Mid-Michigan District Health Department
Mid-Michigan District Health Department (MMDHD) held its annual district-wide meeting on October 5, 2012, at which Outstanding Performance and Longevity awards were announced.
Outstanding Performance awards were presented to:
Administrative Services Division
Ruby Suarez, Public Health Representative; Melissa Bowerman, Director of Administrative Services
Ruby Suarez, Public Health Representative: Ruby Suarez, whose main responsibility is purchasing for the agency, has streamlined the ordering process and is also known for her upbeat, positive attitude. It was also noted that her flexibility and willingness to cover for others is very much appreciated.
Melissa Bowerman, Administrative Services Division Director: Melissa Bowerman, in her role as Director of Administrative Services, is responsible for human resources, financial operations, and management of information systems. With the retirement of Kim Singh as Health Officer the end of April, Bowerman stepped in as Acting Health Officer until the arrival of current Health Officer, Marcus Cheatham. According to Cheatham, “She calmly guided the Department through a time of uncertain transition.”
Community Health and Education Division
Laura Grosskopf, Public Health Nurse: Laura Grosskopf is tenacious at following up on communicable disease reports. She is dedicated to tracking down infectious clients, via phone calls and drop by home visits. She also provides clients and providers with much needed information to maximize health. She is kind and does whatever it takes to protect the public’s health, whether it’s vaccinating a walk-in client or accompanying Environmental Health staff on a tattoo parlor inspection.
Marcus Cheatham, Health Officer; Bonnie Havlicek, Community Health and Education Division Director; Peggy Fox, Public Health Nurse; Laura Grosskopf, Public Health Nurse
Peggy Fox, Public Health Nurse: Peggy Fox is always willing to help out with clients, and when she’s asked to take on a new challenge, she does so very efficiently. She took on a leadership role in implementing electronic health record systems for the Mid-Michigan Health Plan, United Way funded dental assistance program, and immunizations.
Environmental Health Division
Marcus Cheatham, Health Officer; Greg Price, Environmental Health Specialist; Lonnie Smith, Environmental Health Supervisor
Greg Price, Environmental Health Specialist: Greg Price was trained and certified through the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) to be the agency’s Standardized Trainer in the food service evaluation program. His role includes training new sanitarians how to conduct food service evaluations, conducting quality assurance reviews of the food service plan review program, and assures that existing food service evaluators are interpreting the Michigan Food Law and the FDA Food Code correctly.
Longevity awards, in recognition for years of service, were presented to:
· Five years of service: Melissa Bowerman, Administrative Services Division Director; Mark Weber, Management of Information Systems; Jamie Sage, Public Health Nurse; and Leslie Kinnee, Public Information Officer.
· Ten years of service: Kim Peters, Public Health Representative; and Juncai Li, Systems Development Coordinator.
· Fifteen years of service: Cindy Partlo, Executive Confidential Administrative Assistant.
· Twenty years of service: Angie Martin, Registered Dietitian; Linda Gronda, Public Health Representative; and Dr. Robert Graham, Medical Director.
“Since I joined the team at MMDHD, I have been amazed by the high caliber of the staff and their dedication to public health,” said Health Officer Marcus Cheatham. “Kim Singh built a top-notch health department by recruiting and retaining top-notch people. The entire community benefits from their efforts and I’m really lucky to be working with them.”