The Cobb County Board of Commissioners presented a proclamation recognizing the 100-year anniversary of Cobb & Douglas Public Health.

According to the text accompanying the agenda item:

In 1920, Cobb & Douglas Public Health was founded with one doctor and one nurse to primarily address infectious diseases and environmental hazards. Cobb & Douglas Public Health continues to be a critical strategic organization whose focus is to prevent illness and injury, advocate for health equity, promote optimal health, prepare for disaster response and reduce the spread of severe infectious diseases. The year 2020 commemorates the Cobb Douglas Public Health’s 100th anniversary.

BOC Chairman Michael Boyce presented the proclamation to District Health Director Janet Memark.

In accepting the proclamation Memark said, “Thank you, everybody. And thank you to Chairman Boyce and the Board of Commissioners.”

“You’ve all always been supportive through our history and as we’ve been doing the pandemic it’s been more valuable than ever,” she said. “And I promise that we did not plan to have a pandemic at our hundredth anniversary and it kind of squashed any of the celebratory plans that we had.”

“But we’re grateful to our community, and our employees as well, who have really stepped up. Everybody has been all hands on deck for our eighth month now,” Memark said. “And so, we want to thank everybody and I feel like I just need to do a little bit of a plug.”

“We know that we have a surge that’s going on around the nation and we are experiencing some increased levels here as well. And we’ve just done so well up to this point and there’s a light at the end of the tunnel,” said Memark.

“We have the vaccine that is coming out. And I know everybody is very tired of this. But please, let’s just make that last push just for a few more months and and things will get a lot better,” she said.

“So thank you, everybody, and thanks for having us and supporting us. Thank you.”