The Department of Health and Human Services Community Health Division is responsible for the investigation of infectious diseases within the City of Danbury. We provide a variety of preventive health programs whose goals are to increase a healthy life span for Danbury residents. Our programs include partnerships with public departments and physicians. Over the last year, we have focused on COVID-19 Pandemic response.

• Administered 18,675 COVID-19 vaccines at our Rogers Park Middle School clinic location from December 2020-June 2021.
• Hired 11 part-time community health workers to assist with COVID-19 response, outreach, contact tracing, and vaccine clinic operations. 4 of them achieved a certificate and became a Certified Community Health Worker.
• Hosted 2 mass flu vaccination/COVID-19 testing sites and additional smaller scale flu clinics with other community partners and organizations.
• Administered over 1,300 flu vaccines at various clinic sites.
• Conducted contact tracing for over 12,315 cases and contacts in an effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
• Coordinated community COVID-19 testing with Federally Qualified Health Centers for vulnerable populations.
• Collaborated with local community organizations to provide COVID-19 vaccination services including scheduling, outreach, education-based tabling events, and the establishment of clinics.
• Creation of COVID-19 Public Service Announcements, including radio advertisements on Danbury stations and a commercial.

The Department of Health and Human Services Emergency Preparedness Division is continually building preparedness capabilities to deal with emergency situations. We have a well-organized group of staff members and a strong volunteer force that continues to review emergency response plans for the safety of our community. Our team works with other municipal agencies that include the Police Department, Fire Department, and other authorities to carry out response plans in the event of an emergency. The Division serves as an educational resource for personal and community preparedness.
• Vaccinated 22 homebound individuals against COVID-19 in Danbury.
• Facilitated distribution of PPE to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Coordinated Isiais Tropical Storm Response to ensure vulnerable populations had access to safe and clean food, water, and shelter during the extended power outage.

The City of Danbury’s Environmental Health Division strives to take preventive measures to assure the safety of its residents. Our goal is to prevent illness, disability, injury, and death from interactions between residents and the environment. Our qualified team conducts health inspections, investigates and resolves complaints regarding hazardous conditions, and educates residents to take precautions to ensure a healthy environment. The Department of Health and Human Services is in partnership with state and federal agencies and is responsible for the enforcement of the state public health codes, state statutes and regulations, and local health ordinances.
• Conducted over 600 COVID-19 compliance inspections and responded to 450 COVID-19 related complaints.
• Partnered with various city departments to establish the COVID-19 Health Enforcement Team.
• Hired two part-time public health inspectors.
• Investigated multiple Elevated Blood Lead Level cases in partnership with the State of Connecticut Department of Public Health and identified various ceramic ware pieces as the source of lead poisoning, which lead to an embargo/recall of these products.
• Two full-time Public Health Inspectors received their Phase II subsurface sewage disposal certification.
• Two staff members completed their Lead Risk Assessor and Lead Inspector certification and four received their recertification.

• CT DPH Vaccine Equity Partnership Funding: $946,084.06
• CT Dept. of Public Health Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity Grant: $510,143
• CT Health Foundation (COVID-19 Response): $125,000
• CT Health Foundation Extension (COVID-19 Response): $100,000
• CT DPH - Local Health Department Reimbursement for COVID-19: $76,058
• CT Department of Housing - Emergency Shelter: $138,264