NORWALK, Conn. — The Norwalk Health Department provides residents with a range of services and programs to protect public health.
The department conducts restaurant inspections and ensures that housing systems and other facilities are “meeting the Public Health code and other related regulations for safety and sanitation,” said Theresa Argondezzi, assistant director of health and community health for Norwalk.
Argondezzi added that the Health Department’s clinical services division oversees immunization, the tuberculosis clinic and infectious disease investigations, sexual health clinic and the emergency preparedness division.
These parts of the Health Department provide resources to the public in different situations, according to the department’s website.
For example, the Emergency Preparedness Division works to ensure that the City of Norwalk responds effectively to natural disasters, bioterrorism, and other emergencies that could affect the health of the public, according to the city’s website.
“When there [are] cases of certain infectious diseases, we can investigate them and work with our healthcare partners and others to make sure that the illness doesn’t spread further,” Argondezzi said.
Argondezzi said the department also operates the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, which “provides nutrition education, developmental screenings for kids and access to other connections to community resources.”
In an email, Argondezzi said the department’s mission “is to prevent and control the spread of disease, promote a healthy environment, and protect the quality of life within our changing community.”
Community Health Needs Assessment
Norwalk Department of Health and several partners released the latest Community Health Needs Assessment: Community Health Implementation Summary in 2025.
The assessment was designed as a “vital tool for identifying health priorities, understanding community concerns and fostering meaningful collaboration,” according to an introductory letter from Nuvance Health.
According to the assessment, the priorities chosen for the Norwalk Hospital service area were mental health, substance misuse and chronic conditions.
The priorities were selected based on “comprehensive data analysis and community feedback,” according to the plan.
“These priorities aim to address critical health issues and enhance the overall well-being of the community,” the plan stated.
The assessment compared data from Fairfield County, Connecticut and the United States as a whole.
Source: Norwalk Health Department
The most recent data from the Community Health Needs Assessment found that Fairfield County had higher binge drinking rates than Connecticut and the United States overall .
The assessment also found that the county had a lower rate of mental health providers per 1,000 residents than the state overall, but a higher rate than the U.S. overall.
Source: Norwalk Health Department
Fairfield County also had a higher rate of Alzheimer’s disease compared with both Connecticut and the country, according to the assessment.
Source: Norwalk Health Department
The data also showed the county had the same rate of other primary care providers per 1,000 residents as the United States overall, but a lower rate than Connecticut.
Argondezzi said the Norwalk Health Department updates the plan “every three to five years.”
Know Your Numbers
In an email, Argondezzi said the department has “several programs and initiatives that aim to prevent and manage chronic disease, including our work to increase food access, the Fit Kids and Growing Gardens programs, NorWALKer, and others.”
As part of its Know Your Numbers program, the Norwalk Health Department offers free screenings for blood pressure, blood sugar (A1C), body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference, according to the city’s website.
The program also provides participants with:
- Choice of free screenings
- A written summary of screening results to bring to their next doctor’s appointment
- Guidelines from the American Heart Association and other trusted public health sources on what their measurements mean
- Education about healthy eating, physical activity, managing stress, and other health behaviors that can help improve their numbers
- Connection to local healthcare services or a medical provider
- Information about accessing community health resources
Argondezzi said health screenings are free whether or not a person has health insurance.
Screenings are held monthly at the Norwalk Library’s Main Branch and Opens Doors at Smilow Life Center. More information is available on the Norwalk Health Department’s website.
How Connecticut compares nationally
National data showed how health departments in Connecticut compared to the rest of the country.
According to a report by KFF, Connecticut had the highest percent of needs met in the tri-state area it shares with New York and New Jersey as of December 31, 2025.
The state also had a higher average of percent of needs met than the United States on average, according to the report.
Source: KFF
When KFF compared data from the whole country, Connecticut had the seventh highest percent of needs met, behind South Carolina (78.54%), New Hampshire (78.87%), the Northern Mariana Islands (81.81%), Vermont (84.15%), the U.S. Virgin Islands (88.27%) and Guam (89.33%)
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