Chautauqua County is marking National Public Health Week (April 7-13) by celebrating the 60th anniversary of the formation of its Department of Health.
The county began official steps to formalize the new department in August 1964 upon the recommendation of a special study committee formed in 1960, when the County Board of Supervisors voted to establish a County Health District. With the subsequent approval of the cities of Jamestown and Dunkirk, the Board of Supervisors named a nine-member Board of Health to supervise the operations of the newly created Department of Health. On November 12, 1964, the Board of Health appointed Dr. Lyle D. Franzen to serve as the county's first Health Commissioner to lead the newly formed Department of Health.
The department officially began operations on January 1, 1965 with central offices in Mayville and branches in Dunkirk and Jamestown. Public Health personnel previously assigned by the county to local health district responsibilities were reorganized within the CCDOH, and additional staff were added for a total of 26 professionals. Local health districts and officers continued to function during the initial stages of the reorganization to ensure maintenance of service levels.
The Chautauqua County Sanitary Code was adopted on February 18, 1965, by the Board of Health. The local code allowed the county to set public health standards by way of rules and regulations not listed in the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) sanitary code.
In 1970, the Hall R. Clothier Building, labeled as the Health and Social Services Building, was complete at a cost of $2.2M. The CCDOH took home to this building on the fourth floor, where it remains to this day. A tuberculosis clinic was located in the basement level and other offices were occupied by Social Services, Mental Health, Veterans Service Agency, and Radio Shop.
County Executive P.J. Wendel emphasized the significant strides made in public health, saying, "I am honored to live in a community with so many agencies working together to improve the health of its residents. Chautauqua County is stronger than ever and I am equally excited for this opportunity to highlight some of those accomplishments by diving into the local history of public health. Today we celebrate the Chautauqua County Health Department and applaud our partners for their unwavering commitment to work together to improve the health of our county."
