Sullivan County Association of Supervisors
Sullivan County, New York
3454 Route 55 North
P. O. Box 300 White Lake, New York 12786
Daniel Sturm
President
Extension 102
Phone (845)583-4350 · Fax (845)583-0225
Office of the Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett
New York State Department of Health
Empire State Plaza Corning Tower Room 2531
Albany, NY 12237
Dear Dr. Bassett,
On behalf of the Association of Supervisors of Sullivan County, I am writing to express our deep concerns over the potential decision to close the New York State Department of Health office ir Monticello. This action will have a devastating effect in our County and the decision should not be made without due consideration of the following factors: How will the State:
1) Manage the increased response time to handle the typical
operating schedule, plus complaints that come through the office? There are 14 miles one way just to get to the SC border. –Theoretically, it could take a staff member over one hour to access remote areas of SC to complete any services. The added driving element leads to low productivity and
inefficiency.
2) Provide accessible office access? (Moving the office to a less accessible location when SC residents and business owners have complaints, applications to complete, water sample results to submit, meetings to attend in response to fines and applications etc.)
3) Approach inclement weather situations that will impede district staff from accessing SC to complete job duties (Heavy fog and snow severely impact the Wurtsboro mountain region). This will lead to delays in providing services and added danger to district employees and community members on the road in these conditions.
4) Respond to the economic impact and strain on tax payers far and wide? (Due to increased state time for traveling)
5) Assist SC residents that need their services who do not have personal transportation? The move puts a strain on residents that need services the office provides. –Monticello is a centralized location for the office for rural SC.
6) Delegate services to district staff that are already performing at maximum capacity in their role?
7) Manage the increased health inequities and poor health outcomes driven by the office move? (Various job duties will take longer to complete and services will need to be given priority over others possibly leading to increased unintentional drownings, foodborne illnesses, water-related illnesses, increased smoking and vaping in adolescents, lead poisoning, allergic responses to mold, and other potentially life-threatening illnesses and preventable deaths).
8) Protect and promote the public’s health and safety with the same level of commitment and efficiency when office staff are located outside of the boundaries of SC? 9) Manage emergent public health problems in SC in a timely and responsible manner? (Infectious disease outbreaks including Covid-19, Measles, etc.)
10) Effectively collaborate and support SC PHS and other SC based offices in a productive, efficient, and equitable manner?
11) Justify the possible loss of employment of current SC employees?
We are also aware that the District office in Monticello provides important vital services including:
1) Regulation of public swimming pools (at least once per year)
2) Regulation of temporary residences (bungalow colonies, motels, hotels – 300 sites in SC
3) Regulation of campgrounds
4) Regulation of tanning beds
5) Inspection of children’s camps (215 sites in SC, inspections are time-consuming and take place at least twice each year)
6) Inspection of public water systems including sampling and monitoring for contaminants
7) The Adolescent Tobacco Use Prevention Act (ATUPA)
8) Inspection of bathing beaches
9) Regulation of mass gatherings; (water systems, camping, food services, restroom facilities, gas storage, fire hazard prevention, etc.)
10) Inspection of mobile home parks
11) Vending machine inspections
12) Restaurant, mobile food, and temporary food service inspections (370 sites in SC)
13) Lead, mold, and sewage problem response
And finally, why is the decision to move the Monticello office being considered at a time when we are in the middle of a once in a lifetime pandemic, and when all around our County there are initiatives being conducted to improve the health of our County that has been consistently ranked at or near last of all 62 counties in regard to our overall health! We respectfully request that any consideration to close the Department of Health office in Monticello be denied because this one action will have a negative ripple effect throughout our County, and the entire Health of our County will be irreparably compromised.
Sincerely,
Daniel Sturm, President Sullivan County Association of Supervisors
CC
NYS Senator Mike Martucci
188 State Street Legislative Office Building, Room 415 Albany, NY. 12247
Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther
LOB 826 Albany NY. 12247
The Honorable Kathy Hochul
Governor of New York State
NYS State Capitol Building Albany, NY. 12224
SC Legislature Robert Doherty, Chairman
100 North Str. PO. Box 5012 Monticello, NY. 12701