A chart that was to be presented at the meeting.

News Release

ELKHART COUNTY — A presentation by Randy J. Cammenga, MD, FACEP and chair of the Elkhart County Health Department Board of Directors and Josi DeHaven, MPH, BSN, RN, CCM, at the county health department board of directors meeting did not take place Thursday evening, Sept. 24, as planned. In fact the meeting didn’t take place.

The meeting will be rescheduled as a digital meeting, via Zoom or WebX for next week, making sure the safety of everyone is ensured. Public comment will be part of the meeting.

Roughly 50 people without masks crowded into a small meeting room making it “impossible to conduct business in a safe environment. Health department board members, several of whom are physicians who see patients with compromised immune systems every day, could not responsibly enter the room,” according to a release issued later Thursday evening.

In an earlier release about the presentation it it was noted hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have been dramatically reduced during the past four months in Elkhart County according to data that was going to be shared at the meeting.

Cammenga was quoted in the release as stating “The fight is far from over, but this progress is a direct result of our dedicated frontline health care workers, local task forces and the citizens of this region working together. We’ve gone from being described as a ‘hot spot’ in the nation, to a place where hospitalizations are down significantly, businesses are back at work and schools are in session.”

Cammenga and fellow board member Josi DeHaven, MPH, BSN, RN, CCM, had planned to lead the meeting through a review of key metrics that show the coordination required to protect the public is working. DeHaven, who works as a population health manager at Indiana University Goshen Hospital, was quoted in the release as saying “We still have a lot of work to do. But it’s important for everyone to know that this work is having a significant impact in the fight against the virus.”

“This is a long-term battle,” added Cammenga. “But the recent data is strong evidence that we should continue doing everything we can to ensure the safety of every man, woman and child in Elkhart County.”

To view the PowerPoint that was to be presented click here.