NY's Free Citizen Public Health Training Kicks Off Wednesday

LONG ISLAND, NY — When another public health crisis arises, New Yorkers should be prepared to respond, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said. To that end, a new, free citizen public health training program kicks off statewide Wednesday.

Cuomo first discussed the program during his 2021 State of the State address.

The free, online course, offered by the New York State Department of Health in partnership with Cornell University and supported by the State University of New York, will help residents to become citizen public health leaders, armed with information to attack the next pandemic or other crisis.

Those who sign up will learn about COVID-19, public health emergency preparedness and response, and other public health issues, as well as become educated on resources to benefit their communities.

"We are determined to build back better, and part of that is making sure we are better prepared for the next pandemic," Cuomo said. "Every challenge that we needed to overcome in our fight against COVID required us to work as a community to protect one another. Government played a role, but everyday citizens made the difference."

When participants have completed the four-part online training course, they will be informed about how they can volunteer to help local public health operations in emergencies, as well as how to find and share information.

The course will be available through 2023.

For additional information and to sign up, click here.