Over the last three years, local health departments in New York have been the first line of response for a variety of public health concerns: Vaping-related lung illnesses in 2018, a measles outbreak in 2019 and, last year, the first global pandemic in a century. 

But local health departments in New York have faced either flat spending or reductions over the last six years in New York, the New York State Association of County Health Officials top official testified to lawmakers on Thursday. 

Local public health officials are seeking a restoration of nearly $70 million in proposed spending reductions for public health funding in the state as the pandemic continues to drag on and a COVID-19 vaccine is being rolled out across the country. 

Beyond the individual events of measles and COVID-19, local health departments have also contended with adjacent issues, including a rise in deaths by suicide and opioid overdose.

"I know you share my pride in the thousands of public health professionals who have continuously put themselves in harms way to respond to the pandemic," Sarah Ravenhall, the association's executive director, told state lawmakers at a legislative hearing on the state budget. "They have met this challenge with profound courage, inexhaustible commitment and unrivaled expertise. They are now fully engaged in vaccine administration, even as they fulfill innumerable other public health responsibilities."

At the same time, public health departments want to be able to help shape policy surrounding the potential legalization of adult-use marijuana in the state, which lawmakers are debating in the coming weeks and Gov. Andrew Cuomo has once again proposed in his state budget. Final apporval will include local health departments providing community education, and funding for that will be needed, the group said.