By John Estridge
Franklin County had a new health officer for about four hours.
Dr. Dave Jetmore was appointed by the Franklin County Commissioners in a special meeting that took place around 10 a.m., Tuesday, August 17.
Jetmore resigned as the county health officer at 2 p.m.
According to an email he sent to Commission President Tom Linkel, there was too much local opposition in the hiring of a Health Department supervisor and Jetmore having total control over the Health Department, which including the hiring and firing within the department.
“Tom, the resistance to me hiring a supervisor and having control of the health department seems almost visceral,” Jetmore said in an email to Linkel. “I think the best approach for me via this email is to resign. The ISDH can take over the department in the short term until another health officer can be named (hopefully, a local doc). I’ll send someone down to pick up my signature stamp. I enjoyed meeting you and wish you well.
“Best, Dave Jetmore”
An administrator in the Health Department would be a new position.
Commissioners said they supported the hiring of an administrator during the special meeting. At that meeting, Jetmore said it was also important to hire another nurse, and that money could come from grants. However, the administrator’s salary and benefits would have been paid by the county.
Both Jetmore and Linkel agreed at the commissioners’ meeting the Health Department needed a person in a supervisory capacity.
County council is currently holding budget hearings concerning the 2022 budget. Council members were set up in the same room as the commissioners and were not in session during the special meeting.
At this time, the Health Department is operating with just one nurse, and she is working more than 40 hours per week. Because she is salary, she is not receiving overtime pay for her extra hours, she said at the special meeting.
Also, at the special meeting, commissioners accepted the resignations of Jennifer Profitt and Patsy Weileman from the health board. The commissioners then appointed Crystal Halpin and Rachel Ramey, to take Profitt and Weileman’s respective positions. Halpin and Ramey are both RNs with Halpin being employed at Margaret Mary Hospital in Batesville, and Ramey is a nurse at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.
Commissioners said they will contact another Health Department board member who is also a commissioner appointee and ask for her resignation so they can appoint another person to her position.
Commissioners said they are actively looking for a Franklin County doctor to be the county health officer.
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So why did Profitt and Weileman resign?
I do not know about Jennifer. She resigned at the beginning of the meeting saying she had given many hours to the health department and didn’t have anytime for herself. Commissioners asked Patsy to resign. I believe the commissioners wanted new appointees to the health board.