Measles Outbreak Highlights Lancaster County’s Lack of a Health Department

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is considering creating its own health department to address public health needs, including better coordination and access to real-time data, following a recent measles outbreak.

Cases and health response

Commissioner Alice Yoder said a needs assessment conducted by local health agencies identified key areas for improvement, including posting public information online, providing updated data in real time, and enhancing communication between local organizations.

"It's not a reaction to the measles outbreak, but certainly the measles outbreak shines a light on the idea that we don't have a public health department," Yoder said.

Yoder explained that a county-wide health department would give Lancaster County public health authority and access to data currently available only at the state level.

This would allow officials to use local data, laws, and research to manage community health more effectively.

"We're the largest county in the state that does not have its local health department," Yoder said.

"We would have local information about what's happened in Lancaster County, and we'd have that information in real time so that we can identify threats to public health and respond to them early." She noted that the proposed health department would be relatively small and focus on communication between organizations.

State staffing requirements would include a medical director, an epidemiologist, and a head nurse, all of whom would be brought on through local health organizations.