Fairfield Co. Health Helped Thousands in 2023

February 24, 2024
From Fairfield County Health Department
Health Commissioner Joe Ebel

Note: The following is taken from the foreword of the Fairfield County Health Department’s Annual Report which can now be viewed in entirety on the department’s website.

Dr. Mark Aebi, who served as Fairfield County Health District Medical Director for the past 29 years, retired on December 31, 2023. He also served as the Fairfield County Health Commissioner from 2011-2021. Dr. Aebi helped the department manage the H1N1 pandemic in 2009-10 and the COVID-19 pandemic which arrived in 2020. We wish Dr. Aebi all the best in his well-deserved retirement.

Steven Kapetansky, MD, assumed the role as FCHD Medical Director on January 1, 2024.

Highlights from the past year include:

   

  • Our WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program moved into new space at our offices at Sheridan Drive, Lancaster.
  • WIC also saw their Farmers Market voucher program reach new heights, providing families with access to fresh, local foods.
  • FCHD received a Project Dawn, Overdose Death Prevention Program, grant from the Ohio Department of Health.
  • Our health educators provided information on overdose prevention and treatment programs and distributed over 1,500 naloxone kits to members of the public, businesses, and first responders.
  • The 2023 Fairfield County Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement plans were finalized. These documents help us identify the health challenges in our communities and prioritize strategies to address those challenges.
  • FCHD hosted a scrap tire collection event in Amanda, where used tires were collected for proper disposal or recycling.
  • FCHD continued our commitment to building healthy communities by expanding our Health Promotion programs that prevent disease and injury and promote healthy lifestyles.
  • I visited almost every township and village during 2023, and I look forward to continuing to work with local elected officials and residents across the county to support their efforts to make Fairfield County a place where residents live in healthy and safe communities and where they are empowered to make informed decisions that allow them to achieve their optimal health potential.