Relocating a number of different programs into buildings owned by the county will end up saving the Winchester Health Department around $2 million in rent over the course of the next half a decade, according to County Executive Rob Astorino.
As of the 1st November this year, the department is to move to just the one floor located at 145 Huguenot Street in New Rochelle. The relocation will see its office space reduced from 56,618 square feet, which was spread out over two floors, to just 28,309 square feet. Likewise, the Environmental Health Division has also shifted location to 25 Moore Avenue, located in Mount Kisco, with extra environmental health staff set to be located at 750 Washington Street in Peekskill. “A few critical adjustments will allow us to significantly reduce our operating costs while still providing essential services for the public,” says Astorino.
The Administration Division has already relocated to 10 County Center Road, which is located in White Plains, as of earlier this summer, with the department maintaining various clinics and the Women, Infants and Children offices in White Plains and Yonkers. The divisions of Disease Control, Public Health Information and Communication, Community Health and Children with Special Needs will continue to stay at their present location at 145 Huguenot Street. “The move allowed us to save money while maintaining the workforce we need to protect the health and safety of the public,” says Sherlita Amler MD, the Commissioner of Health.
The Winchester Health Department works in order to promote public health, as well as to prevent the spread of disease and to prolong meaningful life for each and every resident of Winchester. Staff members at the Winchester Health Department are there to educate, empower and inform the public about health issues that may affect them, as well as to ensure the availability of health care and to connect people with necessary health services. The department also carefully monitors health status in order to be able to identify health problems in the community when they arise, to diagnose and investigate them, and to mobilize partnerships in the community in order to find a solution to them. The Winchester Health Department develops plans and policies that support both community and individual public health efforts. The Health Department enforces regulations and laws that ensure safety and protect health, including the likes of the county and state sanitary codes. In addition to this the Winchester Health Department also surveys and regulates the quality of both air and water in Winchester.
There are a number of community health centers in the area that offer primary, pre-natal and other forms of medical care, including for people who do not have any insurance. The centers can also help people to enroll in eligible health insurance plans. These centers include Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center, which has sites in Greenburgh and Yonkers as well as Mount Vernon, Yonkers – Park Care, Yonkers – Valentine Lane, and Hudson River HealthCare in Peekskill.
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