Public Health Staff Retire from Garrett County Health Department

By Diane Lee, Public Information Officer, Garrett County Health Department

By the end of June 2022, the Garrett County Health Department (GCHD) will have seen the retirement of 15 staff members since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The combined years of service for these retirees is more than 300 years. While staff members can sometimes be replaced, those who retire leave a legacy of accomplishments and influences that transcend their tenure.

“I am happy for our staff who are able to move to the next chapter of their lives,” said Bob Stephens, Garrett County Health Officer. “We thank them for their many years of service and wish them the best. We’ve been working hard to fill our vacant positions and are continuing the important work of protecting Garrett County and its residents and visitors. They have made Garrett County a better place to live, work and play.”

Below is information about the retirees. They are listed according to their years of service, excluding contract time. The information was compiled from their employment records and interviews with the retiree and their supervisors.

Bonnie Paugh retired in October 2021 after serving in various positions for 32 years. Throughout her career she worked in Home Health and Healthy Families, she was a Navigator for MD Health Connections, and worked in the Maryland Children’s Health Program. “It was cool because I started out working in the community with the elderly,” she said, “and then later I worked with those client’s kids, so it was a generational thing.”

Michelle Ford retired in November 2020, with 30 years of service. During her career at the health department she worked as a nurse in Home Health and in the Garrett County Healthy Families program, where she retired as a Community Health Nurse Supervisor. Michelle was a passionate advocate for “her families” and in particular enjoyed the nursing visits in homes. 

Karen “Cyndy” Friend retired in October 2021 after working for 27 years. She served as a Fiscal Accounts Clerk first with Home Health and then in the Administration Department until she retired. She was responsible for accounts receivable and was a vital part of the administration team.

Tammy Skiles retired in July 2021 after serving for 25 years, completing her time as an Administrative Program Manager. As the Health Department’s Administrator, she served as the chief financial officer and was responsible for the $16 million annual budget. Tammy loved working with numbers and spreadsheets, but said, “The best thing about working for the Health Department was having the opportunity to work with so many great people, whose focus was to improve the quality of life for so many.”

Trish Rumer retired in January 2021 after 25 years of service. She worked as a secretary in the Personal Health division of the health department and was responsible for checking-in clients, assisting with influenza data entry, and billing. Trish made sure all of the patients felt important and valued.

Cheryl Landis also retired in January 2021. She served as a Fiscal Accounts Clerk in Behavioral Health for 22 years. She was responsible for the Mental Health division’s billing and oversight. Cheryl always arrived to work early and had a deep commitment to her job and the success of the clinic.

Sharon Custer retired in January 2022 after serving in the Health Education and Outreach Department for 21 years. Throughout her career she served as an outreach worker, a prevention specialist, and a tobacco program coordinator. As such, she led, facilitated, or assisted in the Accident Community Planning Group, NHS Youth in Action Team, Dare to Be You, LifeSkills Training Program, worksite wellness, smoking cessation, tobacco compliance checks, and all forms of community health education.

Marcia Ashby retired in December 2021 with 20 years of service. She started out in the Adult Evaluation and Review Services where she worked for the Med Bank program and then moved to Healthy Families where she worked for the Maryland Children’s Health Program.

Christa Moran retired in January 2022 after 20 years of service. She started her career in the Healthy Families division of the Health Department, and then transferred to Personal Health, where she was a secretary responsible for checking-out clients, and administrative support for the Family Planning program. Christa could always be counted on to pitch in when things were hectic.

Cynthia Mankamyer retired in April 2021 with 19 years of service as a nurse in the Personal Health division. She worked with communicable disease, immunization, and emergency preparedness, and was very involved in the Health Department’s initial response to COVID-19. Cindy’s infection control training sessions were legendary as she always made it exciting and interesting.

Sharon Rounds retired in April 2021 after 19 years at GCHD as a nurse in Personal Health. She was involved in many of the Health Department’s cancer programs, including the Breast and Cervical Cancer Program, and Cancer Prevention, Education, Screening and Treatment Program, as well as HIV and family planning. Sharon’s easy-going personality always promoted a pleasant atmosphere in the office.

Jim Browning retired in May 2022 after 17 years doing Information Technology for the Health Department. Jim joined the health department after completing a 25-year career in the Navy. “The Health Department was a wonderful place to work with wonderful people committed to the public,” Jim said. “It’s a bunch of very dedicated people trying to help the people of Garrett County.”

Kathy Skipper retired in June 2022 with 17 years of service. She did administrative work in five different divisions of the health department throughout her career. She began working part-time in Adult Evaluation and Review Services (AERS), then accepted a full-time position dividing her time between Behavioral Health, Dental, and Health Education and Outreach as needed. Finally, she returned to AERS to finish out her time at GCHD. “My career here has allowed me to see how much good we do as a Health Department and I gained a great appreciation for public health,” Kathy said. “I am thankful for the opportunity that I had to work here!”

Dorothy Poloskey retired in July 2021 after 10 years of service in the Dental Department. She served as a dental hygienist, and at the time of her retirement was the coordinator of the dental clinic where she was also responsible for coordinating dental health education and the fluoride rinse prevention program in cooperation with Garrett County Public Schools.

Frank “Les” McDaniel, LCPC, retired in October 2021 after 9 years of merited service to the Health Department. He served as director of the Behavioral Health division. Before that, he served the health department on a contract basis for 6 years as a therapist for residents of the detention center and those on parole. Les also was an emergency counselor on call for Garrett Regional Medical Center for many years.

“The strength of the Health Department has always been the staff,” Stephens said. “We are saddened by retirements since we will miss them so much. We wish them well on this next exciting adventure.”

If you are interested in working for the Garrett County Health Department, visit the state job website at jobapscloud.com/MD/.