BATH, Maine – At the Sagadahoc County Board of Commissioners annual review of the Board of Health the Commissioners accepted, with strong commendation, the Annual Report of the Board of Health for 2012 and Plan of Work for 2013. At the same session, the Board of Commissioners accepted the decision of Sagadahoc County Health Officer Hugh Tilson to retire from his role, and the nomination of Marla Davis, the County’s first Board of Health Chair, to be the new Sagadahoc County Health Officer, effective immediately.
In his announcement of his intent to retire as Sagadahoc County Health Officer, Tilson referred to the Annual Report as ample evidence that the Board of Health and public health in general in Sagadahoc County are in the right position to make this leadership change now.
“The decision to step down as Sagadahoc County Health Officer might have been a very difficult one for me. I love the work I have been privileged to perform as your partner and I am deeply grateful for your trust and sustained support. However, I remind myself that I launched this shared journey ‘in retirement’ over a decade ago. July marks the seventh anniversary of our wonderful Board of Health; and 2013, the tenth anniversary of the Sagadahoc Health Improvement Project, the ‘SHIP,’” Tilson reminded the Commissioners.
“The SHIP and its Board of Health are durable, dynamic, well-established and well-respected community agents, working effectively for the advancement of the public’s health today; and well-supported by our outstanding Emergency Management Agency and remarkable community partners, we are well-prepared to face the challenges and uncertainties of tomorrow. This is the right time for me to pass the torch to new leadership,” said Tilson.Tilson then nominated Marla Davis for the Commissioners’ consideration as the next County Health Officer. “As you well know, Marla Davis, a Sagadahoc County native, is a ‘true public health institution,’ with solid professional training in nursing and public health, distinguished state-wide service, and a highly successful career and leadership role in Community Health Improvement at Mid Coast Hospital."
“Marla has served by my side for the full course of our project,” Tilson continued. “She was part of the earliest discussions with then Sagadahoc Commission Chair Crispin Connery; she helped to develop the proposal for our pilot project, the SHIP, in 2004; and she accepted your charge to be the first Chair of the newly constituted Board of Health in June 2006. She continues on the Board as its immediate past chair, and she recently retired from her full-time community health leadership role at Mid Coast Hospital, available, now, to undertake this new role.”
The Commissioners agreed to appoint Marla Davis as the next Sagadahoc County Health Officer, effective immediately.
Steven Trockman, current Board of Health Chair and Director of Community Relations and Outreach at Mid Coast Hospital, praised the Board and Tilson, whom he described as “a gifted and dedicated public servant, who leaves behind a new, nationally-recognized vision of public health tailored to the 21st century and the unique circumstances facing us in Sagadahoc County.” He was also extremely optimistic about Davis’ appointment: “Marla is the perfect choice to undertake this role. Her service to our community through advocacy for our local Healthy Maine Partnership, Access Health, whose board she has also chaired, and her extraordinary professional leadership as Mid Coast Hospital’s past Director of Community Health Improvement make us confident that she is the right volunteer for the job.”
Davis began her tenure as the new County Health Officer at the June 28 meeting of the Sagadahoc County Board of Health in Bath.
Sagadahoc County Board of Health is an official advisory board to the County Commissioners. The Board of Health advises the County Commissioners on public policies and programs needed to assure the ten essential services of public health. The Board envisions a caring and compassionate community where all members are encouraged and supported to lead healthy and happy lives. Its inclusive community assures economic security, a safe environment, and healthy choices for all. All members of its community have access to quality, affordable, mental, oral, and physical health care that focuses on prevention.
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