Goshen, N.Y. – Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus is commending the County’s Emergency Services Department for its continued response during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Orange County is proactive about public safety and I’m proud of our Emergency Services team’s response during this unprecedented public health emergency,” Neuhaus said. “Working closely with the County’s Health Department and other local, State and Federal agencies, Emergency Services has coordinated a full-scale response to the pandemic, while providing other important essential services. I also would like to acknowledge the brave and unwavering work of our first responders and medical professionals during this crisis.”
The County’s Emergency Operations Center was activated in response to the COVID-19 outbreak on Thursday, March 5th and has remained fully-staffed every day since. This is the longest ongoing emergency response operation for this facility since it opened in 2008. The 88,000 square-foot facility provides resources to the County’s Division of Emergency Communications, Emergency Management, Police Liaison Services and Emergency Medical Services.
Emergency Management has also worked in coordination with the County Health Department, New York State, and private entities to distribute Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to medical facilities, hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, and assisted living facilities. The Division of Emergency Communications answered 12,992 calls in March and experienced a 6.75 percent increase in medical calls (3,508 in 2019; 3,745 in 2020).
“I am incredibly proud of my staff and the men and women from various County departments and medical providers that have staffed the EOC for the past 40 days,” Orange County Commissioner of Emergency Services Brendan Casey said. “County Executive Neuhaus and Health Commissioner Dr. Irina Gelman have put the County in the best position to respond to this challenge. We will continue to work hard to ensure the safety of Orange County residents and get through this together.”
For more information, contact Justin Rodriguez, Assistant to the County Executive for Communications and Media Relations at 845.291.3255 or jrodriguez@orangecountygov.com.
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