[Amended 7-10-1973 by L.L. No. 16-1973]
[Amended 10-9-1973 by L.L. No. 25-1973]
The County, including the towns and villages situated therein,
shall continue to be a County Health District. The Commissioner of
Health Services shall be the chief administrative officer of the district.
He shall have all of the powers or duties conferred or imposed upon
county health officers and, except as otherwise provided in this article,
upon county boards of health. Any reference in the Public Health Law
or any other law, rule or regulation to a local department of health
by which is meant the Department of Health in Suffolk County shall
be deemed to refer to the Department of Health Services. Any reference
in the Public Health Law or any other law, rule or regulation to a
local commissioner of health by which is meant the Commissioner of
Health of Suffolk County shall be deemed to refer to the Commissioner
of Health Services.
[Amended 10-9-1973 by L.L. No. 25-1973; 12-30-1975 by L.L. No.
5-1976]
There shall be a Department of Health Services, the head of
which shall be the Commissioner of Health Services, who shall also
be the County Health Commissioner within the meaning of Article 3,
Title III, of the Public Health Law. He shall be appointed by the
County Executive with the approval of the County Legislature to serve
for a term of six years. He shall be a physician duly licensed to
practice medicine in the State of New York and experienced in public
health administration and shall meet such minimum qualifications of
professional and administrative education and experience as may be
desired by the Public Health Council of the state for a local health
district director. He shall give his whole time to the duties of his
office. Within the appropriations made therefor, the Commissioner
shall appoint a Deputy Commissioner, who shall act generally for and
in place of the Commissioner, and such other officers and employees
as may be provided by the County Legislature.
The Commissioner shall have the power to exercise and delegate
any functions, powers and duties vested in him or in the Department
by this Charter or otherwise, except those vested by law in the Board
of Health, the Commissioner of Mental Health and the Chief Medical
Examiner. In the performance of his functions the Commissioner shall
have, in addition to such others as may be conferred upon him from
time to time by law, the power and duty to:
A.Â
Analyze the needs of the County with respect to the matters subject
to the jurisdiction of the Department and, after consultation with
the County Executive, to prepare intermediate and long-range programs
designed to meet such needs and establish priorities for them.
B.Â
To the extent to which the organization of the Department is not
prescribed by law and in accordance with such standards as may be
established by the County Executive, organize the Department into
divisions, bureaus or offices and make assignments of powers and duties
among them and from time to time change such organization and assignments.
C.Â
Enter, with the approval of the County Executive, into contracts
for the provision of services.
[Amended 10-9-1973 by L.L. No. 25-1973]
D.Â
Have all powers which were heretofore exercised by the Commissioner
of Health through the Department of Health, and these shall be exercised
by the Commissioner of Health Services through the Division of Public
Health and, in addition to these, such other powers, duties and responsibilities
as may be given to or imposed upon it.
[Amended 11-12-1980 by L.L. No. 27-1980]
[Amended 10-9-1973 by L.L. No. 25-1973; 1-14-1975 by L.L. No.
2-1975; 11-23-1976 by L.L. No. 21-1976; 3-3-2020 by L.L. No. 13-2020]
There shall be in the Department a Board of Health. The Board
shall consist of seven members, of whom at least three shall be physicians
licensed to practice medicine in the State of New York, one shall
be the Chairman of the Health Committee of the County Legislature
and one shall be the Commissioner of Health Services. The Commissioner
of Health Services shall serve as Chairman of the Board of Health.
The members shall receive a stipend of $25 per member per meeting
attended and may be reimbursed for necessary and proper expenses incurred
in connection with their official duties. The members of the Board
of Health shall be residents of Suffolk County. The members, with
the exception of the Commissioner of Health Services and the Chairman
of the Health Committee of the Suffolk County Legislature, shall be
appointed by the County Legislature for terms of six years; provided,
however, that all incumbent members of the Board of Health in existence
at the time of the effective date hereof shall continue in office
until the expiration of their current terms. The Commissioner of Health
Services and the Chairman of the Health Committee of the Suffolk County
Legislature shall become members of the Board of Health at the time
of the effective date hereof and shall remain members for the term
of their appointments. Hereafter, upon the approval of the appointment
of the Commissioner of Health Services by the County Legislature and/or
the designation of a Chairman of the Health Committee of the Suffolk
County Legislature, said persons shall immediately become members
of the Board of Health for the term of their appointments or designations.
The Board of Health, subject to the provisions of the Public Health
Law and State Sanitary Code, shall have the power to adopt, promulgate,
amend or repeal rules and regulations affecting public health in the
County. The Board of Health shall, at the request of the Commissioner
of Health Services, consider any matter relating to the preservation
and improvement of public health. The Board of Health shall have no
executive, administrative or appointive duties except as otherwise
provided in this article.
A.Â
The County Sanitary Code which is in force in the County on the date
at which this section takes effect and all existing provisions of
law fixing penalties for violations of the code and all regulations
of the Board of Health duly filed on the effective date of this article
shall continue to be binding and in force except as amended or repealed
from time to time pursuant to this article. Such code shall have the
force and effect of law.
B.Â
The Board of Health from time to time may add to and alter, amend
or repeal any part of the County Sanitary Code. No provision of such
code shall be inconsistent with the Constitution or laws of the state,
the State Sanitary Code or orders made by the State Commissioner of
Health. Any violation of such Sanitary Code shall be enforced in the
manner prescribed by the Public Health Law or as may be provided under
such Sanitary Code.
C.Â
Any amendment
to the Suffolk County Sanitary Code which implements a recommendation
of the updated Suffolk County Comprehensive Water Resources Management
Plan shall not take effect until such time as the amendment is approved
by the Suffolk County Legislature by a duly enacted resolution.
[Added 8-16-2011 by L.L. No. 39-2011]
