March 17, 2023

The Oswego County Legislature appointed Vera Dunsmoor as the County’s new public well being director in January and the New York State Division of Wellness not too long ago confirmed that option.

Dunsmoor has extra than 15 years of public well being encounter, joining the county well being division in 2007. She has worked in numerous roles all through her profession with the county, such as public well being nurse, supervising public well being nurse, director of patient solutions and deputy director of public well being. She most not too long ago served as interim director of public well being.

“Vera has considerable encounter in well being care and has accomplished a fantastic job in her function as interim director of public well being,” mentioned Oswego County Legislator James Karasek, District 22, chairman of the Legislature’s Wellness Committee. “She has demonstrated her dedication and robust perform ethic all through her years of service with the well being division, creating her an excellent candidate for director of public well being.”

Dunsmoor’s encounter involves functioning with well being care partners to merge well being care with classic public well being practices to boost well being outcomes for residents as nicely as managing each specialist and para-specialist employees to give high-quality and compassionate care to residents across the county.

“It is a fantastic honor to be chosen as Oswego County’s director of public well being,” Dunsmoor mentioned. “Our well being division performs diligently to market and safeguard the well being and nicely-becoming of our residents. We provide a wide scope of applications and sources connected to preventative care, well being education, emergency preparedness, environmental well being, kids with particular requirements and extra.

“I appear forward to continuing our efforts in these initiatives, functioning with employees and neighborhood partners to create new public well being approaches and major our division as we strive to boost the all round wellness of Oswego County’s residents,” she added.

Dunsmoor received an associate degree in nursing from Cayuga Neighborhood College just before going on to attend Roberts Wesleyan College exactly where she received her bachelor’s degree in nursing and a master’s in nursing education.

All through her profession, Dunsmoor has been involved with a assortment of specialist affiliations. She at present serves on the board of directors for the Weston T. Hyde Oswego County Educational Foundation and is a member of the NYS Association of County Wellness Officials (NYSACHO) and the National Association of County and City Wellness Officials (NACCHO).

She has also received many honors, such as becoming named on New York State’s Public Wellness Operates Honor Roll in 2020. This recognition honors public well being workers who have helped make New York a single of the healthiest states in 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 equivalent demographics to navigate powerful approaches for responding to the crisis. Amongst other advantages, the system reinforced partnerships with law enforcement, which led to the improvement of a Public Wellness and Security Group. The group will concentrate on utilizing information driven approaches to lessen overdoses and deaths due to overdoses to develop constructive transform in the neighborhood.

Oswego County Wellness Division solutions are out there to each and every resident in the county. For extra facts, check out www.oswegocounty.com/well being/ or contact the well being division at 315-349-3547.