The three Democratic Candidates are committed to providing a County Health Department for Delaware County.
At a round table discussion on Wednesday, David Landau and John Innelli explored the issue with researcher and professor of communications Dr. Pamela Poe and pharmacist and Chairwoman of the Board of the Delaware County Pharmacists Association Rosemarie Halt. (Ann O'Keefe was out of town.)
There are many opportunities to save public health costs through disease prevention and education, but you can't get the funding without a county health department.
Under various state laws, said Halt, the department would receive half its budget from the state government, plus additional money back per resident and grants for emergency preparedness....
Halt also cited several major instances wherein a county health department would have been useful over the last few years, such as a three-day loss of water at Riddle Memorial Hospital; a contaminated emergency room at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital; numerous sewer problems; and several contagious outbreaks including syphilis and influenza, and fatal cases of Tuberculosis and Meningitis.
And for those of who remember the flu vaccine shortages a few years ago or are worried about future outbreaks, a county health department is the entity we would need make requests for vaccines.
Pete Peterson, campaign director for the Republican county council candidates, and all around wet-blanket regarding progressive initiatives, claimed in an email (to the Times) that such health departments, at an annual cost of about $12 million, actually drain money from counties. But, later, when confronted with Halt's facts that most of the money would come from the state, Peterson whined [my choice of words] that a county health department could increase the annual budget by $4 million to $6 million.
Hey, Peterson, here are some clues for you:
- The all-GOP Delco council budget is $560 million. ($100 million more than Montco)
- An additional 1% of that for a county health department would amount to only a mere $10 per resident.
- But, said Innelli, "consolidation of many of the other county offices (into the department) may in fact result in savings, cost savings" to county government.
- The Democrats can easily trim more than 1% from the current bloated pork-filled budget you, the Delco GOP and your candidates refer to as "the same common sense approach to county government"
So, if voters are proud of Delaware County as having the third highest number of AIDS cases in the state, increasing rates of sexually transmitted diseases, and death rates from cancer and stroke exceeding those for all other Pennsylvania counties, then they should vote for the GOP's Three Stooges.
However, if Delco residents are interested in responsible Health Care investment and management by County Council, then DEMOCRATS John Innelli, David Landau and Ann O'Keefe are the team to elect in November.
