More members of a county health board are quitting amid tension and hostility in their northern Indiana community.
Dr. Ebenezer Kio, an oncologist, and Dr. Donald Findlay, a retired dentist, said they are resigning from the Elkhart County board by the end of the year, The Elkhart Truth reported.
Dr. Randy Cammenga quit in September and Todd Meier is stepping down at the end of 2021. Health officer Dr. Bethany Wait is resigning after Dec. 31.
The board’s job is to provide information, services, and programs to promote good health.
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Kio said the refusal of the County Council to pursue $3 million in federal grants over three years had a role in his decision. The grants would have allowed six people to be hired and trained as health educators, The Goshen News reported.
“And also, I have not seen much expressed in terms of resistance to the vitriol against members of my profession, to the medical officer and to the previous medical officer,” Kio said. “We may have our own disagreements but nothing should empower anybody to hold anyone hostage or threaten the life of family members of people who are just doing their civic duty.”
