The Torrington Area Health District (TAHD) was the second health district formed in Connecticut and was officially recognized by the State Department of Public Health in 1967. Initially, the TAHD was needed to enforce state regulations dealing with septic systems, wells, food inspections, and other environmental health mandates. Today, the health district is a wide-ranging agency addressing traditional public health responsibilities as well as collaborating with many other federal, state and local organizations on new emerging issues.

Since starting, the TAHD has grown from 47,800 to over 121,000 residents and from 193 to 582 square miles. Municipalities with the year they became a member are as follows: Borough of Bantam, Borough of Litchfield, Litchfield, Goshen, Harwinton, Morris and Torrington (1967), Bethlehem and Thomaston (1978), Cornwall (1980), Warren (1981), Winsted (1983), Kent and Salisbury (1988), Norfolk (1993), Watertown (1995), Plymouth (1998), and Canaan (2001).

In 2000, the TAHD purchase a 13,000 square foot building on Main Street in Torrington, and converted it into a state-of-the-art center for its activities. This structure contains the TAHD general offices as well as programs dealing with Immunizations; Food Protection; and Women, Infants & Children (WIC); Family Strides. Early Head Start, a program offered by Education Connection, also shares this space and many of their clients overlap TAHD family services. For the public convenience, the TAHD operates from many other locations.

To promote and to protect the physical and environmental well-being of the citizens of the Torrington Area Health District through direct services, wellness and promotion programs and active support of community efforts.