Official discusses growth, community

The man who has lead the Flathead City County Health Department for 20 years was indoctrinated in the “public health culture” as a child, where dinnertime stories revolved around characters like “Typhoid Mary.”

“My mom was a nurse and dad was in the military … I didn’t realize we lived in the public health culture until later,” said Joe Russell, Flathead County’s health officer.

Russell’s job ranges from debating septic tank regulations to trying to stop the spread of disease or virus outbreaks. After working for the county for 30 years, Russell is set to retire next month.

“I’m a goal setter and I literally said 30 years is my goal for working in county government,” Russell, 58, said. “Early in my career, I set the goal, ‘I’m going to run this place.’ And so I did. There’s a time to go.”

When he arrived at the department in his 20s, Russell said there were less than 20 full-time employees. Now, there are more than 100, he said.

He was there when the department formed the Flathead Community Health Center. He helped decide the office should assume responsibility over the Flathead Valley animal center. He’s seen new county buildings arrive outside his Kalispell office window.

“I’ve been accused of being an empire builder, I’ve been accused of a lot of things,” he said. “But I think most people that really get to know me know I’m always looking at what we can do as a public health system to benefit the community.”

WITH HIS father in the military, Russell watched his mom encounter new public health strategies in each place they lived: Virginia, Japan, Okinawa, Philippines, New York (twice), back to Virginia and then Colorado before the family arrived in Montana.

Russell attended Carroll College as a pre-med student. After taking a few months off to decide what was next, he made the move to the University of Washington to seek a master’s in public health.

Along the way, he snagged a position in the county health building.

“My background is in environmental health,” he said. “But I’m not an environmentalist, there’s a difference. I look at the interface between environment and human health.”

Russell enjoys talking about the county’s septic regulation system or vaccination efforts. He also shares war stories, such as the years the department battled pertussis, commonly known as the whooping cough. The illness can be potentially deadly to children too young to be vaccinated.

During all of 2012, the staff worked on 139 pertussis cases. Then another 29 in January 2013.

“For about three years, it slapped you right in the face,” Russell said.

He said the department recorded more than 400 cases during that time. In a four-month period during the outbreak’s spike, the department recorded spending $31,228 on staff time and lab tests spent responding to the illness.

“Its called the 100-day cough,” Russell said. “I would get over it. But what about the two-week-old that’s going to get exposed, there’s nothing to do to protect that baby.”

He said health officials identified under- immunized preteens and asymptomatic adults and shaped new regulations around the gaps.

“From the outside looking in, someone may not be able to see public health,” Russell said. “You can’t see food safety, you can just see the results and state if you don’t have a good food safety program. You can’t see immunization activity, you can only see the result.”

WHEN Russell talks about his childhood, he laughs as he describes his mom slapping away his unwashed hands from the dinner table.

He said he’s probably created the same “Public health culture” in his home — his kids, now grown, still call him to ask when they’re due for their flu shots.

“This was the perfect place for me to raise my family and have an incredible career,” he said. “I’ve been very fortunate.”

He said he feels good about where the organization stands today — especially as Deputy Health Officer Hillary Hanson is prepped to take over his role after his last day on June 23.

Hanson has been with the department for about three years. Russell said the county offered Hanson the job to replace him soon after she arrived.

“I don’t want my utility to diminish to the point where I should have left two years ago,” Russell said. “That’s not to say I’m not going to go do something else. I love public health.”

Russell said he looks forward to working as a consultant for the Centers for Disease Control. In fact, he has a trip The Republic of Georgia to work with food safety specialists next month.

He also teaches public health-related courses for the National Center for Biomedical Research and Training and he builds curriculum development for the University of Tennessee.

“So, I’ll probably find something to do when I’m retired,” Russell said with a grin.

Reporter Katheryn Houghton may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at khoughton@dailyinterlake.com.