Ottawa County Readies New Interim Health Officer If Hambley Is Removed

Ottawa County, Michigan. - Ottawa County is preparing to appoint a new interim health officer if current health officer Adeline Hambly is ousted at a hearing later this month.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHS) received an “expedited background check request” for Nathaniel Kelly on September 29, according to a department spokeswoman. The request was submitted by County Administrator John Gibbs and includes a copy of the report.

MDHHS said it needed copies of Kelly's texts to begin an investigation. They were presented on October 4.

A spokeswoman said MDHHS is currently reviewing the application.

After Kelly took office, Ottawa-inspired commissioners emerged as the best candidate for health officer. The conservative group controls the majority of the board of directors.

At the commission's first meeting on Jan. 3, commissioners voted 1-7 to sign a resolution appointing Hambly as interim health department administrator "until a new health department administrator is appointed" and Nathaniel as board president and trustee/secretary. Kelly as Administrative Health Officer for the Ottawa District.

A few months after that vote, Hambly filed a lawsuit, alleging that he had been unfairly demoted and that the commissioners were complicit in intending to fire him. The case is still before the judicial system.

Michigan law states that a health care provider cannot be terminated without cause, FOX 17 reported.

Hambly is currently scheduled to be arraigned on those charges on October 19. Commissioners are investigating four counts of incompetence, misconduct and misconduct related to Hamblin's alleged conduct during budget negotiations.

Meanwhile, despite Hambly's suspension, Kelly faces an investigation by MDHHS. There are certain requirements that future healthcare professionals must meet.

In accordance with Michigan Administrative Code R.325.13003, applicants for the position of County Administrative Health Officer must possess the following qualifications:

• Master's degree in Public Health or Master's degree in Public Health and 3 years full-time experience in public health administration.
• Relevant Master's degree and 5 years of experience in public health administration.
• She holds a bachelor's degree and has 8 years of full-time experience in public health, 5 of which were in managing various public health programs.

FOX 17 previously obtained a copy of Kelly's resume from January. It appears that Kelly earned her Master of Science in Public Health from Columbia Southern University, an online school in Orange Beach, Alabama. His resume indicates that he holds a Master of Science degree from Columbia University and certificates in environmental management and industrial hygiene management.

Nathaniel Kelly continues at WXMI

Kelly reveals that she works as a health and safety manager at Playground Services in Grand Rapids, a health and safety engineer at Plascor, and an environmental safety specialist at Dicastal North America.

Although Kelly adds government work to her resume, all of her professional experience has been with private companies.

Kelly has made blatantly false claims about the spread of Covid-19 and was once mocked by the governor's sign language interpreter.

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