By Kimberly Gasuras
CCN Reporter

BUCYRUS―The Crawford County Board of Health is pleased to announce that Kate Siefert has recently been appointed Health Commissioner.  This position oversees a 32-person department with five divisions and an annual budget of $2.2 million. Crawford County Public Health is a community leader in health, wellness, outreach and prevention.  Programs provided include environmental health, nursing services, WIC, Help Me Grow, vital statistics, and emergency and disaster preparedness and response.

“We voted unanimously to appoint Kate as the new health commissioner.  Kate has demonstrated outstanding leadership and commitment to our Board of Health.  She has been a continued public health advocate for our community,” said board president, Dr. Amanda Kovolyan. “We anticipate that Kate’s leadership and collaboration with our community health partners will help us successfully achieve accreditation. We are excited for Kate to become Crawford County’s first female Health Commissioner.”

Siefert began her service with Crawford County Public Health in 2003 in the environmental health division as a sanitarian-in-training. She became a registered sanitarian (health inspector) in 2005 and then the Environmental Health Director in 2007. In 2015, she advanced to the position of administrator.

Siefert received her Bachelor of Science degree from The Ohio State University and her Master of Public Health degree, with a concentration in Health Policy and Management, from Kent State University.

On Sept. 1, Siefert added her name to the list of health commissioners that have served the residents of Crawford County since the county-wide agency was formed in 1919.

Siefert said she is grateful for this opportunity.

“I am excited to lead Crawford County Public Health into our next 100 years of service as we work collaboratively on programs focused on preventing disease and injury for all of Crawford County. I am fortunate to be surrounded by co-workers that are supportive of one another and truly want to work as a team as we address public health issues affecting our community,” Siefert said.

Previous health commissioners include:

January 1920 – J.J. Martin, MD

June 1922 –  G.T. Wasson, MD

January 1951 –  T.R. Laughbaum, MD

January 1957 –  Harry Wain, MD

April 1974 – Robert W. Wolford, MD

May 1978 – Harry Wain, MD

July 1978 –  Donald Campbell, PhD

October 1987 – Jack Lentz, Jr., MPH

January 1996 – Donald Campbell, PhD

June 1996 – Samuel Thomas, DVM

November 2007 – W. Scott Kibler, MA

July 2014 – Timothy Hollinger, MPH

February 2015 – Christopher Johnson, DO

September 2018 – Kate Siefert, MPH, RS

Siefert grew up in New London, Ohio, on her parents’ farm but has been a proud resident of Crawford County since 2002. She married her husband, Shane, in 2004 and they have been blessed with both a son and a daughter that are active students at Buckeye Central Local Schools.

For more information about Crawford County Public Health and the programs offered, visit the website or call (419)562-5871. To keep up with events and activities, be sure to “like” Crawford County Public Health on Facebook.