Erie County Department of Health

To help foster statewide implementation of prevention activities, the New York State Department of Health issued the Prevention Agenda 2013–17 to address disease prevention and reduce health disparities.

All 58 local health departments were required to submit a Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) to the State outlining their strategies to advance the Prevention Agenda. To help energize the implementation of these CHIPs, the New York Health Foundation (NYHealth) is awarding grants to health departments with the most innovative and feasible projects to improve the health and wellbeing of their communities through the Advancing New York State’s Prevention Agenda: A Matching Funds Program to Implement Community Health Improvement Plans initiative. The Prevention Agenda offers NYHealth a timely opportunity to build upon its work in diabetes prevention by helping support initiatives that tackle the root causes of diabetes and other chronic conditions, such as obesity and smoking. NYHealth awarded Erie County Department of Health (ECDOH) a grant to participate in this initiative.

ECDOH used funds to focus on the Prevention Agenda priority area of promoting healthy women, infants, and children. It worked to increase rates of breast-feeding in Erie County by helping one hospital and OB-GYN, pediatric, and family medicine practices serving Medicaid populations attain breast-feeding friendly designation from the New York State Department of Health. ECDOH also collaborated with community partners to increase education efforts and other breast-feeding supports, such as baby cafes, workplace lactation rooms, and other childcare settings.

See a full list of recipients.