By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
For the past six months, Ben Batey’s days – and nights – have been consumed by the coronavirus. As Wood County’s health commissioner, Batey has been the steady voice of reason behind the county’s response to COVID-19.
Across the nation, public health officials are abandoning their posts because of the intense pressure from the pandemic and intimidation from people opposed to restrictions aimed to slow the virus.
Batey announced Thursday that he is leaving his position as health commissioner – but it has nothing to do with the stress. He will be taking over another high pressure position as BGSU’s chief health officer – a newly created position facing the challenges of operating a university during a pandemic and beyond.
“I’m a glutton for punishment,” Batey said with a grin.
“I can’t say the last six months have been easy,” he said. More like “difficult but rewarding.”
Batey likes challenges. Like the time he wore pink to work for more than a month, then walked 54 miles through Wood County wearing a pink tutu to raise money for breast cancer awareness.
Or just earlier this month when he stated his belief that racial inequality is a public health issue. “People are being held back based on the color of their skin,” Batey said. “We need to provide our voice in this conversation.”
But it’s the coronavirus that was the defining moment in Batey’s public health career. The virus arrived with a rash of questions and few answers. Public health officials worked to keep up with the latest information on the virus and its impact on their communities.
During the first two months, the health department was getting calls from concerned fire and police officials about their first responders coming in contact with positive cases.
“My phone rang all through the night,” Batey said.
And anytime a hospital or lab came up with a positive test, it had to be reported within one hour to the Ohio Department of Health. “It didn’t matter what time of the day it was,” he said.
Batey slept with a notepad by his bed, so as he laid awake he could add to his list of tasks.
“I think back then there was a large amount of fear,” Batey said. And staff at the Wood County Health Department felt driven to work long hours.
“Maybe if I just work a little bit longer, I can get the message out there,” he said of the motivation.
“The last six months have been the most stressful in my life,” he said.
In addition to the almost daily increases in local COVID-19 cases, Batey was faced with making recommendations that affected people’s livelihoods. What precautions should be taken when senior centers open? Should community pools be open for the summer? And what about festivals and fairs that attract large crowds?
In each case, it was Batey that people turned to for advice in Wood County.
“I had to make some decisions with people about canceling large scale events,” he said.
Unlike some other counties in Ohio and areas across the nation, Batey said he didn’t face the resistance that many public health officials have encountered.
“That’s so great with this community. Nobody pushed back at all,” he said. “I know a lot of health commissioners who got a lot of pushback.”
There were a few local naysayers on social media, but Batey did not have people protesting in front of his home – like many health commissioners in the nation including former Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton.
“I saw the toll this took on her,” he said of Acton. “She was doing an amazing job.”
Batey praised his staff at the Wood County Health Department for rallying around the pandemic effort.
“I think everyone understands the value of public health now,” he said. “I hope everybody recognizes the dedication of the people here.”
It’s unknown when public health will be able to get back to its regular job. “What is the new normal for the health department?” he said.
Batey made it clear he is not stepping away from public health, but rather forging a new path forward with BGSU. He intends to continue working to protect and improve public health in Wood County through a proposed partnership between BGSU and the Wood County Health Department.
“It presented an opportunity that was really hard to pass up,” he said. “I’m still going to be actively involved in the community.”
“They realize it’s in the best interest for all of us,” he said of BGSU’s willingness to share him with the community.
Starting his career as a nurse in a hospital, then in home care, Batey became interested in public health when he started focusing on prevention – a cornerstone of public health.
“How can we work so people don’t get sick to begin with?” he pondered.
As BGSU’s chief health officer, Batey will focus on improving public health opportunities on campus and in the community – especially now in the midst of the pandemic.
“They were needing a little more expertise in navigating this,” he said.
This isn’t the first time Batey has navigated rough waters in public health. When he started with the health department more than 10 years ago, the Affordable Care Act was not in place and many county residents lacked health care.
“We had a large number of uninsured individuals in the county who couldn’t access health care,” he said.
The health department secured federal funds and created a community health center, then expanded to offer dental care, behavioral health care and a pharmacy.
When all Ohio health departments were mandated to be accredited, Batey and the staff again rose to the challenge.
“That was a huge undertaking for us,” he said. “We were the first in the state to do that.”
“I’m going to miss it. I have been truly honored to be the health commissioner these years,” he said.
Batey will remain in his role as health commissioner until July 24, then start as BGSU’s chief health officer on July 27.
