Who We Are

The Knox County Health Department is a combined general health district with jurisdiction for all of Knox County.
The agency provides a full range of quality services, from community health promotion and environmental protection to direct health services.

Mission Statement
"We are dedicated to
promoting and protecting
the health and well-being of
our residents and communities
by providing quality services
and educational programs
to prevent the incidence of
disease and unhealthy conditions."

Governing Body
The Health Department operates as the Knox County General Health District, which is directed by the Knox County Board of Health. There are nine seats on the Board of Health. Each board member serves a 5-year term at staggered intervals. There are no term limits.

The Knox County District Advisory Council appoints five members directly to the Board of Health. The advisory council is composed of the chairman of each township's board of trustees or a designee, the mayor of each village and the president of the Knox County Board of Commissioners. The Advisory Council meets annually, usually on the last Tuesday in March.

The City of Mount Vernon appoints three of the members on the Board of Health. The appointments are made by the mayor of Mount Vernon.

The Licensing Council appoints one member to the Board of Health. The Licensing Council is comprised of one representative from the businesses whose activities are licensed by the Board of Health, which include: food service operations, retail food establishments, manufactured home parks, public swimming pools and campgrounds. The council elects one of its members to serve on the Board of Health.

Board of Health
K. Lee Rhoades, president
Laura Haberman, RN, president pro-tem

Ronda Hathaway, RN
Scott Harmon, DVM
Gary Mizer
Keith Plocki, MD
Eric Siekkinen
Shirley Timpe, RN
Jeff Harmer or Craig Gilmore (Licensing Council Rep.)

Health Commissioner
Dennis G. Murray, MPH, RS

Meetings
The Board of Health usually meets
the 4th Wednesday of every month at
7:30 p.m. at the Health Department, 11660 Upper Gilchrist Road, Mount Vernon. The meetings are open to the public. At the beginning of every meeting there is an opportunity for public participation. If you would like an item on the agenda, contact Health Commissioner Dennis G. Murray at 740-392-2200 or dmurray@knoxhealth.com.

A Bit of History
For many years, Knox County was serviced by two health departments: a city health department located in Mount Vernon; and a county health department, also located in Mount Vernon, but servicing the needs of residents outside the city limits. For nearly three-fourths of the 19th century, theses two groups would administer public health services.

The city health department was one of the first of its kind having organized in the mid 1850s well ahead of the public health code of 1919 which established the organization for health districts in the state.

Merging the two departments had been talked about for years, but serious attempts failed in 1958 and 1962 as officials argued over funding issues. In 1964 the city and county departments began sharing personnel for the first time. Then in April, 1973, both departments were moved to 116 E. High Street. Despite being under one roof, the county and city departments administratively functioned separately. City personnel were housed on the first floor, county personnel on the second floor. The governing boards for both groups met at the same time, with the county on one side and the city on the other.

Attempts to merge the two departments began again in the late '70s. The city nursing supervisor retired in 1976 and the county nursing supervisor was hired to be the nursing supervisor for both the county and the city. In 1978, another merger attempt failed, as the townships feared the city would not continue funding at the present level and that they would have to increase their contributions to maintain the department. Finally, in 1983, the two departments were merged and the Knox County General Health District was formed.

A Place of Its Own
Until recently, the Knox County Health Department did not have a place to call its own. Over the years, it was located in the basement or with another agency. During this time, the public had to suffer with the department's inadequate facilities, many times waiting for services down steep steps and in dark hallways. There were non-working public restrooms, insufficient lighting, no heat, lack of ventilation and leaking ceilings.

In 1998, the Board of Health was notified it would have to move from its East High Street location to make room for other county offices. When adequate rental space could not be found, the Board of Health decided the time had come for the Health Department to have a home of its own. The Knox County Commissioners donated property at the northeast corner of Gilchrist and Coshocton roads as a site for the new facility.

The new Health Department opened in May 2001. It is a single floor, brick structure, covering approximately 11,000 square feet. Features of the new building include easy access, well-lit exam rooms and service areas, secured areas for privacy and consultation, and a community meeting room for classes and presentations.