By Mark Poloncarz

I took great pride earlier this month when I signed the Erie County Health Equity Act into law. This new legislation creates an Office of Health Equity as part of the Erie County Department of Health that will be led by Kelly Wofford. Her leadership will help ensure all minority and disadvantaged residents have equal access to preventive health care. As director she will also help promote the overall concept of healthy living and share information on how to prevent diseases and conditions that are prevalent among minority, marginalized, and disadvantaged populations, including people who live in rural areas, which includes some of the faithful readers of The Bee.

The county employees who will work in that office have been asked to provide access to health care, share educational content about health care, and share details on specific preventive care resources with underserved and marginalized communities, which includes communities of color. They will listen to concerns presented to them by constituents and work collaboratively with various community partners to find solutions to the unique challenges that people from all across Erie County are facing.

The passage of this local law will bring a new focus to health care for underserved and disadvantaged communities and populations and will be a major factor in improving the health not only of these communities but of Erie County as a whole. The staff will be proactive and engaged countywide. They all understand how improving public health means addressing inequities and gaps in how it is delivered.

Health challenges that are expected to be addressed include how to prevent lead poisoning, identifying cancer clusters in specific neighborhoods, and continuing the community-minded approach the county’s Health Department has used in addressing the many challenges caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic.

There are flaws that exist in our healthcare system and some of those are exposed because of existing disparities between race, income, and gender. I am confident that the Erie County Division of Health Equity Act will address those disparities by ensuring the programs and policies currently overseen by our Health Department are all executive in a fair and equitable manner. The creation of this office will allow county government to provide a dedicated staff focused on improving health outcomes for everyone. I firmly believe that change is possible and can be achieved using a combination of policy, partnership and strategic planning.