Show appreciation to our public health professionals

As the Hill County Board of Health, we would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and recognize the tireless efforts and commitment of our dedicated public health professionals at the Hill County Health Department. During a time when tensions are running high due to the stress and uncertainty, we face every day as a result of the novel coronavirus and its impact on our community, our public health professionals remain steadfast in their commitment to keep our families safe.

Much of the work of our dedicated public health professionals goes on behind the scenes and often unnoticed. The staff at the Hill County Health Department provide services such as access to immunizations, family planning, the Women, Infant and Children’s program, as well as prevention and management of infectious disease in order to keep our Hill County residents healthy. Our dedicated staff continues to provide these day-to-day services while also actively navigating and successfully managing the challenges of today due to the presence of the coronavirus in Hill County and Montana. The focus and commitment of our public health professionals should not go unnoticed.

Our role, as outlined by Montana Code Annotated 50-2-116, includes the responsibility to “protect the public from the introduction and spread of communicable disease or other conditions of public health importance.” In order to continue to keep our Hill County residents safe, we support the difficult decisions our public health professionals have faced. We can, with great confidence, assure the residents of Hill County that each decision made by our health department professionals and health officer have been done only after having weighed the impacts and outcomes those decisions have on residents of Hill County. At a time when opinions vary greatly on the best course of action in preventing the spread of the coronavirus, we are confident that our Hill County Health Department staff, health officer and county attorney are working around the clock to ensure their recommendations to the public are based upon the latest evidence and best practices for containment of the novel coronavirus.

At a time when the state of Montana has witnessed three county public health directors resign, we encourage the residents of Hill County to join us in showing our appreciation for the dedication of our public health professionals. We likely have more challenging days ahead as the coronavirus remains in Hill County and Montana. Together, we can get through these days by supporting our public health professionals who have the education, experience and training to guide us through it.

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Hill County Board of Health

Mike Wendland, Chair

Diane McLean

Mark Peterson

Kristi Kline

Erica McKeon-Hanson, MPH