OSWEGO – Oswego County will have a temporary interim health director starting June 14, the announcement of current Oswego County Health Director Jiancheng Huang’s retirement during last night’s county legislature meeting, Thursday, June 9.
Chair of Health and Human Services Legislator James Karasek announced that Huang has accepted a position in another state, his retirement from the county beginning at the end of June 14.
Filling in for Huang’s position until a new health director is appointed will be Oswego County Health Director of Patient Services Vera Dunsmoor. Dunsmoor will be appointed as acting deputy director of health for the period of June 14 – July 23 of this year.
Chairman James Weatherup spoke of the director’s time with the health department, highlighting his work over the past decade including his development of community partnerships and public health programs that helped to raise the county’s State Health Rating; also praising Huang’s dedication and resiliency to the health department throughout the pandemic.
“Now, I would of course, shine the light on the team at the health department and the community cooperation’s that all came together that help create novel solutions to some of the most pressing health problems. And while all of that may be true, we all know that his passion and drive to help people are a large part of that story,” Weatherup said. “Most recently his guidance through the COVID-19 pandemic proved invaluable. He remained a steadfast champion of public health over the last two tumultuous years. He reassured residents of every clinic, helped with the distribution of personal protective gear and COVID-19 tests, and he was there with the development of the award-winning COVID-19 hotline – the online dashboard to track daily and weekly reports and the online portal to report test results and request paperwork. Through it all, he remained committed to safeguarding the health and wellbeing of us all. Oswego County residents have benefitted greatly from his outstanding leadership, tireless advocacy and active participation in the community. Thank you for your hard work and dedication. Jiancheng, best wishes on your next adventure.”
Huang thanked the crowd after receiving a standing ovation from the legislature and crowd during last night’s meeting; giving special attention to his colleagues and others who helped move the department forward in a positive direction.
“Thank you very much. We have a wonderful team. I also want to point out [that] health is not just healthy. County health [has] improved, yes,” Huang said. We did some new programs in the Health Department, but fundamentally health is determined by social factors – education, employment, transportation, and housing – and like Legislator Roy Reehil’s program – and to reduce child poverty drastically… In the past four or five years it has been reduced from 29 [percent] to 19 [percent]. So, it’s a really collaborative effort, and I fortunately [got to] be a part of it – I’m thankful.”
Also during last night’s meeting, several county residents spoke during the public session portion of the meeting concerning the following: The allocation of funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, the establishment of non-consensual towing and storage fees for county dispatched towing services, the Jordan Brooks case, and weaknesses within the Department of Social Services as a whole.
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) is a distribution of pandemic relief funds to states, counties and cities across the U.S., helping negatively impacted communities across America. Weatherup read aloud a statement discussing the development, guidance and distribution of the funds to give the public an awareness of how monies are respectively being allocated.
Legislators Marie Schadt and Frank Castiglia challenged the proposal, pointing out discrepancies in the taskforce and committees assigned in the approval process.
“How were the already approved funding projects notified and/or invited to apply, and why was it not publically known, and that there was funding available before the first round of projects were approved? Transparency is key in how these federally funded dollars are spent, and it seems that the process has been anything but transparent to this point,” Schadt said. “I just feel this is hasty – I feel to lump them together is hasty and I want nothing but success.”
Schadt went on to say that she does approve of some of the projects and not others, also saying that she would like the Legislature to vote on each individual item instead. The resolution was voted on and passed by a measure of 17 in favor, with three opposed, three excused and two abstained.
Following is the list of applicants receiving ARPA funds including amount totals:
- ARISE – $49,999
- Pathway of Hope – $300,000
- Friends of Oswego County Hospice – $20,000
- Riverview Pediatrics – $60,000
- Quality Inn Expansion (Waterpark) – $500,000
- Sandy Pond dredging – $300,000
- 4 Minnows Café – $25,000
- Fairways and Dreams – $200,000
- Legends Field – $325,977
- Mexico Historical Society – $40,000
- Fulton Block Builders – $49,999
- Oswego Renaissance Association – $49,999
- Authentic Beauty – $3,500
- Sandy Pond Water Quality Study – $19,218
- Town of Richland – $260,000
- Town of Hastings – $250,000
- Northern Oswego County Ambulance – $139,000
Other proclamations and recognitions that took place during last night’s meeting include the following:
- Retirement: Kelly Darling – 30 years with Oswego County
- Retirement: Marlea Munger – 32 years with Oswego County
- Proclamation: Oswego County Envirothon 1st Place Team
- Proclamation: Dairy Month
Another resolution unanimously passed by the legislature included dedicating the Public Safety Center after former Oswego County Sheriff Reuel Todd. All other items on the agenda were passed.
All Legislature meetings are held the second Thursday of every month, the next meeting to be held on July 14 at 2:00 p.m. To view the full agenda, please click here.
missing or outdated ad config