County’s environmental health director resigns, educator to step down Monday

DOVER (WJER) (Jan. 20, 2022) – The agency that has been leading the county’s response to the pandemic recently lost one senior staff member, and another is leaving next week.

The Tuscarawas County Health Department is looking for someone to replace Caroline Terakedis, who resigned from her position as Environmental Health director on January 5th. Health Commissioner Katie Seward shared what Terakedis wrote in her resignation letter during Wednesday’s health board meeting:

“The political climate of public health has made even the routine practice of environmental health impossible. I have nothing but pride and respect for the Tuscarawas County Health Department. It was an honor to work for the agency.”

Seward says the pandemic and the hostility that’s accompanied it has public health officials have fueled a mass exodus of public health officials statewide and across the nation.

“When you are called names, when you are yelled at, when you are cursed at and that becomes a norm, that’s when you kind of take a step back and reflect on that.”

The board has authorized Seward to appoint an interim director while it searches for someone with the credentials needed to lead the environmental health division.

“Right now, we have two active employees that are registered sanitarians,” Seward says. “I have not spoken to them as to whether they’re interested in being named interim director. Neither of them have applied for the permanent position.”

The agency will also be down a health educator when Kelly Snyder leaves that role Monday to start a new job. Snyder’s duties included heading up the traffic safety coalition Safe Communities. Seward says that program will continue under the leadership of Director of Prevention Natasha Yonley or one of the remaining health educators.

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