BREWSTER, NY—The Putnam County Department of Health is going on the road with the launch of a “Let’s Talk Health” series of community conversations. The first stop was held at the Philipstown Friendship Center on Monday, March 2, where the health department spoke with seniors about their community’s health concerns. Events will follow at the same time on Friday, March 13, at the Carmel Friendship Center; Thursday, March 19, at the Putnam Valley Friendship Center, and Tuesday, March 24, at the William Koehler Senior Center in Mahopac. Future events will reach out to a broad audience by hosting sessions at schools and town board meetings that are open to the public and convenient for residents. The Town of Patterson has scheduled a session on Wednesday, March 25 at 7 p.m., and the Town of Putnam Valley will host one on Wednesday, April 15 at 6 p.m. Listening sessions will also be held to include youth, people with disabilities and others who may be underrepresented.

“We want to gather input from the residents we serve,” says Public Health Director Rian Rodriguez, MPH. “Finding out what is most important to them is an early, crucial step in developing the Community Health Improvement Plan for our county. This “CHIP,” as we call it, will guide how our resources will be allocated over the next five years. We encourage everyone to come out and share their ideas—to shape our future.”

An assessment of the county’s health took place last year. The final report, which is required by the New York State Department of Health, can be viewed on the health department’s website. The findings identified eight focus areas where specific attention was needed: mental health and suicide prevention, food access and healthy eating, healthcare access, economic stability, maternal child health, alcohol and tobacco use, childhood preventive services, and tickborne disease.

Each community “Let’s Talk Health” session will begin with a summary of each area, followed by opportunities to discuss, ask questions and finally to cast a vote for what areas are most important—both personally and to the communities where residents live.

The “Let’s Talk Health” series will be making additional stops around the county. As the series unfolds, public events will be listed on the health department’s website at putnamcountyny.gov/health/community-health.

These community sessions are an integral part of the CHIP process, which is guided by the Prevention Agenda set by the New York State Department of Health. To view the 2025-2030 Prevention Agenda, visit the NYSDOH website. Here one can view the NYS Community Health Indicator Reports, or CHIRS, County/Region Comparison Dashboard and see how Putnam data on 145 selected health topics compares with other counties and NYS.

Watch for a Let’s Talk Health session in your community and make your concerns known.

The mission of the Putnam County Department of Health is to improve and protect the health of the Putnam County community. The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) through 2029, serves a community composed of nearly 100,000 residents. Core services are provided through a lens of equity, and include community health assessment, disease surveillance and control, emergency preparedness, environmental health protection, family health promotion, and health education. For more information, please visit the County website at www.putnamcountyny.gov, or visit our social media sites on Facebook, X, and Instagram @PutnamHealthNY.