DPHD Health Commissioner Garrett Guillozet gestures during the DAC annual meeting on March 21.
Gary Budzak | The Gazette
The rankings may have changed, but the results are the same: Delaware County is among Ohio’s and America’s healthiest counties.
The County Health Rankings & Roadmaps data for 2024 was released last week, and again Delaware is “top healthiest,” the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute said. The information was passed on to the Delaware Public Health District (DPHD).
The data no longer ranks counties by number but uses shades of color for counties with similar health. Delaware’s colors were the darkest, representing the “Healthiest in US… faring better than the average county in Ohio… and better than the average county in the nation.” Measurements are based on health outcomes and health factors. For more information, visit countyhealthrankings.org.
“These comparisons provide an exciting illustration of how Delaware County residents prioritize health, but also reflects conditions that we certainly can work on with our neighboring counties to allow everyone to be given similar opportunities and resources to live long and well,” DPHD Health Commissioner Garrett Guillozet said in a press release.
“The mission of the Delaware Public Health District is to promote, preserve and enhance the health of our community with a vision to be the dedicated leader in achieving the healthiest community to live, work, and grow,” the DPHD said on their website.
The healthiest announcement was made just prior to the annual meeting of the Delaware District Advisory Council (DAC) on March 21, the first in DPHD’s new digs at 470 S. Sandusky St. A majority of the county’s communities were present, either with their representative or an alternate, to provide a quorum to hold the meeting.
Among the items of business was to appoint a Board of Health member from the public to serve a new five-year term. After hearing from several qualified candidates and going into an executive session, the DAC voted for Lyndsey Parker as the newest Board of Health member.
There are nine Board of Health members, who meet on the last Tuesday of the month. There are two from the City of Delaware, one from Powell, one from Sunbury, and five from the remainder of the health district, one of whom must be a physician.
“The Delaware Public Health District Board of Health is the governing body for the district’s health department,” the DPHD said. “Responsibilities include establishing public health programs, appointing and employment of staff, financial management and rule-making authority.”
For more information, visit delawarehealth.org.
Assistant Editor Gary Budzak covers the eastern half of Delaware County and surrounding areas. He may be reached at [email protected].
