Marion County Health Department Administrator Melissa Mallow is planning a presentation to the county board next Tuesday night to explain the guidelines they are required to follow and the required makeup of the health department board.
The health board agreed to have Mallow make the presentation during a special meeting held Wednesday night in the aftermath of the county board holding up the appointment of five members to the health board. Before the entire board agreed to table the appointments, board members Brock Waggoner and Jack Riley expressed their feelings that the department had made some mistakes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mallow and the board members agreed they were just doing their job. A member of both the County Board and Health Board, Dr. Creighton Engel and Dr. Kyle Clark both said it was insulting that the operation of the department was questioned when they were doing everything possible to handle the pandemic when being overwhelmed with changing guidelines they had no control.
Mallow said they have to follow their bylaws.
“Duties of the Board of Health talks about the Board shall be within their jurisdiction and professional and technical competence enforce and observe all state laws pertaining to the preservation of health in all County and Municipal Ordinances.”
Mallow says the makeup of the health department board is also very specific requiring two physicians, a dentist, county board member and someone from the legal and education community.
Engel noted it is ridiculous the health board and the nominees have to go through this. He feels Mallow’s presentation will help because many county board members probably don’t know how the health department is required to operation.
The only county financing of the health department is the annual $190,000 property tax levy. The rest of the money for the nearly $2-million budget comes through state and federal grant funding.
The five members up for reappointment to new three-year terms are Dr. Elizabeth Franczyk, Kendra Taylor, Dr. Clark DDS, Pharmacist Michael Morton, and Dr. Seth Hahs. The health board noted Dr. Hahs wasn’t even on the board at the time of the pandemic.
