In 1886, Pasadena was just the second city incorporated in LA County. (Los Angeles of course was the first.) In 1892, six years after its incorporation, Pasadena started its own health department. At that time, most new cities had their own health departments until research showed how communicable diseases could not be contained within city borders. Nevertheless, Pasadena saw the value of having its own health department and proved this value over the years. Today there are only three cities that have their own health departments: Pasadena, Long Beach, and Berkeley.
In 1892 Pasadena had a population of only 10,000, yet that year they formed a Pasadena Board of Health. A year later, in 1893, there was a scarlet fever scare as well as rampant tuberculosis in the US—causing 50% mortality in the US. Pasadena was the first to explore the relationship between milk and TB, as well as diphtheria, typhoid, and other waterborne diseases. Pasadena was the first city in the state to require all milk be tested for TB before it could be sold. Pasadena was heavily involved in addressing the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic responding to 4,231 cases. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-21, the Public Health Department vaccinated up to 1,000 people a day.
Almost from the start, the Pasadena Public Health Dept went into homes to check the plumbing to ensure that the water was safe. Pasadena was the first in the state to require that water reserves be covered. Today the Public Health Department inspects food facilities in mobile vehicles, schools, and restaurants.
In 1926, public nurses helped provide free home births. Healthcare services, including immunizations for child diseases, were provided for many Latinos and other populations that could not afford a family doctor.
Starting in 1926 Pasadena was one of the early adopters of requiring that all food handlers hold a certificate showing they have been properly trained.
The list of services today has broadened significantly. You can learn more about today’s vital records program, disease detection efforts through the Epidemiology & Disease Control Division, HIV surveillance, Black Infant Health, vector control, urban wildlife management, and animal care & control and more on their website: https://www.cityofpasadena.net/public-health/
The Public Health Dept also plays a significant role providing services to our unhoused population through the Pasadena Outreach Response Team (PORT) program which connects individuals experiencing homelessness with critical resources.
Recognizing the extreme health disparities in Pasadena, in 1992 the Public Health Department moved from the City Hall to North Fair Oaks to more effectively address health inequities by being closer to those in need. You can learn more about the Department’s amazing history and services on the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSS5F5XMdQo
Since 1892, the Pasadena Public Health Department has been responsible for helping protect, maintain, and improve the health of the Pasadena community with responsibility for a wide variety of services that support the three core public health functions of assessment, policy development and assurance.