Cholak Steps Down as Belmont County Health Commissioner
Robert A. DeFrank The Belmont County Health Department is looking to fill some big shoes with Monday's announcement that Dr. George Cholak, who has served as health commissioner for 25 years, has resigned.
Deputy Health Director Robert Sproul reported this to the health board.
"He will be missed," Sproul said, noting Cholak submitted the resignation Monday.
The board accepted Cholak's resignation.
"He's 80 years old. He's been a health commissioner for over 25 years, so he's decided to resign," Sproul said after the meeting, adding that the resignation was effective immediately. "I've worked with him probably about 15 years. We've been through a pandemic. I've been with him through a lot of previous pandemics. The H1N1 (swine flu of 2009). He worked in the private practice for years before coming here. Again, he's been involved in the office and the county and he's been an asset to us."
Sproul said Cholak had worked for WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital and has been a physician for 38 years.
"We will be posting for that position. We hope to get some quality candidates and get someone into that position. That's an important job, and we need somebody in there," Sproul said.
He said the health commissioner must have a medical degree.
"When we prescribe, when we do different things at the office, you have to have ... that ability. Our office can do a lot of things because we're operating under his license to be able to distribute medicine," Sproul said, adding that the resignation should not interfere with the department's operations. "The Ohio Revised Code allows a window. They understand that if one person leaves, it takes a while to get a new person in, so they give us a little buffer time."
Sproul did not have the exact date at hand for when a new commissioner must be selected.
Cholak could not be reached for comment.
Other matters of personnel also led Monday's discussion at the board of health. Fiscal Officer Chrissy Woods began work. She is paid $25 per hour.
The Women, Infants and Children office is also hired a part-time dietician. WIC Director Lori DeCoy said they are welcoming Trina Kropka. Sproul said Kropka will serve a valuable role.
"State WIC wants us to have a dietitian, contract for one to look over the nurses' records to see if there's any trends with the kids' health and make any adjustments we need to adjust for them and offer suggestions from the dietitian's side about how we can maybe adjust the kids' health. If they're low on vitamin D, what they can do to bring that back up. Iron, etc. So she's an asset," Sproul said. "They don't give us much money from the state to pay for that WIC person, so we only get her for about seven hours a month."
He said she will be paid $35 per hour.
DeCoy said the current WIC caseload is 901. The state requires the county maintain a caseload of 832. DeCoy said she expects this to increase with upcoming changes in Medicaid, which will see a decrease in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
"We are going to take as many as need it. We're just going to have to take it one step at a time to make sure that we can meet the needs of the people," she said.
She added mothers will have to return to using Enfamil-based formulas rather than other formulas the government has allowed. She said the formulas are the same in quality.