Welcome!

Welcome to the new Onondaga County Health Department blog! This is my first blog article as Commissioner of Health for Onondaga County. I am looking forward to connecting with you and sharing the latest public health information and updates on local health issues that matter to you.

In this debut article, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and tell you about my goals for the Health Department and priorities for the health of our community. I encourage you to interact with this blog and our Facebook page as we strive to build connections with the people we serve here in Onondaga County!

Why did I become interested in public health?
For years I have done individual care by taking care of sick patients, providing preventive care, and promoting self-empowerment and health promotion within the boundaries of my office and the hospital. My quest to take the same messages to the population level took me on the path to public health. I strongly believe that prevention is better than cure since it avoids the cycle of getting ill.

As a clinician, patients came to see me when they were concerned about specific things or were ill, which I addressed but I wanted to prevent disease. A lot of preventive steps have been taken to prevent chronic diseases of the heart and lungs such as smoking cessation, exercise, and controlling cholesterol. As a society we have come quite far with the advent of many vaccines (which have eliminated severe illnesses like small pox and decreased the severity of other infectious diseases such as flu and shingles). We also know that, at times, cancer can be cured or we can improve survival by early detection. The power of preventive medicine at the population level was one of the strongest motivators for me to move from direct care as a clinician to public health. Continue reading →

Get Treatment Immediately If You Have Flu Symptoms

Onondaga County, as well as New York State, is in the middle of a severe flu season. This year the predominant virus is flu A H3N2. This flu strain often affects the very young, those over 65 years old, and those with underlying medical conditions. Commissioner of Health, Indu Gupta, MD, MPH, explained today that there has been a total of 550 flu cases reported and seven confirmed flu-related deaths in Onondaga County. Each of those who succumbed to the flu had underlying medical conditions and was elderly; some previously having had a flu vaccine this season. Dr. Gupta recommends, “If you have symptoms of the flu, even if you have had a flu vaccine this season, seek medical attention immediately for early and prompt treatment of the flu”. The Health Department also reminds everyone to be immunized against the flu and to also practice hand and respiratory hygiene.

Flu symptoms include:

A fever of 100 degrees or higher or feeling feverish (not everyone with the flu has a fever)
A cough and/or sore throat
A runny or stuffy nose
Headaches and/or body aches
Chills
Fatigue
Nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea (most common in children)

Contact your health care provider as soon as your symptoms appear.
Contact your health care provider IMMEDIATELY for early and prompt treatment of the flu. Your health care provider may recommend that you take antiviral medicine within two days of getting sick. Starting them later can still be helpful. Antiviral medicine can make illness milder and can shorten the time you are sick. Antiviral medicine may also prevent serious flu complications.

For more information about controlling the spread of flu, visit: /health/ or https://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/preventing.htm.
The Onondaga County Health Department will continue to post weekly flu case updates on their website.

Largely Preventable Cancer is Still Being Detected

Did you know that over half of all cervical cancer cases occur in women who have rarely or never been screened for the disease? In fact, 4,000 U.S. women die annually of cervical cancer. Screening can prevent cervical cancer or find it early when it’s easier to treat. One death let alone 4,000 is too many.

What every woman should be doing to prevent cervical cancer:
Regular screening! A Pap test looks for abnormal cells on the cervix that when left untreated can develop into cervical cancer. You should begin screening for cervical cancer at age 21 and continue to do so every three years until you reach age 65. Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a common virus passed from one person to another through sexual contact and is the main cause of cervical cancer. At least half of sexually active people will have HPV at some point in their lives, but few women will actually develop cervical cancer. The screening interval can be extended to every five years if you are between the ages of 30 and 65 by choosing to be screened with both a Pap test and a Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) test. Cervical cancer screening can end at age 65 if you have had normal Pap test results for the past several years or are not otherwise at high risk for contracting HPV.

What about those without health insurance?

From ages 9 to 64 your community has you covered for cervical cancer prevention and treatment, even if you are without health insurance. There are three programs available to help screen for and prevent cervical cancer.

The Cancer Services Program provides free Pap tests for women ages 40 to 64 who do not have health insurance. This program also offers free breast and colorectal cancer screening. Call 435-3653 to learn more.
Family Planning Services provides confidential reproductive health care to women and men in need. Lack of health insurance is not a barrier to care and a sliding fee scale is available. To learn more about available services including Pap tests for women call 435-3295.
The Immunization Clinic provides HPV vaccines to young women and men ages 9 to 18 without health insurance, with target vaccination ages of 11 to 12 years. To find out more about HPV vaccine for those without health insurance call 435-2000.

Onondaga County Health Department Receives Funding to Prepare for National Accreditation

The Onondaga County Health Department has recently been awarded $15,000 to support its progress in meeting the requirements of the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB), the first and only voluntary national accreditation program for public health departments. The Onondaga County Health Department is one of 10 local health departments from 10 states to receive this funding through the Accreditation Support Initiative (ASI). A total of 101 local health departments of all sizes and types, ranging from rural to urban applied for this funding.

Now in its fourth year, the ASI was created in 2011 to promote national accreditation readiness among a greater number of local health departments and to support their varying needs to reach accreditation. Funding for the ASI is provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Office for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Support (CDC) and administered by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO).

“Quality improvement is one of the most important investments a local health department can make – always seeking ways to do things better, more efficiently, with just the right amount of resources, and with a greater impact,” said NACCHO Executive Director Robert M. Pestronk. “As a participant in this initiative, the Onondaga County Health Department is taking a big step to ensure better health for the people of Onondaga County.”

The Onondaga County Health Department received funding under the general category of Performance Management. The department will use the grant to develop and implement a performance management system.
“We are grateful to have received the Accreditation Support Initiative funding from the CDC and NACCHO,” said Commissioner of Health Dr. Indu Gupta. “This support will help us improve our performance, achieve our strategic goals, and continue making progress toward better health outcomes for our community.”

More information, including a full list of selected local health departments and descriptions of the work they have been funded to complete, can be found at www.naccho.org/asi.

About the Onondaga County Health Department
The Onondaga County Health Department (OCHD) strives to protect and improve the health of all Onondaga County residents, and includes numerous programs and services to help us achieve this mission. For more information about the OCHD services available in our community, please visit www.ongov.net/health.

About the National Association of County and City Health Officials
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) represents the nation’s 2,800 local governmental health departments. These city, county, metropolitan, district, and tribal departments work every day to protect and promote health and well-being for all people in their communities.

Onondaga County Immunization Clinic is Changing! New Location, New Day, New Time!

There are changes coming to the Onondaga County Health Department Immunization Clinic. To better accommodate our clients, the Onondaga County Immunization Clinic is moving to a new location, day of the week, and time. Starting January 7, 2015, the clinic will be located at the John H. Mulroy Civic Center, 421 Montgomery St., Room 30 (basement level). The clinic day will be moved to Wednesdays, with clinic hours running from 9:00 AM – 12:00 Noon.

The new clinic location will be better able to accommodate families by providing additional waiting space. In addition, the clinic will be located conveniently near other Onondaga County services in the Civic Center.

This is a walk-in clinic every Wednesday, with no appointments needed. Clinic serves children 2 months of age to 18 years old, providing all vaccines needed for school entrance. Measles Mumps Rubella (MMR) vaccine is also provided for college students over 18 years old.

As a reminder, this clinic serves families with no insurance. Families with insurance should contact their primary care provider for an appointment or contact their insurance company for a referral to a provider.

For more information on the Immunization clinic, please contact the Onondaga County Immunization Program at 435-2000.

Preventing Rabies Exposure Remains Important in Winter Months

Onondaga County Commissioner of Health, Indu Gupta, MD, MPH reports that the New York State Health Department’s laboratory confirmed that a cat found in the Town of Onondaga recently tested positive for rabies. This is the second cat that tested positive in 2014, bringing the total number of animals testing positive for rabies in Onondaga County to 22 for the year 2014. There were NO human cases of rabies in Onondaga County in 2014.

The Health Department reminds residents that rabies can be present any time of the year and advises taking the following steps to help prevent rabies exposure:

Call the Animal Disease Control Program IMMEDIATELY at 435-3165 if you find a bat in your home or in a place that they are not usually found.
Look for holes in common entry places in your home and plug any holes in the house with steel wool to bat-proof your home.
Capture a bat that you or your pet has been exposed to especially if the bat is dead or appears sick.
Seek medical attention and have the bat tested if you awaken to find a bat in your room.
Teach children never to handle unfamiliar animals, either wild or domestic, even if they appear friendly.
Wash any wound from an animal bite or scratch thoroughly with soap and water. Seek medical attention immediately.

The Health Department reminds you that rabies can be present any time of the year. Keep your pet’s vaccinations current. This is especially important for dogs, cats, and ferrets. Getting your pet vaccinated can help stop the spread of rabies from wild animals to humans. New York State Public Health Laws require that all puppies and kittens get their initial shot at three months of age, with a booster shot every three years. Ferrets must get a shot every year.
For more information about rabies prevention, visit /health/ADP.html.

Take Steps to Prevent, Control, and Treat the Flu

Commissioner of Health, Indu Gupta, MD reported today that the Onondaga County Health Department has been notified about several flu-related hospitalizations and one lab-confirmed flu death. Additionally, there have also been reports of flu outbreaks in both assisted living homes and group homes. Dr. Gupta reassured, “We are working closely with the New York State Department of Health to actively monitor flu outbreaks and we have recommended more intensified efforts to control the flu”. Onondaga County residents should follow flu prevention, control, and early treatment steps.

This year’s flu season may be severe because the primary virus is flu A H3N2. This flu strain often affects the very young, those over 65 years old, and those with underlying medical conditions. Those visiting assisted living locations should be sure to be immunized against the flu and to also practice hand and respiratory hygiene. Follow the prevention, control, and early treatment steps to help stay healthy this flu season:

Flu prevention tips:

Get a flu vaccine.
Avoid close contact with sick people.

Control the spread of flu tips:

Stay home if you are sick.
Limit contact with others when you are sick.
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
Wash your hands often with soap and water.

Early and prompt treatment of flu tips:

Contact your health care provider IMMEDIATELY for early and prompt treatment of the flu.
Take antiviral medicine within two days of getting sick. Starting them later can still be helpful.
Antiviral medicine can make illness milder and shorten the time you are sick.
Antiviral medicine may also prevent serious flu complications.

For more information about controlling the spread of flu visit: /health/ or https://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/preventing.htm.

Family Planning Civic Center Clinic Closed Tomorrow

The Onondaga County Health Department’s Family Planning Clinic at the Onondaga County Civic Center will be closed on Tuesday December 16, 2014. This site will reopen for walk-in services on Friday December 19, 2014 from 9:00 am-10:30 am. Please call 435-3295 if you need immediate medical assistance or if you need to reschedule your appointment. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Have you gotten your flu vaccine yet? It’s not too late!

The Onondaga County Health Department would like to remind people that it is not too late to get a flu vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone 6 months old and older get a flu shot each year.

Getting a flu vaccine every year is the best way to prevent yourself and others from getting the flu. In a typical year, over 200,000 people nationally visit the hospital because of flu complications. Although sometimes the flu may be mistaken for a severe cold, it can have much more serious effects for the young, the elderly, and others with health conditions.

The CDC continues to reinforce that an annual flu vaccine is particularly important for persons at high risk for complications due to the flu or for those who have contact with people at high risk. People at high risk include young children, persons over 50 years of age, pregnant women, and people with chronic medical conditions. People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications should also get a flu vaccine each year.

Flu vaccines cannot give you the flu because they are made from killed or weakened influenza viruses. When side effects do occur, they are generally mild and include redness and soreness at the injection site for the flu shot; occasionally sore throat, runny nose; and rarely, fever after the nasal spray vaccine. While these symptoms can be uncomfortable and inconvenient, they are mild and resolve quickly when compared to a case of the flu.

Getting a flu vaccine helps to protect your health as well as that of your family, friends, and others. Get your flu vaccine … to protect yourself and others!

Family Planning Closed Today

The Onondaga County Health Department’s Family Planning Clinic at the Dr. William A. Harris Health Center location (301 Slocum Avenue in Syracuse) is closed today, December 12, 2014 due to plumbing issues. Please call 435-3295 if you need immediate medical assistance or if you need to reschedule your appointment. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.