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The COVID-19 pandemic has presented once-in-a-century challenges to every level of government in the U.S. County public health departments are at the front line of defense, especially for citizens who lack access to reliable health care. Washtenaw County is fortunate to have an outstanding department of health, staffed by well-trained and dedicated public servants. As U.S. President Joe Biden aims to vaccinate 1.5 million Americans a day, the League of Women Voters brings you this program to inform you about how our health department is handling the enormous challenges generated by the pandemic..

GUEST:  Susan Ringler-Cerniglia, director of Communications and Health Promotion for the Washtenaw County Public Health Department

As director of communications for the Washtenaw County Health Department, Susan Ringler-Cerniglia has been called the “storm tracker” for the Covid-19 pandemic in the county. The prolonged crisis has generated a grueling workload for all health department staff as they strive to respond to the community’s cascading needs. Among Ringler-Cerniglia’s chief responsibilities is to keep citizens informed. To do so she draws on data from federal, state, and local sources to update the county COVID information hub daily (washtenaw.org/3095/COVID-19). A western Michigan native and graduate of Kalamazoo College, Ringler-Cernigilia has a Master’s degree in Public Health from U-M, and has worked for the county for 14 years.