Health Department of NW Michigan begins year with new board members and new health officer

CHARLEVOIX — As 2023 begins in earnest, the Health Department of Northwest Michigan begins the work of positioning themselves for successful decision-making in the new year.

At least on an operational level, both administrators and board leadership claim to have embraced a commitment to a unified course of action centered around transparency and increased communication within the organization.

There are several new players as the year gets underway: a new health officer, Dan Thorell, has been hired and many health department board members are new. Thorell replaced former health officer Lisa Peacock, who left the position last year following an embattled period created by, among other things, a strong community opposition to school mask mandates.

The health department board is made up of two county commissioners, who are elected officials, appointed from each of the following counties: Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet and Otsego. The Antrim County Commissioners on the health board are Jarris Rubingh, who was appointed vice chairman on Feb. 7, and newly elected Dawn LaVanway, who was appointed secretary and treasurer. From Charlevoix County are Scott Hankins, who was appointed chairman of the board on Feb. 7, and newly elected Josh Chamberlain. Emmet County is represented by new commissioners Rich Ginop and Don Mapes, and Otsego County is represented by new commissioners Henry Mason and Jonathan Turnbull.

More:Health department names Thorell as next leader

More:'I just can't stay': Peacock resigns as health officer of Health Department of Northwest Michigan

The current collective commitment to transparency is the result of some tough lessons learned during the pandemic, according to Thorell and commissioners Hankins and Rubingh.

During the end of Peacock's employment, the health department was under intense public scrutiny. Where previously one or two audience members attended monthly board meetings, the rise of COVID-19 created a situation where throngs of public attendees suddenly wanted to vocalize opinions about how the pandemic was being handled.

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Also, at the height of the pandemic, as board members looked to solve problems and respond to public input and administrators stood steadfast in support of their scientifically supported public health decisions, fundamental misunderstandings began to reveal themselves surrounding authority and jurisdiction within the department. This culminated in the attempted, but unsuccessful, removal of Peacock by some of the board members. Such a move, according to Michigan's public health code, was impossible to make.

Much of the public vitriol stemmed back to a school mask mandate that was issued after 5 p.m. on a Friday just days before the 2021 school year was set to start, leaving the public with no way to communicate with the health department, which was closed over the weekend.

"In the past, health departments have operated in the background ... they weren't in the foreground too often," said Thorell, when asked what he has learned from the pandemic crisis. "We were in a position that we weren't used to and I think some of the public lost trust in us — we need to work to rebuild that trust."

"My goal is to move forward in a positive manner," Thorell added, explaining how he is eager to move past the last few years. "Health departments across the state have really had a rough couple of years dealing with COVID response — we were never prepared for a multi-tiered response to a public health emergency. We are welcoming the chance to move away from that and get back to our fundamental programs."

Now, the parties involved say they appreciate the importance of understanding roles within the agency structure.

Thorell noted that one of his objectives is to "provide good information to the board of health so they can make informed decisions."

At the most recent health department board meeting on Feb. 7, Thorell and a representative from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services made a presentation about, among other things, the role of board members and the leadership authority of the health officer and medical director, Dr. Josh Meyerson. Time was also spent on "listening and responding" to public needs and in defining the term "governance." One portion of the presentation was even titled "Our role" with the corresponding "Your role" addressing the board members.

Board chairman Hankins also commented on moving forward, saying “Under our previous health officer there was a lot of tension between the health department and the counties and I’m hoping that is behind us now."

Hankins and vice chair Rubingh both praised Thorell. Hankins described him as "well thought out and rational and in a good position to lead the health department forward."

Rubingh commented on Thorell already having reached out to him personally despite his short tenure. Rubingh, who asked for permission from the board to say a prayer following the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of the meeting on Feb. 7, commented, "I think in previous years there wasn't a lot of transparency between the board and the health department."

In regards to future potential differences of opinion, Hankins — who is starting his second term as a Charlevoix County Commissioner and is in his second year as the chairman of the health board — said he is looking forward to getting to know the new health board members and that "there will be things that we perhaps disagree on but we all have things we can learn from each other."

Hankins said disagreements from the public are actually a good sign and he welcomes the engagement.

"One thing that has changed with the pandemic is that people have become a lot more active in addressing their local governmental boards," he said. "If people are not happy with the way they see things going, they will become much more engaged in addressing those boards and I think that is a good thing."

One current example is the board's recently declined support for a mindful meditation grant in Emmet County, citing Buddhist teachings as one of the reasons. Public opinion has come down on both sides of the issue, with comment made on Feb. 7 from an audience member in support of the action and an audience member in opposition of this action.

Rubingh has since proposed the board approve all grant requests for the health department in the future — a process that has, in the past, been a function of the staff.

Learn more about the Health Department of Northwest Michigan and upcoming board meetings at www.nwhealth.org.

— Contact reporter Annie Doyle at (231) 675-0099 or adoyle@charlevoixcourier.com

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Health department begins year with new board and a new health officer