Health Department Offers Be Healthy in '23

Rockland County Executive Ed Day and County Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert announce the Be Healthy in ‘23 public health information and education series starting January! The Finkelstein Memorial Library will host the Rockland County Department of Health on Wednesday evenings from 5:30 – 6:30 pm. Health department employees will be in the library’s lobby, offering information, resources, and takeaways on various health topics to help Rockland residents live healthier lives.

In 2022, the library served as a center for COVID-19 information reaching patrons who may not have had access to traditional or social media news. Health Department staff visiting the library on Wednesday evenings are multi-lingual, which benefits patrons.

Laura Wolven, Finkelstein Memorial Library Director, stated, “The library has and continues to be a trusted, familiar destination in the village. The partnership between the library and the health department expanded the library’s role as a center for community information. We continue to grow our educational resources with many relevant wellness books in our catalogue/collection, but we also collaborate with amazing partners like the health department to bring services directly to the community. The library looks forward to hosting the health department in 2023!”

"The health department continues to partner with various community organizations to reach residents where they live, work, learn, play, and pray. Being present in public spaces offers residents an opportunity to interact with reputable public health professionals who share accurate and timely information and resources. In addition, patrons have a one-on-one chance to learn about the many prevention programs and health services the Rockland County Health Department offers to residents for free or low-cost," said Dr. Ruppert.

The health department is expanding this outreach and education to other libraries in Rockland. The health department will also be at the following libraries: Nanuet, Nyack, and Haverstraw King’s Daughters main library in Garnerville. Stay current on our events by following us on social media at https://www.facebook.com/rockhealth or https://twitter.com/rockhealth. Join us at Finkelstein Memorial Library Lobby on Wednesday, January 25th, from 5:30 -6:30 pm for our Kickoff to Health! We’ll have some inspiring healthy giveaways such as portion plates, infusing flavor water bottles, lunch totes, and other items to start you off to a Healthier 23!

The Be Healthy in ‘23 information and education series will include the following topics:

• January - Cervical Health, Smoking Cessation, Prevent Birth Defects, Healthier Starts with You
• February - Heart Health, Children & Youth with Special Health Care Needs
• March - Nutrition, Kidney Health, Sodium/Salt Awareness
• April - Minority Health, Public Health
• May - Vector Borne Diseases and Health Literacy
• June - Summer Safety
• July - Eye Injury Prevention, Summer Food Safety, Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program
• August - Breastfeeding Awareness, Immunizations
• September - Hunger Awareness, Women’s Health, Falls Prevention, Alzheimer’s, Pedestrian Safety
• October - Influenza Vaccination, Breast Cancer Awareness, Fire Prevention, and Pedestrian Awareness
• November – Diabetes Awareness
• December - World AIDS Day, Healthier Holidays, Fire Safety, Impaired Driving Prevention, Toy and Gift Safety

For more information about health topics and programs from your local health department, visit the Rockland County Department of Health website at http://rocklandgov.com/departments/health/.