SuffolkSHARE Public Health Partnership to Expand Under Suffolk311
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone today announced the Suffolk County Department of Health Services 2019 Tick Bite Prevention Education Campaign to help educate school-age children and parents about preventive measures they can take to reduce the risk of tick bites. The campaign, targeting children at K-12 schools, camps, summer programs, beaches and parks, was devised under Suffolk County’s Shared Services Initiative and offers the opportunity for residents to learn from experts how to protect themselves from illness caused by tick bites.
“This shared services initiative is another example of how local governments can leverage their resources to address a regional public health issue,” said County Executive Bellone. “I thank our partner municipalities for their commitment to advancing research of tick-borne illness and developing preventative strategies to safeguard residents.”
Dr. James Tomarken, Suffolk County Department of Health Services Commissioner, said: “To reduce the risk of tick-borne diseases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention promotes public education. In addition to our seasonal outreach, the Tick Bite Prevention Education Campaign includes a Tick-Borne Disease newsletter and PowerPoint slide presentation in both English and Spanish, all of which can be downloaded from our website and distributed or used for educational purposes. These educational materials are quite popular and, remarkably, the Tick-Borne Disease Presentation was even requested by Cape Cod Cooperative Extension, Barnstable, Massachusetts for use in their educational outreach.”
Throughout the summer, Suffolk County health department staff will be holding Tick-Talk presentations at 10 local libraries and will be disseminating information about ticks and the diseases they cause at an additional 14 libraries throughout Suffolk County. Participants will learn about the variety of ticks found in Suffolk County, the diseases caused by ticks, protective measures that prevent tick bites, proper tick removal techniques, and steps to take if bitten. A listing of dates and times for participating local libraries is below. Additionally, to raise awareness in Suffolk County’s outdoor venues, health department staff has acquired and delivered 500 CDC Tick Awareness Trail Signs to Suffolk County Parks.
Simultaneously, as part of the Suffolk County’s ongoing campaign, health educators will continue teaching children at K-12 schools, camps, summer programs, beaches and parks about tick-bite prevention. Last summer health department staff conducted 30 public forums, reaching approximately 549 adults and 488 children and assisted with the distribution of educational materials to legislative offices, county parks, and town halls.
Earlier this year, County Executive Bellone launched the SuffolkShare Public Health Partnership under the Suffolk County Shared Services Initiative to provide a platform for local governments to work together to combat ticks and tick-borne illnesses. Currently there are eight villages and two towns, working in conjunction with the Suffolk County Department of Health Services and the Suffolk County Department of Public Works Vector Control to share resources, data and vector control analyses.
The partnership has met several times and begun reviewing new data and information on the state of the tick population in Suffolk County. Additionally, the group is engaging with outside research specialists to assist and provide guidance to this collaborative effort.
Public and Community Education
Experts from Suffolk County Department of Health Services and Public Works Division of Vector Control worked with Village of Bellport officials to provide a public information session to residents on protection against ticks and landscaping and environmental controls that can keep ticks at a distance.
Research, Mitigation and Data Sharing
Suffolk County Department of Public Works has proposed legislative approval of a $280,000 mitigation project at Indian Island County Park, in which measures would be studied, data collected, and information shared with participating towns and villages to create and refine best practices and activities. Villages and towns have begun planning cooperative procurements of tick mitigation equipment and materials to reduce costs and better sustain projects and activities.
Suffolk County 311 will begin providing up-to-date information to callers on tick avoidance, protection and responding to bites, as well as to collect information from residents seeking to provide locations of active tick locations. Data will be shared with impacted local governments.
Among the diseases carried by ticks on Long Island are Lyme disease, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. In 2017, Suffolk County reported 523 cases of Lyme disease, the most common tick-borne disease in the country. However, the number of cases of tick-borne diseases reported to New York State may not reflect the total number of cases as it is likely that there are many more cases that go undiagnosed for a variety of reasons.
The Suffolk County Department of Health Services collaborates with Stony Brook Southampton Hospital Tick-Borne Disease Resource Center to promote tick-bite prevention and disseminate information about tick-borne diseases. Residents who have questions about tick-borne diseases are advised to contact the Stony Brook Southampton Hospital Tick-Borne Disease Resource Center Help Line at (631) 726-TICK.
Suffolk County Summer 2019 Tick Talks
Hampton Bays Public Library
Thursday, July 11. 2019, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
52 Ponquogue Ave., Hampton Bays, NY 11946
Preregister: (631) 728-6241
Riverhead Free Library
Monday, July 15, 2019, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
330 Court St., Riverhead, NY 11901
Preregister: (631) 727-3228
East Islip Public Library
Tuesday, July 16, 2019, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
381 East Main St., East Islip, NY 11730
Preregister: (631) 581-9200
Cold Spring Harbor East Islip Public Library
Thursday, July 18, 2019, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
95 Harbor Road, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724
Preregister: (631) 692-6820
Cutchogue New Suffolk Free Library
Tuesday, July 23, 2019, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
27550 Main Rd., Cutchogue, NY 11935
Preregister: (631)734-6360
Southold Free Library
(at Southold Presbyterian Church)
Thursday, August 1, 2019, 7:00- 8:30 p.m.
53705 Main RdSouthold, NY 11971
Preregister: (631) 765-2077
West Babylon Public Library
Monday, August 19, 2019, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
211 NY-109, West Babylon, NY 11704
Preregister: (631) 669-5445
John Jermain Memorial Library
September 9, 2019, 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
201 Main St., Sag Harbor, NY 11963
Preregister: (631)725-0049
Islip Public Library
Thursday, September 26, 2019, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
71 Monell Ave., Islip, NY 11776
Preregister: (631) 581-5933
Suffolk County Tick Tabling Events 2019
North Babylon Public Library
Monday, June 24, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
815 Deer Park Ave, North Babylon, NY 11703
(631) 669-4020
West Babylon Public Library
Wednesday, June 26, 2019, 10:00- 1:00 p.m.
211 NY-109, West Babylon, NY 11704
(631) 669-5445
Sachem Public Library
Friday, June 28, 2019, 12:00 - 3:00 p.m.
150 Holbrook Rd., Holbrook, NY 11741
(631) 588-5024
South Country Library
Monday, July 8, 2019, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
22 Station Rd., Bellport, NY 11755
(631) 286-0818
Copiague Memorial Library
Wednesday, July 10, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
50 Deauville Blvd., Copiague, NY 11726
(631) 691-1111
Huntington Public Library- Main Branch
Thursday, July 11, 2019, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
338 Main St., Huntington, NY 11743
(631) 427-5165
Westhampton Free Library
Friday, July 12, 2019, 9:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Friday, July 26, 2019, 9:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
7 Library Ave., Westhampton Beach, NY 11978
(631) 288-3335
Huntington Public Library- Station Branch
Thursday, July 18, 2019, 10:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.
1335 New York Ave., Huntington, NY 11743
(631) 421-5053
Westhampton Free Library
Friday, July 12, 2019, 9:30- 1:00 p.m.
Friday, July 26, 2019, 9:30- 1:00 p.m.
7 Library Ave., Westhampton Beach, NY 11978
(631) 288-3335
Amityville Public Library
July 17, 2019, 12-3 p.m.
19 John Street
Amityville, NY 11701
(631) 264-0567
Huntington Public Library- Station Branch
Thursday, July 18, 2019, 10:00- 12:00 p.m.
1335 New York Ave
Huntington, NY 11743
(631) 421-5053
Connetquot Public Library
Monday, July 22, 2019, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
760 Ocean Ave., Bohemia, NY 11716
(631) 567-5079
Islip Public Library
Monday, August 5, 2019, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
71 Monell Ave., Islip, NY 11776
(631) 581-5933
Northport- East Northport Library
Tuesday, August 6, 2019, 11:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m.
151 Laurel Ave., Northport, NY 11768
(631) 261- 6930
East Northport Public Library
Wednesday, August 7, 2109, 11:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m.
185 Larkfield Rd., East Northport, NY 11731
(631) 261-6930
Comsewogue Public Library
Date and time to be determined
170 Terryville Rd., Port Jefferson Station, NY 11776
(631) 928-1212
Port Jefferson Village
Date and time to be determined
100 Thompson St., Port Jefferson, NY 11777
(631) 473-0022
Patchogue Medford Library
Date and time to be determined
54-60 East Main St., Patchogue, New York 11772
(631) 654-4700
Comsewogue Public Library
Date and time to be determined
170 Terryville Road, Port Jefferson Station, NY 11776
(631) 928-1212
Port Jefferson Free Library
Date and time to be determined
100 Thompson St., Port Jefferson, NY 11777
(631) 473-0022
Cold Spring Harbor
Date and time to be determined
95 Harbor Road
Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724
(631) 692-6820
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