When most people think about the services offered at the Putnam County Department of Health, they do not think about the people behind the scenes. The Administrative/ Fiscal staff at the health department keep the programs funded and the rest of the staff supported. Account Clerk II Milena Berardi is one of the people who work diligently to keep the health department running smoothly. Read more about Milena and her work in the health department below.

What is your favorite part of working at the health department?

I love that I have the chance to learn something new here every day from the other divisions within the Health Department. I’ve learned about food handling and blue-green algae from Environmental Health Services, vaccines from the Nurses, the dangers of vaping from Health Education, the “behind the scenes” of what it takes to get children services through the Preschool and Early Intervention programs, and the best way to position my desk from Engineering.

Is there a particularly rewarding experience you’d like to share?

I bill the patient’s insurance companies when our nurses administer rabies post-exposure vaccines. When the patient goes to the Emergency Department for treatment after an exposure, they usually get (rather large) invoices.  I handle those invoices so that in the end, the hospital adjusts the patient’s bill to $0.00 or just the co-pay, which the county pays. I have received a couple of Thank You notes from Putnam County residents, telling me how grateful they were that I could help them with their billing issues and prevent them from going into collections.

What does your day-to-day work look like?

I work in the Administration/Fiscal Department. We oversee the finances for the health department as a whole. I work with payroll, budget, the grant programs, and state aid reimbursement daily, via email or telephone. I’m a numbers girl…I see numbers, all day, every day. Since I love to research and analyze (and overthink), the day flies by for me.

What do you wish the public knew about your job?

I wish the public knew how many programs the health department has, and how hard we work in Fiscal to get the full federal and state funding that helps keep taxes in check.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

You will find the answers if you are resourceful and think outside the box.

What have been some of the most important lessons you’ve learned throughout your career?

I learned very early on, to always say yes if someone offers me a task, no matter how minor that task may seem. Everything leads to a bigger picture, and you will only be a part of that bigger picture once you’ve tackled the smaller pieces.

To see all the programs the health department has to offer, visit www.putnamcountyny.gov/health.