New Ford County Health Administrator Has Wealth Of Experience

PAXTON — Donald “Donnie” Gill's initial career goal was to become a health and physical education teacher.

That started to change when he took a health class at Purdue University.

The professor “just sold me,” Gill said. “Some of the things he brought up this semester were really interesting to me, and then I started thinking:

Gill actually taught in Arizona for three years. in Kingman but then shifted to public health.

He most recently worked in this area as an administrator with the Ford County Public Health Department. Gill was selected from 18 applicants to replace longtime administrator Lana Semple, who recently left her position and moved to Florida. Gill's first day on the job was Monday.

Mike Short, president of the Ford County Board of Health, said Gill's credibility is outstanding.

“The fact that he has extensive experience working with public health agencies really sets Donny apart from other candidates,” Short said.

Gill, 49, worked in Kentucky for 12 years, from 2007 to 2019, at the Lincoln Trail County Health Department in Elizabethtown as a public health strategist. He worked for one year as the Training and Support Coordinator for the Fountain and Warren County Health Departments in Attica, Indiana.

After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Health and Safety from Purdue University in 2001, Gill received a Master of Arts degree in Kinesiology/Facilities Management from Western Kentucky University in 2017.

The Covington, Indiana, resident moved to Danville to lead the Head Start program for Vermilion, Iroquois and Ford counties. He also worked for two years at Purdue Cooperative Extension in West Lafayette, Indiana.

The Ford County department employs 12 people, including Gill.

Gill said his first few days on the job included one-on-one meetings with his employees “to learn more about them, their programs and how they support Ford County.”

He said Semple volunteered over the phone to help him adjust to his new job during a difficult time.

"I talked to him yesterday," Gill said. “I thought it would be a big deal for me just because I'm not from the community and he is a member of it. “He gave me some good advice.”

Ford County previously operated a joint health department with Iroquois County until the two departments became separate departments about nine years ago.

Sample was hired as Ford County's first public health officer. He currently serves as Deputy Director of the St. Louis Health Department. Louis County. John at St. Augustine, Florida.

The health department is located in two buildings in Paxton, one east of the county courthouse and the other on East State Street in the building that formerly served as the Carls Clinic, Gill said.

Services provided by the health department include:

• Mosquito vector control and West Nile virus surveillance.

• Inspection of restaurants and special installations

• Services for seniors living in Ford and Iroquois counties.

• Community education for urban groups and schools, and community education for elementary, middle and high schools.

• Treatment and testing for sexually transmitted diseases and head lice.

• Lead and radon testing

• Vaccination with COVID vaccine and seasonal flu vaccine.

Gill said the most rewarding part of the job is “serving others, serving the community, trying to improve the lives of people in this community and change health outcomes for the better.”

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