2024 Dr. Harold Keltz Distinguished Public Health Service Award Winner: David Raizen
David Raizen, the longtime president of Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps, is the recipient of the Dr. Harold Keltz Distinguished Public Health Service Award.
Mr. Raizen became president in the early 1980s and has served as either president or chairman of the board since that time. He first joined the ambulance corps in 1977, and has been its driving force for the past 45 years. Mr. Raizen became an EMT and then a paramedic, and has led and directed every new initiative the ambulance corps has taken on.
Mr. Raizen worked with Scarsdale Village to identify a centrally located empty property at 5 Weaver Street where a new ambulance corps headquarters could be situated. He led a successful fundraising drive that enabled construction without tax dollars of a building with two ambulance bays, sleeping quarters for 10, an oxygen filling station, kitchen, squad room and training center.
SVAC offers a NYS certified EMT class to Scarsdale High School students, along with training classes for professional rescuers and the public, including CPR and Stop the Bleed classes for community groups, individuals and school staff.
Under Mr. Raizen’s direction, SVAC has launched a pilot community paramedicine program, in which paramedics and EMTs make home visits to residents who have recently been discharged from White Plains Hospital. Paramedics can draw blood for labs, provide fluids and treat patients with pneumonia and diabetes, to help reduce hospital readmissions. This work is being done under the auspices of a new Community Paramedicine state law passed last summer, which allows paramedics to continue providing these services for two years. SVAC is one of more than 50 agencies participating in the program. The program expands on the work that SVAC paramedics did during the COVID-19 pandemic, under the Governor’s executive order, when they vaccinated and tested thousands of homebound, frail and immunocompromised residents in their homes. In total, SVAC provided more than 22,000 COVID PCR tests and vaccinations to residents of Westchester.
The Dr. Harold Keltz Distinguished Public Health Service Award is presented to an individual or organization exemplifying the highest level of commitment and distinguished public health service to our community. The award is named for Dr. Keltz, a pulmonologist who devoted his career to the compassionate care of Tuberculosis patients in Westchester. As a tribute to his commitment to service, the board named this award for Dr. Keltz after his passing.
2024 J.R. Tesone Youth Public Health Service Award Winner: Ashley Madden
Ashley Madden is a Pleasantville High School senior who has become a fierce advocate for the prevention, treatment and allocation of resources to help people who have both a mental health challenge and an addiction, known as co-occurring disorders.
In 2019, Ashley learned about the Harris Project, Inc., a Westchester non-profit that provides prevention programming and advocates for improved services for people with co-occurring disorders. She quickly became passionate about helping. Starting in eighth grade, she met with school administrators, scheduled presentations and events and added CODA to the conversation in her middle and high school.
Ashley was a leader at the first Virtual CODA Youth Advocacy Night in October 2020, and delivered testimony to the New York State Office of Mental Health and Office of Addiction Services and Supports at their 2020 listening sessions. She has advocated for increased resources for Co-Occurring Disorders and mental health services with numerous state legislators. During a Virtual CODA Youth Summit in April 2021, Ashley presented on advocacy and education to hundreds of students throughout Westchester and has served as a youth leader for the past several years. Through a science research program at her high school, Ashley researched and wrote a scholarly paper on this topic.
This award honors the memory of J.R. Tesone, a Westchester County Board of Health member who died in 2014. J.R. Tesone devoted his life to making summers safe and fun for hundreds of children. He found his calling as a camp counselor and later became the dedicated owner and director of Breezemont Day Camp in Armonk.
2024 Commissioner’s Award to Emil Nigro, MD, FACEP
Emil Nigro, MD, FACEP, is the 2024 recipient of the Commissioner’s Award.
Dr. Nigro is being recognized for his dedication to emergency medicine and the training of emergency service workers throughout Westchester and beyond.
After graduating from Fordham University College of Pharmacy, Dr. Nigro taught high school biology and other sciences in Manhattan while working as a part-time pharmacist before attending medical school. Following a residency in internal medicine at Westchester Medical Center, Dr. Nigro joined Phelps Hospital as an Emergency Medicine Physician in 1979. He served as medical director of the Emergency Department at Phelps from 1984 until 2017.
While directing the Emergency Department, Dr. Nigro recognized that emergency responders needed further education and training. With funding and support from the Hoch family, Dr. Nigro was the driving force behind the design and construction of the new Phelps Hospital Emergency Department and the Hoch Center for Emergency Education, which opened in 2008. Each year, the Hoch Center trains hundreds of clinicians, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, firefighters and police officers in first aid, CPR, advanced emergency medicine and other lifesaving techniques. The Center served as an international model, and hosted visitors from Bhutan, Japan, Australia and China, who were interested in its training methods. During the pandemic, the Center tested and vaccinated thousands of residents, especially homebound seniors.
In 2018, he was elected chairman of the Phelps Medical Board and President of its Medical Staff, and he served in those roles until this year. Dr. Nigro currently serves as the medical director of the Hoch Center for Emergency Education at Phelps Hospital Northwell Health in Sleepy Hollow.
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” - Maya Angelou
In July 2021, the Westchester County Department of Health (WCDH) received a federal grant to develop a health education program that addressed health disparities and health literacy in communities experiencing disproportionately high COVID-19 case and death rates. The pilot program relied on dialogue-based learning and engaging Trusted Messengers in a train-the-trainer program with the help of diverse partners, including healthcare providers and community- and faith-based organizations (CBOs).
Because of the positive outcomes observed using this model, WCDH will use the KBLB framework to engage new and existing community partners to support the Westchester County Executive’s recently-launched Westchester Tobacco Free Program. This initiative entails funding and implementing a public health education campaign to all residents highlighting the dangers of tobacco usage, offering tools to help smokers quit smoking, and supporting local community efforts to reduce smoking.
Who are Trusted Messengers
We work with partners to identify Trusted Messengers, who are individuals who are passionate about community wellness and enjoy working collaboratively toward health equity. In addition to learning about the health topic of focus, Trusted Messengers learn how to moderate discussions among people of different backgrounds who bring diverse opinions to the table. After the training, Trusted Messengers will receive support to lead health information discussions in the communities they know best.
What do community or faith-based organizations contribute?
Community and faith-based organizations contribute their leadership and local knowledge to customize trainings and discussion sessions to ensure cultural and linguistic appropriateness. They identify Trusted Messengers, as well as the communities that may benefit from having a Trusted Messenger in their neighborhoods.
What is the County Health Department’s role?
WCDH staff are the primary administrators of the program. They coordinate the collaboration of organizations and community, provide and monitor adherence to curriculum, share expertise developed during the KBLB pilot program and lead a program evaluation to measure the effectiveness of KBLB over time. WCDH also funds CBOs that meet certain requirements and help the health department implement KBLB among the populations they serve.
Guiding Principles
Community expertise over technical knowledge:
We prioritize building educational programs that are community-based and community-engaged. By collaborating with community and faith-based organizations and Trusted Messengers, we aim to develop and deliver interactive information sessions that are relevant, culturally sensitive, and linguistically appropriate for diverse Westchester communities.
Listening over lecturing:
KBLB develops health information sessions that are interactive discussions. Trusted Messengers and program participants are encouraged to share knowledge about barriers to health improvement in their community. That way, helpful information is exchanged in both directions.
Prevention over cure:
The popular phrase, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” guides our emphasis on health behaviors and resources to improve overall physical and mental well-being. We aim to equip Westchester residents with sustainable tools and knowledge to protect themselves and their loved ones from a broad range of health concerns.
Long-term solutions over quick fixes:
A holistic approach to our health can prepare us better to make health decisions when needed. We also aim to build lasting relationships with health providers, community organizations, faith networks, and the community at large. When new community education programs are developed, the foundation of trust and understanding developed through the KBLB partnership experience that aids effective communication, resource-sharing, and mutual feelings of support will contribute to the success of ongoing community outreach efforts.
The Westchester County Department of Health is a community of professional public health workers who help you and your family enjoy better health. We protect and promote the health of the public through prevention, prolonging meaningful life and providing leadership in health crises.
What is Public Health? (WCDOH Youtube video)
If you need assistance outside of business hours, consult the documents or call the hotline phone numbers listed below.
Animal Contact
- Catching a bat. Download and Watch this 80-second video prepared by the New York State Department of Health on the proper technique for safely capturing a bat found in a home.
- List of licensed registered trappers
- NYSDOH 2021 Guidance Regarding Human Exposure to Rabies and Postexposure Prophylaxis Decisions
- Rabies Post Exposure Prophylaxis Algorithm for Medical Providers
- Report of animal bite, scratch and contact form (fillable pdf)
- Human Rabies Case Investigation Record-HCP (fillable pdf)
- CDC Updates on Vaccine and Immune Globulin Availability
Building Departments by Municipality
Complaint Fillable Forms - Administrator on-call
(Fill out the forms and print or save as a pdf, don't forget to rename the pdf doc.)
- General Overnight Complaint Fillable Form 2014
- Overnight Report of Animal Bite, Scratch or Contact fillable form
- After Hours Spill Incident Report Form Fillable (OEHRC)
Disease Control
- WCDOH Communicable Disease Reporting Requirements (Updated 1/2024)
Mercury and Chemical Spills
- Health care providers – For medical questions and consultation on managing patients who have been exposed to a chemical, such as mercury, or have ingested a chemical or poison, contact the Poison Control Center.
- Members of the public – If you have been exposed to a chemical or poison, seek immediate medical attention.
- Poison Control Center's 24/7 hotline: (800) 222-1222
- Visit the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry, a federal public health agency, for useful information about toxic substances.