March 17, 2023

The Oswego County Legislature appointed Vera Dunsmoor because the County’s new public well being director in January and the New York State Division of Well being just lately confirmed that alternative.

Dunsmoor has greater than 15 years of public well being expertise, becoming a member of the county well being division in 2007. She has labored in numerous roles all through her profession with the county, together with public well being nurse, supervising public well being nurse, director of affected person providers and deputy director of public well being. She most just lately served as interim director of public well being.

“Vera has appreciable expertise in well being care and has carried out an important job in her function as interim director of public well being,” mentioned Oswego County Legislator James Karasek, District 22, chairman of the Legislature’s Well being Committee. “She has demonstrated her dedication and robust work ethic all through her years of service with the well being division, making her a really perfect candidate for director of public well being.”

Dunsmoor’s expertise contains working with well being care companions to merge well being care with conventional public well being practices to enhance well being outcomes for residents in addition to managing each skilled and para-professional employees to offer high quality and compassionate care to residents throughout the county.

“It’s a nice honor to be chosen as Oswego County’s director of public well being,” Dunsmoor mentioned. “Our well being division works diligently to advertise and shield the well being and well-being of our residents. We provide a large scope of packages and sources associated to preventative care, well being training, emergency preparedness, environmental well being, youngsters with particular wants and extra.

“I sit up for persevering with our efforts in these initiatives, working with employees and group companions to develop new public well being methods and main our division as we try to enhance the general wellness of Oswego County’s residents,” she added.

Dunsmoor acquired an affiliate diploma in nursing from Cayuga Neighborhood School earlier than occurring to attend Roberts Wesleyan School the place she acquired her bachelor’s diploma in nursing and a grasp’s in nursing training.

All through her profession, Dunsmoor has been concerned with quite a lot of skilled affiliations. She at the moment serves on the board of administrators for the Weston T. Hyde Oswego County Academic Basis and is a member of the NYS Affiliation of County Well being Officers (NYSACHO) and the Nationwide Affiliation of County and Metropolis Well being Officers (NACCHO).

She has additionally acquired a number of honors, together with being named on New York State’s Public Well being Works Honor Roll in 2020. This recognition honors public well being staff who’ve helped make New York one of many healthiest states within the nation.

In 2019, Dunsmoor was awarded a mentorship grant from NACCHO in response to the opioid epidemic gripping the nation. The “Overdose Prevention and Response Mentorship Program” partnered her with a mentor in a county with related demographics to navigate efficient methods for responding to the disaster. Amongst different advantages, this system strengthened partnerships with legislation enforcement, which led to the event of a Public Well being and Security Group. The group will deal with utilizing knowledge pushed methods to cut back overdoses and deaths as a result of overdoses to create constructive change in the neighborhood.

Oswego County Well being Division providers can be found to each resident within the county. For extra data, go to www.oswegocounty.com/well being/ or name the well being division at 315-349-3547.