Get to know your tailor-made Douglas County Health Department
Your new health department is inspired by you – a community that is continually ranked among the healthiest in the nation.
With a philosophy of providing information so you can make the best decisions for yourself and your family, the Douglas County Health Department fully launches by the end of this year.
Colorado’s Core Public Health Services Requirements In 2008, the Colorado Public Health Act required the State Board of Health 1) to establish, by rule, core public health services that each county and district public health agency must provide or ensure; and 2) to establish minimum quality standards for those public health services. Effective Jan. 1, 2020, state and local health departments in Colorado are required to ensure the provision of seven Foundational Capabilities and five Foundational Services
In addition to the baseline, required services, a county may also consider additional services based on the unique public health needs of its community.
As such, in 2021, a public process, led by Douglas County and a team of public health experts, identified the unique public health needs of our communities through the implementation of a Community Health Assessment and a Public Health Improvement Plan, both requirements of state law for all public health agencies.
The public process revealed what our communities believe are the top three public health issues:
Behavioral Health – includes mental health and substance use
Injury Prevention
Disease Management and Prevention — addressing behaviors that lead to chronic diseases
Governed by a Board of Health, your Health Department is in the process of incrementally standing up services – in sync with the unique needs of Douglas County – with the expectation to be completely independent of Tri-County Health – from whom the County is in the process of separating – before the end of 2022.
Your new 21st Century Douglas County Health Department aims to do our part to sustain healthy Douglas County communities while encouraging you to take a proactive role in managing your own health. We are dedicated to keeping you informed to help you make informed decisions toward healthier lives, through collaborative partnerships and actions to affect upstream determinants of health.
Subscribe to be among the first to receive public health updates from your health department.
Funding the Health Department The Board of Health and the Board of Douglas County Commissioners have committed that the cost to operate the new health department will not exceed the County’s share as part of Tri-County Health. Beginning with a baseline amount of $2.5 million – the per capita cost for Douglas County to be served by Tri-County Health – state funding, grants for the funding of services previously accessed by Tri-County and now available to Douglas County, as well as fees for services, our Department Director is confident he can fulfill this commitment.
History of Public Health Services Delivery in Douglas County On Jan. 1, 1966, following the South Platte River Floods of 1965, Douglas County joined the Tri-County District Health Department, providing Douglas County residents and businesses with requisite public health services. On Sept. 14, 2021, Douglas County separated from Tri-County Health Department to form its own local public health department with an Intergovernmental Agreement for Tri-County Health Department to continue providing public health services through the end of 2022, as Douglas County will be independent from Tri-County Health Department, with its own local health department, on or before Jan. 1, 2023.
You’ve helped make Douglas County one of the healthiest communities in the country – year after year. So, what’s the role of your local Douglas County Health Department? To give you resource and information to…
You’ve helped make Douglas County one of the healthiest communities in the country – year…
Your new health department is inspired by you – a community that is continually ranked among the healthiest in the nation. With a philosophy of providing information so you can make the best decisions for…
Your new health department is inspired by you – a community that is continually ranked…
If you have paint from a recent project, old oil from your car’s maintenance, or other hazardous waste from your recent DIY experience, Douglas County Health Department can help you safely dispose of it. In…
If you have paint from a recent project, old oil from your car’s maintenance, or…