Public Health

H1N1 FLU CLINICS

Monroe County will be holding multiple H1N1 Swine Flu Clinics on Thursday, November 19 and Saturday, November 21. There is no charge for the vaccination. These clinics are for Monroe County residents who are at highest-risk of illness from H1N1. They are referred to as Phase 1.

The November clinics are ONLY open to:

Pregnant women;
Residents age 6 months to 24 years old;
People who live with or care for children younger than six months of age; and
Residents age 25-64 who have a chronic medical condition (such as asthma, lung, heart liver, or kidney disease, diabetes, neurological conditions and persons with a weakened immune system)
Health care workers and EMS

When it is determined that most high-risk people have been vaccinated, others will be able to get immunized.

Clinics will be held as follows:

Thursday, November 19 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Medley Centre in Irondequoit
Dome Center on 2695 E. Henrietta Rd.
Penfield Town Hall on 3100 Atlantic Ave.
West End Business Center on 803 West Ave. in Rochester
First Bible Baptist Church on 990 Manitou Rd. in Hilton.

Saturday, November 21 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Medley Centre
Blue Cross Arena in Downtown Rochester
Penfield Town Hall
West End Business Center
First Bible Baptist Church in Hilton

Tentative December dates are December 10 and 13. They will be confirmed upon receipt of additional vaccine. Volunteers are needed, please see the link below for volunteer recruitment.

The New York State Department of Health is operating a 24/7 staffed H1N1 Hotline at (800) 808-1987. This number does not provide clinic locations in Monroe County.

An additional resource in our community has been implemented by our local 911 agency. A recording with multiple messages provides useful information pertaining to the symptoms of flu, what steps people should take if sick with the flu, and locations of 24-hour pharmacies. That number is (585) 500-H1N1 (4161) and is also available in Spanish.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about H1N1

Volunteer at an H1N1 Clinic

Monroe County Clinician Information

NYS Health Department

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Contact Information

Picture Holder

Andrew S. Doniger, M.D., M.P.H.

Director

e-mail

Monroe County Department of Public Health

111 Westfall Rd.

Room 952

P.O. Box 92832

Rochester, NY

14692

Phone: 585 753-2991

Fax: 585 753-5115

Message From the Director

The Monroe County Department of Public Health believes that to be healthy, citizens need to be informed about health issues. At this Web site, you will:

find information about health topics,
learn how to improve your health, and
be able to access services provided by our department.

Please let us know of any suggestions that you have to improve the information located here.

The Department’s mission is to provide direct public health services and leadership to assure improved health status of individuals, families, the environment and the community. The Department:

Strives to achieve excellence in the Department’s performance to advance Monroe County as a leader in the field of public health.
Collaborates with community partners to achieve optimum health status in the community.
Interacts proactively with the changing health care environment to assure that public health issues are recognized and addressed.
Click to Receive the Latest Public Health Alerts

Health Information Line

A Health Information Line is frequently used when specific immediate actions are required of the public to safeguard their health. This number is often cited by media outlets for ease in directing callers to a particular program.

Health Information Line:
585 753-5600

Programs and Services

The Monroe County Department of Public Health provides a wide variety of services including education, preventive services and enforcement of health codes and medical policies, to promote health among Monroe County residents and to protect the public from disease and environmental hazards.

These services are described in detail by navigating through the menu. If you have trouble finding information, use the Search feature to quickly locate a specific service.

Center for Community Health

An Academic-Public Health Partnership

The Monroe County Department of Public Health and the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and School of Nursing established the Center for Community Health, a collaborative research and teaching center.

The mission of the Center is to improve the health of Monroe County residents by:

Fostering community health research.
Providing the infrastructure for a data-based community health planning process.
Broadening health care professional education to include applied population medicine.
Developing innovative approaches to working with local residents and agencies for continuous community health improvement.

Read the CRH White Sheet (19k PDF).

HEALTH ACTION

HEALTH ACTION, Priorities for Monroe County, began in 1995 when the Director of the Monroe County Department of Public Health convened a group of community partners to develop a plan to improve the health of Monroe County residents. The HEALTH ACTION Steering Committee is composed of individuals from community organizations representing business, education and health care.

BeActiveRochester.com

Come on Rochester ... Get moving. Be Active!

Physical activity of all kinds—not just formal exercise—plays a major role in your health. Being active can relieve stress, help you to sleep better, control your weight, strengthen your bones ... you get the idea: It’s good for you!

Gardening, washing the car, mowing the lawn, walking, hiking, biking and other such activities are all very beneficial to your health and don’t require the expense of a membership at the local health club.

Read more about the BeActiveRochester.com program.

TRANS FATS

Trans fat is made when an otherwise healthful liquid (vegetable) oil is chemically changed to make a semi-solid product called "partially hydrogenated" vegetable oil. Food manufacturers began using these altered products a number of years ago because it was shown to increase shelf life, texture, and flavor and at the time it was thought to be a healthful alternative to saturated fat. Trans fat is commonly found in deep fried foods, baked goods, snack foods, and many processed foods.

All fats are not the same. There are "good" fats and "bad" fats. When we eat foods high in saturated fat or trans fat, it raises the bad (LDL) cholesterol in our blood. Having high LDL cholesterol increases the risk for heart disease, the leading cause of death in the US, in New York, and in Monroe County. Trans fat is even worse than saturated fat because it actually lowers the good (HDL) cholesterol in the blood. Eating foods high in poly and monounsaturated fat have a good effect on cholesterol levels and are encouraged.

Federal guidelines recommend that total fat intake be 20-35% of total calories. Saturated fat intake should be less than 10%, and trans fat consumption should be kept as close to zero as possible.

Foods purchased in a supermarket are labeled so consumers know what they’re getting. The amount of trans fat in a serving is in the “Total Fat” section. When ordering food in a restaurant, it is not as easy to know the nutritional content. To know what type of fats are being used in the preparation of restaurant food, a good tip to remember is “ask before you order”. Many fast food chains have such information on the nutritional content of their food products. Restaurant owners and chefs may not know you care about this issue unless you bring it to their attention.

One way that the Health Department protects and promotes the health of its residents is to assure the safety of food served in restaurants. We have requested local food service establishments to phase-out their use of trans fat. We believe that replacing trans fats with healthier alternatives will -- over time -- reduce heart disease in Monroe County.

Online Health Information

Picture of woman searching Internet for health information.

The Internet is an excellent place to become more knowledgable about health. However, while there are many credible health sites, there are also sites that may contain information and recommendations that are not valid.

The links listed below contain reliable health information.