Earlier this year, there was a public outcry over the state Department of Health’s plans to move its field offices to Middletown in Orange County from Monticello in Sullivan County.

But a deal has been reached that’s touted as a win-win for everyone.

As manager of her family’s restaurant Liberty Diner, Irene Tsicalos consults with the state Department of Health a lot.

"I do all the inspections with them," she said. "I do all the walk arounds with them. You know, the codes I have to know, everything, how it has to be prepared, cooked."

So when she found out the state Health Department would be moving its field office from Monticello to Middletown, she was concerned.

"You know them so many years. You build a rapport with them, and so if they were in Middletown, my question was, 'are they gonna change all the inspectors? Are you gonna start from scratch again?' Building a rapport with these guys, if I have a question, I have to go to Middletown," Tsicalos said.

Residents and local leaders demanded state officials reassess a plan to move the only DOH field office out of Sullivan County. Local leaders said during summer months, when the county’s population can triple in size because of tourists, hotels and camps that rely on DOH inspections would suffer.

"We then tried to have them come back, and we had to find a spot for em," Sullivan County Legislature Chairman Robert Doherty said.

The Sullivan County Legislature and other county officials worked with the DOH to help find them office space, which can be hard to come by in the county.

The DOH eventually decided the current Sullivan County Public Health building in Liberty would house a satellite office, in addition to the new Middletown office.

Tsicalos said having the DOH office less than two miles from the diner will make working with them a piece of cake.

"I mean, that’s great as far as that goes," she said. "They know where they are, we know where they are and if we have any questions, they're right there in your backyard."

Through these doors and just steps away from the county’s public health team will be the new DOH office.

"By having the people here, if there is an issue, you can just drive up here and talk to them," Doherty said.

In a statement, state Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said, “Having an office within the Sullivan County Health Department will strengthen local collaboration and our ability to serve the local community, as we always have.”

Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther is a skeptic of the revised plan. She’s concerned about the size of the team at the new location. 

"We have large communities being built, thousands and thousands of people are coming," she said. "We need the DOH to be here, and we need to beef it up."

Doherty said that shouldn't be a concern.

"In 30 years, we've grown less than five percent," Doherty said. "I think we’re good."

The new DOH field office will open in Liberty on Oct. 1.