Here s how some Lancaster County boroughs and townships have responded to the resolution.
Wants a county health department
Denver Borough
Denver Borough Council members joined other local officials calling on Lancaster County to establish a county health department, which county commissioners have been reluctant to do so far, despite a yearlong pandemic.
During their meeting on March 29, council members offered informal support to the March 8 letter and resolution initiated by Manheim Township to create a county health department. Borough Council did not take a formal vote on the resolution.
Councilperson Todd Stewart, who said heâs not always one for more government, pointed out that a county health department could have been useful with the pandemic.
Proof youâve been inoculated with a COVID-19 vaccine?
Thatâs what the must-have list might look like for college students this fall, especially if local colleges and universities follow a trend beginning to take shape across the country in which schools are requiring students to get vaccinated in order to study in-person.
Universities like Rutgers in New Jersey and Cornell in upstate New York have announced plans to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for students expecting to live and learn on campus this fall.
Pennsylvaniaâs 14 state-owned universities, including Millersville University, do not intend to require students to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Two of the largest private colleges in Lancaster County, Franklin & Marshall and Elizabethtown, have not ruled it out.
Should Lancaster County develop its own health department?
Those in favor believe a county health department could better meet the needs of residents. Others express concerns over the potential cost. Author: Grace Griffaton (FOX43) Updated: 6:05 PM EDT April 7, 2021
LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. Should Lancaster County create its own health department? This is a thing that spending a little money now is going to save us money for generations, Ismail Smith-Wade-El, Lancaster City Council President, told FOX43.
The municipal push for the creation of a Lancaster County health department started in Manheim Township, where local leaders passed a resolution in favor last month.
Lancaster City Council is officially weighing in on Lancaster Countyâs lack of a health department.
Council members at a Monday committee meeting considered a resolution supporting the creation of a county health department and moved the resolution out of committee and onto councilâs April 13 agenda.
The Manheim Township Board of Commissioners passed a similar resolution last month and then sent it to every school district and municipality in Lancaster County, urging them to do the same.
Lancaster City Council President Ismail Smith-Wade-El said he asked the city clerk to draft a resolution similar to Manheim Townshipâs but with some adjustments. Those included adding a reference to a study conducted by Franklin & Marshall College, which was partially funded by the United Way of Lancaster County and indicated strong support for a public health department.