JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. — The chairman of the Jefferson County Health Department Board of Trustees accused a member of the board of spreading "false and misleading information" surrounding a meeting held last week.
In a statement, Dennis Diehl — the chairman of the five-person board of elected trustees that oversees the Jefferson County Health Department — said a member of the board, Suzy Davis, "led what I can only describe as an effort to assassinate the character of the JCHD Director and of the Department itself."
"As Chairperson of the Jefferson County Health Department (JCHD) Board of Trustees, I am writing to set the record straight regarding recent issues involving the Health Department," Diehl said in the statement.
Last Wednesday, Jefferson County Health Department Director Kelley Vollmar suggested the board require masks as one strategy to limit the spread.
"To be able to have more freedom, to be able to move around, rather than to go back toward having to restrict movement, which is what nobody wants,” Vollmar said.
Davis was the only member of the board not wearing a mask at the indoor meeting and pushed back on that recommendation.
“The mask is not helping the community achieve the herd immunity that stops the virus. The virus will stop if you allow that,” Suzy Davis said.
Davis also made other claims about the coronavirus which a medical expert said were not true.
In the statement, Diehl said Davis also made inaccurate statements on Facebook and other media before the meeting to cause confusion.
Diehl said Davis told people the meeting started an hour earlier than it actually did so the people thought the meeting was running behind and told them the board would be voting on a mask mandate, which Diehl said was not on the agenda.
He also said she has "persistently attempted to obtain privileged medical information outside of established channels."
The board will hold another meeting Tuesday to discuss how to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in the county. The meeting will also be streamed live on the health department's Facebook page.
You can read the full statement below:
Statement from the Jefferson County Health Department Board of Trustees Chairperson
As Chairperson of the Jefferson County Health Department (JCHD) Board of Trustees, I am writing to set the record straight regarding recent issues involving the Health Department. JCHD is an independent agency overseen by a five-member elected Board of Trustees. Ms. Suzy Davis, a newly elected Board Member, has made numerous false or misleading statements on Facebook and other media. Since her election, she has persistently led what I can only describe as an effort to assassinate the character of the JCHD Director and of the Department itself. She posted a statement that the Director is “asking for mandatory masks with criminal penalties and fines” when this is part of a model policy that is one of many options the Board asked to see for consideration. She has persistently attempted to obtain privileged medical information outside of established channels. JCHD consistently posts all available data regarding COVID-19.
The July Board meeting was scheduled for Thursday, July 23 at 3:00 PM. The meeting date was changed to allow a quorum to be present, which is required to do business. The meeting could be viewed on Facebook Live so that interested people could watch from the safety of their home and could post comments. Citizens in attendance were given the opportunity to make oral or written comments. The meeting was totally transparent for anyone wanting to view it. Ms. Davis told people to attend the meeting at 2:00 PM, so they waited in the heat and thought the meeting started late. She also told people there would be a vote on a mask mandate. That was not on the agenda, which is why the meeting was held at the normal location because a large crowd was not originally expected. People thought the meeting date, time and place were chosen to discourage attendance, none of which is true. Candidates in the August election, including Ms. Davis, treated the meeting as a campaign event. We have been monitoring outbreak data closely and receiving input from citizens and stakeholders. The Director is a respected Public Health professional and has done an excellent job of responding to the pandemic and to the direction of the Board. We will make decisions when warranted based on science and research, not politics. Board Members are elected on a nonpartisan basis. Each citizen is entitled to their own opinion, but false and misleading information corrupts that process. JCHD, an accredited agency, has served all the citizens of Jefferson County effectively for over seventy years.
Thank you, Dennis Diehl.