ITHACA, N.Y. (WHCU) – A merger is complete in Tompkins County.

The final phase of integration of the county’s Health Department and Mental Health Department began this week. Tompkins County Whole Health, complete with a new logo and redesigned website, launched Tuesday.

“We are pleased to announce the new name and logo to the community,” said Public Health Director and Mental Health Commissioner Frank Kruppa. “We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Tompkins County Legislature and County Administration for their support throughout this process. We’d also like to express our appreciation to our staff for their commitment and dedication to this work, to drive our services forward to holistically improve health outcomes for county residents.”

The process of merging began in 2019. The combination of TCHD and TCMH under shared leadership and administration is designed to help build a healthy, equitable community by addressing root causes of health disparities, as well as integrate mental, physical, and environmental health under the broad umbrella of overall health.

“Data has long demonstrated the benefits to treating persons holistically, incorporating mental, physical, and environmental health into a complete picture of the needs of the whole person,” said Deputy Mental Health Commissioner Harmony Ayers-Friedlander. “Tompkins County Whole Health embraces this concept and looks forward to providing our community members with a portfolio of services to improve individual and population health.”