The Fayette County Board of Health voted unanimously in a Jan. 19 special called meeting to name Commissioner David Barlow as its chairman.
Barlow became a member of the Board of Health in early 2013 shortly after being sworn in as a member of the Fayette County Board of Commissioners.
Each county’s Board of Health has seven members who must be at least 21 years old. The law sets out the requirements for each of those seven positions and who appoints those members. One of the appointments includes a county governing authority that is designated by the Board of Commissioners, according to a county statement.
“Commissioner Barlow is passionate about the health and well-being of Fayette’s citizens,” said Board of Commissioners Chairman Charles Oddo. “His election to chair will benefit all our community.”
In 2015 Barlow was named vice chairman of the county health board as well as the Georgia Board of Health.
“It’s been a wonderful three years of my life serving on this board; and now I am honored and blessed to be serving as the chairman. We have added several dynamic new members to include Dr. Loida Bonney, MD, MPH, Becky Smith and Ted Toles. As we move forward this year, we will be focusing much of our attention in developing more community awareness,” said Barlow.
“Fayette County is and shall remain one of the healthiest counties in Georgia. Having been designated number one in availability of quality healthcare, it is also our goal to become number one in access to quality healthcare.”