By John Estridge
The Franklin County Health Board is going to hold an emergency meeting at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, August 24, in the Commissioners Room at the Government Center.
The county health department is in apparent disarray.
One county health officer resigned after he stated he did not believe children and teens should receive the COVID vaccination, according to media reports. A second health officer, Dr. Dave Jetmore, resigned less than four hours after being appointed to that position Tuesday, August 17, by the Franklin County Commissioners.
In the commissioners’ meeting where he was appointed, Jetmore had asked for complete control of the health department, including the hiring and firing. Also discussed at that commissioners meeting was the idea of hiring an administrator to run the health department. Jetmore said someone has to be in charge. County council was meeting before the commissioners meeting and after the commissioners meeting in the annual budget hearings for the next calendar year. The desire for an administrator publicly surfaced recently.
While grants pay for nurses’ salaries, the county would seemingly have to pay for an administrator and that person’s benefits.
At the August 17 meeting, commissioners were noncommittal about hiring an administrator and also on allowing Jetmore carte blanche.
According to a Cincinnati Enquirer article written by Dan Horn and published on Wednesday, August 18, Jetmore was quoted as saying he attempted to use his authority to fire a part-time employee who told him COVID-19 was a bioweapon created by the Chinese to reduce population.
Apparently, commissioners did not allow him to fire the employee.
Without a health officer, the health department cannot administer vaccines and issue birth or death certificates. Commissioners said they are trying to find a replacement for Jetmore.
At the August 17 meeting, one health board member resigned at the meeting’s start and a second, who was in the audience, was also asked to resign by the commissioners. They were immediately replaced by two RNs. A third current board member was mentioned by the commissioners as wanting her to also resign. She was not at the commissioners meeting.
The situation is further exacerbated by the fact the department is down to one nurse. And the current nurse is having to work overtime without compensation as she is a salaried employee.
According to Megan Wade-Taxter, media relations coordinator, Office of Public Affairs for the Indiana State Department of Health, in situations like this, the ISDH, can take over a local health department.
“As Indiana Code 16-19-3-12 states, the State Department of Health may ‘enforce the orders and rules of the state department within the territorial jurisdiction of the local health authorities’ if a local health department does not have a health officer,” she said.
She said the state health department is in communication with the local health department.
The emergency meeting is about the reorganization of the local health department. The public is invited.
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