Delco Hosting Virtual Town Hall On Public Health Needs

DELAWARE COUNTY, PA — Residents in Delaware County are invited to participate in a virtual town hall meeting on the county's plans to establish its own health department and the county's overall public health needs.

A virtual public health town hall will be held at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 20.

The Foundation for Delaware County and Delaware County Council will host event which will include an update on plans for a new public health department as well as other public health updates.

Members of the public are invited and encouraged to attend this free event. Register to attend online here.

The town hall will feature a panel discussion moderated by WHYY Vice President of News Sandra Clark with panelists Frances Sheehan, President of The Foundation for Delaware County; Dr. Monica Taylor, Vice Chair of Delaware County Council; Beth Resnick, Assistant Dean for Public Health Practice, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Rosemarie Halt, Health Policy Consultant for Delaware County; and Grace Gorenflo, MPH, RN, Principal of Gorenflo Consulting, Inc., who is assisting with the creation of Delaware County’s Health Department.

Residents can participate in a question and answer session after the panel.

Topics include results of a year-long public health study of Delaware County conducted by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; the status of the COVID-19 pandemic in Delaware County; and plans and a timeline for the establishment of Delaware County’s new public health department

In 2019, Delaware County hired Johns Hopkins to conduct a study of the public health needs and services in the county. Those results were recently finalized and will be presented during the town hall.

Delaware County is also in the process of establishing a County Health Department

The county's lack of a health department came to the forefront when the coronavirus outbreak first hit Delaware County.

In response to the outbreak, Delaware County asked permission from Gov. Tom Wolf to partner with Chester County on Delco's public health needs.

State officials approved the partnership on Thursday, March 19 and Chester County's Health Department has been serving Delaware County's need amid the pandemic.