By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
The Wood County Health Department welcomed the public to its new WIC setting and bid farewell to a long-time board member Thursday evening.
The official open house will be held next month, but last week tours of the newly renovated health department were given to community members following a board of health meeting.
With the renovations complete, all public health services are back under one roof, with improved access through the health department’s main entrance at its building at 1840 E. Gypsy Lane Road, Bowling Green.
“This soft opening is a chance for us to connect with our community and share how we have improved our facility to better meet the needs of the public,” Health Commissioner Benjamin Robison said.
All the public-facing services can now be accessed from the main lobby, including:
- WIC (Women, Infants and Children) nutrition program
- Birth and death records
- Environmental licensing and permits
- Wood County Community Health Center, including the health center pharmacy
As the board of health members checked out the newly renovated areas of the health department, they also recognized the service of Dallas Ziegler, who recently completed 20 years on the board.
Robison noted that during Ziegler’s years on the board, the health department faced many challenges. Staff responded to an H1N1 flu outbreak in 2009, the Lake Township tornado in 2010, the water ban due to harmful algal blooms in 2014, and began training law enforcement to use Naloxone in 2016.
During those years, the health department expanded its services, founding the Wood County Community Health Center which later added pharmacy, dental and behavioral health services.
“You were in the trenches for a lot of things,” Robison said to Ziegler.
Board members praised the impact Ziegler made on public health in Wood County.
Richard Strow, who joined the board in 2012, credited Ziegler for asking difficult questions of health department leadership back then.
“Thank you for your diligence,” Strow said. “You inspired me to ask questions along the way.”
Fellow board member D.J. Mears noted Ziegler’s commitment to the community, including his service on the Elmwood Board of Education.
“You’ve always had a heart for public services. Thanks for all you’ve done for the people of Wood County,” Mears said.
And former board member Frank McLaughlin praised Ziegler for always doing his homework and keeping the mission of public health in mind.
“It really makes a difference to the community,” McLaughlin said.
Ziegler reflected back on the role of the board in bettering health in Wood County.
“We did a lot of good things for the public,” he said.
