Harford County health officer Lauren Levy gave an update to the county council on departmental programs, staffing and community outreach, saying she has been in the role “for a little over 2 months” and has spent that time meeting staff and partners across the department.

Levy told the council the department’s Bureau of Administration issued more than 17,000 vital records certificates last year and highlighted the work of the MCHIP team that enrolls residents in health insurance. She said the Bureau of Behavioral Health provided “over 13,000 mental health and substance use disorder related services” in fiscal year 2025 and presented a slide showing a 47 percent decrease in fatal overdoses in the first seven months of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024.

Levy said the care coordination bureau has a leadership change: Kim Proud recently retired as director and Pammer Choppy will serve as acting director while recruitment proceeds. She praised clinical staff for a busy back-to-school immunization season and described environmental health as “unsung heroes” who have weathered staffing shortages. The family health bureau’s Medicaid transportation team arranged more than 25,000 rides in fiscal year 2025, Levy said. The population health bureau was credited for minority health, tobacco and diabetes prevention work and support for emergency preparedness.

Levy also described recent and upcoming community engagement: the department hosted listening sessions tied to the rural health transformation program included in federal HR1, and will hold an “I U We Matter” symposium for middle- and high-school–age girls on Friday, Nov. 21, from 4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. in Abingdon. She noted September was Recovery Month and thanked the council for issuing a proclamation.

On seasonal respiratory illnesses, Levy encouraged residents to consult providers or pharmacists about vaccinations, noting flu shots are recommended for everyone 6 months and older and pointing the public to guidance posted on both the Maryland Department of Health website and the Harford County Health Department website.

Council members asked operational questions during the presentation. Councilmember Bennett asked how long a potential oral rabies vaccination distribution would take; department staff said the field distribution is typically a one-time fall distribution lasting about two to three weeks and can be added to routine site visits by a four-person division. Audience members and council members asked for breakdowns of recent rabies positives by species and whether grant or federal support might be available for vaccination programs; staff said Anne Arundel County has an established program and that USDA wildlife services might provide technical support but funding or participation would not be guaranteed.

At the end of the update, the council moved on to other agenda items.