Would Lancaster County benefit from having it's own local public health department? One area health coalition thinks so, and it wants the chance to prove it to residents.

Wednesday, the Partnership for a County Public Health Department addressed the issue during a forum at Best Western Eden Resort Inn & Suites.

Representatives from the Pennsylvania Department of Health discussed the services currently provided by state agencies. They also described how establishing a public health department in Lancaster County could greatly enhance those services.

The panel of speakers included Dr. Michael Huff, deputy secretary of health, and Dr. Veronica Urdaneta, state epidemiologist and director of the Division of Infectious Diseases Epidemiology.

"We do believe public health is best served on a local level," Huff said. "We're particularly excited about Lancaster. Right now it's ripe for a local health department, with all the new residents from the east coming here to live.

"Having a health department in Lancaster would make sure the county's needs are met," he said.

Urdaneta said the State Health Department would work closely with a local health department.

"In some cases, we already work with local providers, and the partnerships are successful — like with the West Nile programs that are implemented here," she said. "It's a good example of people from the state and local level working together and providing positive results."

Huff said the state health department would still have "oversight" on all health issues in the county.

"But a local agency would become a part of us at the state department and have access to everything we have in terms of resources."

Speakers also included representatives from the departments of Agriculture and Environmental Protection.

The PCPHD will host a second public forum at Best Western on Wednesday, Oct. 24, from 4 to 6 p.m., titled "What are the Public Health Concerns in Lancaster County?"

PCPHD representatives say the campaign for a local health department is driven by the results of a feasibility study conducted by the Drexel University School of Public Health and released in 2005.

The study identified gaps in the coordination of certain health service in Lancaster County, including lead exposure and waste management.

The study also indicated that a public health department in Lancaster County could be the go-to place for residents with public health concerns and could monitor the health status of the population.

Hilda Shirk, project manager for PCPHD, said her group's mission is to see that the delivery of health services in Lancaster County improves.

"Public health is about protection, prevention and obtaining the latest knowledge on health issues," she said. "A public health department in Lancaster County would help us do that."

E-mail: cdifonzo@lnpnews.com