New health commissioner addresses local leaders

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The new commissioner of the Delaware Public Health District (DPHD) recently sent a letter to representatives of the communities the agency serves.

“It is my intent to strengthen and expand our relationship with the cities, townships, and villages within Delaware County,” Health Commissioner Garrett Guillozet said in a letter addressed to members of the District Advisory Council (DAC). “At your request, I am available to attend meetings to provide updates regarding the services and programs that we currently provide.”

The council will have its annual meeting in March. DAC consists of a representative from each of the county’s townships, villages and cities. Some of those DAC members serve on the DPHD Board of Health. The board consists of two members from the city of Delaware, one from Powell, one from Sunbury, and five other members from the county, one of whom is a physician.

Last October, Guillozet was appointed by the Board of Health to be the new health commissioner, starting with the new year.

“As a matter of background, I have over 17 years of direct experience in local public health, including most recently serving as the Health Commissioner for Ross County Health District,” Guillozet wrote. “In addition, I have served as Division Manager at Franklin County Public Health in the environmental health division and currently serve as Chair of the Ohio Public Health Advisory Board, Treasurer of the Ohio Public Health Association, an At-Large Director of the Association of Ohio Health Commissioners, and Past President of Ohio Environmental Health Association.”

Guillozet has degrees from Ohio Northern and Kent State universities.

“I am excited about this opportunity to work with such a team of dedicated public health professionals,” he wrote. “I know that the Health District staff appreciates your engagement and collaboration to help us live into our mission of ‘promoting, protecting, and improving the health of our community.’ … I am looking forward to our continued work together.”

In a prior interview with The Gazette, Guillozet said he wanted to continue to expand DPHD’s services and programs to meet the needs of residents. He said the district’s reputation and Delaware County being named the healthiest county in Ohio by U.S. News & World Report attracted him to the position.

The district’s monthly e-newsletter for January has some new features. Gone is the COVID-19 level of recent months. Instead, there is a chart of “current trends in infectious disease,” with a list of 37 kinds of infectious disease reported to DPHD in the last five years. Of those, COVID-19 has the highest number of cases by far — 2,150 between October and December of 2022. However, that number is lower than the historical five-year average during same months, which was 3,355.

For more information, visit delawarehealth.org.

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