Commissioners dash calls for Westmoreland health department, trumpet broadband upgrade

With covid-19 still a constant threat and source of concern, county leaders on Thursday said they see a brighter future born from lessons learned during the ongoing pandemic.

Commissioners speaking at the Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce’s virtual State of the County conference outlined coronavirus-related challenges and successes, a plan to rebrand the county — and dashed calls for creating a local health department.

Formation of a county health department to assist with covid-19 testing and vaccinations won’t be a priority in 2021, commissioners said.

“You’re looking at anywhere from $7 million to $10 million for a start-up. Yes, the state has money for a start-up if it progresses, but the fact is that is a massive amount of money the commissioners do not have. We would have to take a bond issuance for that or raise your taxes to have a health department,” said Commissioner Sean Kertes. “If the residents really want it, it’s something we need to know about. But it’s not going to come cheap, and it’s going to cost.”

Talk about a health department started as the pandemic progressed last fall and continued this winter over concerns about the slow rollout of vaccinations and county government’s lack of involvement in the process. Just two counties in Western Pennsylvania — Allegheny and Erie — operate their own health departments.

Commissioner Doug Chew said costs and regulatory issues would be hurdles to creating a Westmoreland health department.

“I don’t think at this time, unless the county really wants a health department, we can overcome that,” Chew said.

Commissioner Gina Cerilli said she would support a regional effort in which Westmoreland joined neighboring counties to form a joint health department. That still would be costly and take years to finalize, she said.

“Those are further discussions we would have to have, but unfortunately nothing we would do right now would see any advance within the next year or so,” Cerilli said.

Commissioners highlighted the county’s work during the pandemic, including efforts by its public safety department to disburse more than 315,000 pieces of personal protective equipment to first responders, county staff and nursing homes and the issuance of grants to small businesses, nonprofit organizations, municipalities, fire departments and emergency medical services.

Cerilli praised efforts by the county’s nonprofit community to assist residents who struggled to find food and other support services for those in need of housing, medical and other human services.

Commissioners said lessons learned during the pandemic will help push the county to greater future successes, including branding Westmoreland as a destination for teleworkers to help reverse a trend that has seen population declines for several decades.

“Let’s work to increase our broadband infrastructure, develop a brand and identity and then market Westmoreland County as a new home to teleworkers,” Chew said. “Let’s show those big-city folk that Westmoreland County still has farms with plows and corn, as our great seal depicts. But, we also have infrastructure for Zoom meetings and Googling.”

Chew, who for the last year has championed broadband improvements throughout the county, called for more progress on that front. A recent study revealed 83% of residents want faster and more reliable internet services and that business owners overwhelmingly supported installation of better broadband networks, he said. An overwhelming number of residents, 91%, said government should help facilitate better broadband access, Chew said.

Commissioners last year allocated grant funds to install hot spots at 22 county libraries to expand internet access in and around those facilities.

Internet access could be a boon to the county’s growth, commissioners said.

“Now, more than ever, people are working from home and (this) could be a big opportunity for Westmoreland County. You don’t have to live in the big city to work at a big corporate job,” Cerilli said.