(Ithaca, N.Y., January 04, 2023) – The Tompkins County Health Department is sharing with the community about changes regarding the Health Department and Mental Health Department integration, including an announcement of our new name, Tompkins County Whole Health. In 2019, Tompkins County Public Health and Mental Health began the process of merging, a decision that was both strategic and meaningful. The integration combines TCHD and TCMH under shared leadership and administration, as well as a shared mission and shared values. Cross functional teams worked collaboratively to launch a re-brand, integrate services and processes, and engage staff in the process.
Starting January 3, 2023, we began using our new name, Tompkins County Whole Health, and revealed our new logo and website redesign at that time. As Tompkins County Whole Health (TCWH), our mission is to build a healthy, equitable community in Tompkins County by addressing root causes of health disparities, and integrating mental, physical and environmental health.
Public Health Director and Mental Health Commissioner Frank Kruppa stated, “We are pleased to announce the new name and logo to the community. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Tompkins County Legislature and County Administration for their support throughout this process. We’d also like to express our appreciation to our staff for their commitment and dedication to this work, to drive our services forward to holistically improve health outcomes for county residents.”
Deputy Mental Health Commissioner Harmony Ayers-Friedlander, stated, “Data has long demonstrated the benefits to treating persons holistically, incorporating mental, physical and environmental health into a complete picture of the needs of the whole person. Tompkins County Whole Health embraces this concept and looks forward to providing our community members with a portfolio of services to improve individual and population health.”
As a resident of Tompkins County, you can continue to expect offerings and programs to improve your wellbeing. Our standard Health Department and Mental Health Services will all still exist but will now be enhanced under our new brand and shared values.
We will be seeking community feedback to further improve our services to meet our mission and vision. We anticipate providing additional offerings, such as mental health services at the Brown Road location, along with holistic, wrap-around support provided by our new Community Health Workers and other initiatives to come.
The Tompkins County Whole Health is your partner for a healthy community. Find us online at TompkinsCountyNY.gov/health, and follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/TompkinsWholeHealth and on Twitter at @TCWholeHealth. Get Whole Health updates or other county announcements via email or text, sign up here.
Media contact: Shannon Alvord, salvord@tompkins-co.org
-end-
