Community Health Services

Community Health Nurses investigate all reportable diseases to identify contacts and to educate individuals regarding disease transmission and prevention. For more information call 607-274-6604 or follow the links below.

• Communicable Disease homepage
• Seasonal Influenza (Flu)
• STI
• HIV Anonymous Testing
• Tuberculosis TB
• Vector-Borne Disease
• Rabies Human Post-Exposure

Check our immunizations homepage for the latest school requirements and most up to date CDC recommendations and NYS vaccine programs. TCWH immunization clinics are held most Fridays serving community members with no insurance, or with Medicaid or a Medicaid managed care plan. Seasonal flu vaccinations are available by appointment. For more information on vaccine clinics, please call 607-274-6604.

Moms PLUS+ is a home visiting nurse program that provides maternal child health supportive services, free of cost, to residents of Tompkins County regardless of insurance status. Moms PLUS + is designed to improve equitable access to quality maternal child health care, increase lactation support for parents choosing to breast and chest feed and enhance the coordination of care with other community partners.

The Moms PLUS + program offers a client centered approach by delivering gender affirming, harm reduction and trauma informed care to all participants. To speak with a Moms PLUS + nurse call 607-274-6604.

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) provides nutritious foods, nutrition education, and referrals to community services to women who are pregnant and post-partum, and their children under five years of age. Breastfeeding support is also available. For more information about who is eligible and how to join, visit our WIC web page.

New York State law protects the rights of patients and reproductive healthcare providers.

• Medication abortion and in-clinic abortion access is available in New York State for both residents and non-residents.
• In New York, you can get an abortion up to and including 24 weeks of pregnancy. After 24 weeks, you can still get an abortion if your health or pregnancy is at risk.

Local Resources

• Ithaca Health Center of Ithaca, NY (Planned Parenthood of Greater New York). See the website for services provided, hours, book an appointment online, payment information.
• Statewide Abortion Hotline, connects people looking for abortion resources with information and access: 212-899-5567
• NYS Safe Abortion Access website
• Guttmacher Institute, New York abortion fact sheet

SafeCare is an evidence-based, parent-training program for parents of children ages 0–5 who are at risk for, or have been reported for, child neglect or physical abuse. SafeCare providers work with families in their homes to improve parents' skills in three areas: parent-child interaction, child health and home safety. The program is conducted in weekly home visits for about 18 weeks.

In Tompkins County, SafeCare is currently only available to families involved with Family Treatment Court. SafeCare providers have completed training and certification in the program and are nurses in the Community Health Services department at TCHD. SafeCare in Tompkins County has recently expanded to include a local certified SafeCare coach who meets with providers regularly for quality control/improvement.

SafeCare was implemented in Tompkins County starting in 2015 by Family Treatment Court with grant money from the Prevention and Family Recovery Project. Additional funding came in 2017 with a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The SafeCare program was developed at the Georgia State University School of Public Health. It has expanded worldwide. For more information you can check out the SafeCare website.

The Childhood Lead Poisoning Primary Prevention Program (CLPPP) is the largest in the country. CLPPP works to make homes safe. It funds local health departments to gain access to high-risk housing to educate, inspect and control lead hazards. It looks for properties with lead paint hazards, then it takes action to make them lead safe – protecting children from lead poisoning.

At Tompkins County Whole Health, we partner with Environmental Health to perform home visits for all children in Tompkins County with elevated blood lead levels and provide education to the public about lead poisoning prevention.

For more information call 607-274-6604 or visit the Lead Poisoning Prevention page.