Registered Nurse Sandy Dunfee has been named Marshall County Health Department (MCHD) Administrator.
In addition to regular duties, this year Indiana passed Senate Bill 4 which included a movement to make core public health services more available to Hoosiers. She will be moving Marshall County forward through “Health First Indiana”.
The initiative provided grant funding to Indiana counties to enhance the services that local health departments provide to residents.
Representatives from local health departments participate in meetings every other Tuesday with state officials for guidance on how to roll out the program.
Dunfee said that Marshall County is one of many counties considered a “healthcare desert” with parts of Marshall County more than 40 minutes away from a Trauma Center.
MCHD gets phone calls almost daily from residents asking for referrals to OBGYN providers who are taking new patients. Other patients are waiting weeks and months for appointments to have lumps or nodules assessed. MCHD continues to try to help connect patients with providers.
Dunfee is also studying for her Masters Degree in Public Health – IU Fairbanks School of Medicine.