CECIL COUNTY GOVERNMENT

County Commissioners' Office

200 Chesapeake Boulevard, Suite 2100, Elkton, MD 21921

 PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

March 6, 2008

Contact:Alfred C. Wein, Jr., Cecil County Administrator, 410.996.5203 or awein@ccgov.org

GARRITY NAMED COUNTY HEALTH OFFICER

Elkton, MD - The Board of Cecil County Commissioners and Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Secretary John M. Colmers are pleased to announce the appointment of Stephanie Garrity as the new Health Officer for Cecil County, effective March 4th. Dr. Virginia Bailey, former Health Officer, retired January 1st after 27 years of service.

Prior to her appointment as Health Officer, Ms. Garrity served as Deputy Health Officer and in that role, assisted Dr. Bailey with the management of Cecil County Health Department's daily operations and special projects. She has also directly supervised several of the Health Department's divisions in the absence of directors and spearheaded the Health Department's emergency preparedness activities.

Ms. Garrity's Cecil County work history also includes positions at Laurelwood Nursing Center, Cecil County Department of Aging (now Senior Services and Community Transit) and Union Hospital Adult Day Care Center. She graduated from Towson State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology and from Wilmington College with a Master's Degree in Management.

"Stephanie brings strong and varied experience to the position of Health Officer for the Cecil County Health Department," Secretary Colmers said. "She has an extensive background in public health and administration, and she has proven to be a creative and innovative thinker. We are very pleased to have her join us in this new capacity."

Board of Cecil County Commissioners' President William Manlove said that a national search for someone to follow in Dr. Bailey's footsteps "led us right back to our community." "We couldn't be more pleased that Stephanie will be directing Cecil County's public health planning and activities."

"It takes everyone's commitment to make Cecil County a healthy place to live and work," Ms. Garrity said. "I look forward to working with the dedicated staff at the Health Department, our agency partners and the community in realizing Dr. Bailey's vision of a healthy future for all."

Ms. Garrity and her husband Michael have lived in Cecil County since 1982. Ms. Garrity's annual salary will be $100,176.