The Pennsylvania Department of Health will use nearly $2 million in new funding to invest in new state health centers and local health departments.
Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen participated in a groundbreaking in Carlisle for what will be the new home for the Cumberland County State Health Center (SHC) next summer. The current SHC, at 431 East North St, Carlisle, serves approximately 4,000 Pennsylvanians each year.
“Local community health nurses and professionals across the Commonwealth diligently work behind the scenes to protect Pennsylvanians from communicable diseases,” said Dr. Bogen. “As we’ve seen with recent disease outbreaks across the country, and here in Pennsylvania, we cannot afford to stand by. We must be proactive and vigilant in protecting the health of Pennsylvanians.”
Pennsylvania has seven county and four municipal health departments.
In counties where there is no local health department, DOH operates a state health center that provide services to improve public health, including:
- Vaccinations for children insured by Medicaid, and Pennsylvanians who are uninsured and underinsured;
- Confidential testing, counseling, and treatment for sexually transmitted infections;
- Communicable disease investigation, prevention, control, and education for diseases such as measles, whooping cough, and tuberculosis;
- Counseling after animal bites; and
- Public health education and referrals to local health care and social services.
