100 years ago, as diphtheria and tuberculosis claimed hundreds of thousands of lives around the United States, the Warren County Board of Supervisors appointed a nurse, Miss Helen Roberts, to serve as the county’s first public health nurse, based on a request by the Warren County Tuberculosis Committee.
A century later the threat from these diseases has been minimized, but the agency that Nurse Roberts founded grew to become Warren County Health Services, which continues her mission to help keep Warren County residents healthy.
What began in 1925 has grown to a modern agency that helps keep residents healthy in their homes, at their schools and anywhere else the mission takes them.
The Warren County Board of Supervisors on Friday, October 17, 2025 congratulated the staff of Warren County Health Services on the agency’s centennial, a 100-year legacy of assisting residents in many health-related ways.
The department’s motto, “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can,” has guided staff for decades.
That has resulted in a department that:
- Provides immunizations for adults and children who are not able to get them at a doctor's office or health clinic.
- Monitor/track and respond to communicable diseases in Warren County.
- Coordinates treatment for sexually transmitted infections and HIV.
- Works with families to see if they qualify for Early Intervention services and Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities.
- Helps parents get the recommended lead tests for their child, even if they can't afford to do so.
- Provides information about various health, including tobacco/vaping prevention, hygiene, tooth care, seasonal topics like ticks and Lyme disease, child safety and more.
- Holds periodic Rabies Clinics for pets.
- Responds to emergency situations as needed.
- Provide home care and services to women and infants through the WIC Program.
Said Kevin Geraghty, Chairman of the Warren County Board of Supervisors: “We congratulate Warren County Health Services on 100 years of tireless service to the residents of Warren County. The Health Services staff, under the direction of Director Ginelle Jones and Deputy Director Patricia Belden, have shown their dedication to the well-being of Warren County residents, and we are very grateful for all that the Health Services staff does for the residents of and visitors to Warren County.”
A proclamation honoring Warren County Health Services was endorsed by the Board of Supervisors, and a reception was held following the Friday Board of Supervisors meeting. Robert Viets, Program Director for New York State Association of County Health Officials, was among those on hand for the event.