Since 1991, the National Association of Counties (NACo) has recognized April as National County Government Month (NCGM). The annual observance is meant to raise public awareness and understanding of the many roles and responsibilities county government plays in our everyday lives. Unfortunately, there is no time to celebrate this year as all 3,142 counties across America are now battling the COVID-19 pandemic,
Counties, as expressed by NACo, are continually on the front lines, protecting our communities from coronavirus and other illnesses that have the potential to become a pandemic. Counties support over 900 hospitals and operate over 1,900 public health departments, which are the ground troops in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak. These local health departments are working to protect public health in a number of key ways. Among them, they are communicating with transportation officials, educating health care providers, and communicating to the public best practices to reduce the spread of infectious diseases.
At the same time, local EMS are tirelessly caring for the sick and safely transporting them to area hospitals. Local law enforcement is diligently working to protect and serve communities. And, local government is working to ensure the continuous availability of essential services, including roads, economic and community development, housing, welfare, and vital records.
We, at BOLDplanning, believe that we speak for everyone when we say THANK YOU to county government across our great country. Your work is tremendously appreciated, especially at this unprecedented time, and we look forward to celebrating NCGM to the fullest in 2021.