirus-related services for both counties’ citizens.
The letter to Wolf was signed by state Sens. John Kane, D-9 of Birmingham, Tim Kearney, D-26 of Swarthmore, Amanda Cappelletti, D-17 of East Norriton, and Anthony Williams, D-8, of Philadelphia and state Reps.
Dave Delloso, D-162 of Ridley Park, Brian Kirkland, D-159 of Chester, Leanne Krueger,
D-161 of Nether Providence, Jennifer O’Mara, D-165 of Springfield, Greg Vitali, D-166 of Haverford and Mike Zabel,
D-163 of Upper Darby. “Delaware County is the largest county in the entire country without a health department,” Kane said. “During the worst pandemic our nation has ever seen, Delco residents are lacking the critical resources and infrastructure a health department would provide. Creating a health department is essential to supporting the community and increasing health equity for all of Delco’s residents, and I’m glad it’s a top priority for so many of us in the Legislature.”
That sentiment was repeated in the letter sent to Wolf.
“This initiative is a top budget priority for us,” the group of legislators wrote. “The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the lack of critical infrastructure to help Delaware County residents when they needed it most. Creating a county health department in Delaware County is essential to improving health equity and providing our constituents with the best possible health care, programs, and services they need to live healthy lives.”
The letter noted the impact the virus has had on county residents. As of last Tuesday, 32,049 Delco residents have tested positive for the virus and 1,053 have died because of it.
“Counties with public health department had the staff, resources, and expertise to coordinate care and provide resources for their residents,” it read. “Lacking a health department, Delaware County was left unprepared and underserved.”
O’Mara expressed gratitude for the Chester County Health Department for their assistance in serving Delaware County residents during the pandemic.
“We have been most grateful for the outstanding job and incredible collaboration of the Chester County Health Department to work with us in our hour of need, and to continue that care over the last 10 months,” O’Mara said. “However, CCHD should not have to be responsible for the health needs of more than 500,000 residents in a neighboring county. Delaware County is one of the most densely populated counties in the commonwealth and has one of the highest COVID-19 case rates. The need for our own health department has never been more apparent.”
In the meantime, Delaware County moves ahead with setting up its own health department. Earlier this month, county council hired IHS Markit to conduct an economic impact study of the costs of creating and operating a health department. That analysis is one of the steps mandated by the state to have a county health department in place - something Delco officials hope to have by January 2022.
Six other counties have their own health department: Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Erie, Montgomery and Philadelphia. There are also four municipal health departments: Allentown, Bethlehem, Wilkes-Barre and York City.