top of page

Call to action - Board of Health - HDNW


The Board of the Health Department of NorthWest Michigan (HDNWM) will be meeting at the courthouse in Bellaire on Tuesday, November 2 at 10 am. They will be considering the termination of the Health Officer Lisa Peacock and the Medical Director Dr. Meyerson because of the mask mandate.


If you can attend please do. The last meeting was loaded with anti masker/vaxers and they could use your support. If not, please use the list of board members below to send an email asking them to support the leadership and department. The eight member board is comprised of 2 county commissioners from each of the 4 counties in the health district. Four of the members are thought to be supportive: Bargy Roloff, MacInnis, Koontz


You can compose your own or lift part of the samples below. Whatever you are comfortable with. Blind copy your email to Lisa, Dr. Meyerson and Jennifer (emails at bottom of attachment) Share this info with parents/teachers that might not be on our list but are supportive of masking.


Please use the this information to contact the Public Health Board to show our support for Public Health.




Sample of email to a supportive commissioner:

Dear Commissioner Bargy,

My name is Myrna Holland, resident of Elk Rapids and a Registered Nurse, now Retired

First, I want to thank you for your support of the HDNWM and its leadership, Lisa Peacock and Dr. Myerson. The current environment does not make this a comfortable position to take, so I doubly appreciate your efforts on their and the department's behalf. I am planning to attend the November 2 board meeting and will share much of what is below during the public comment session. However, I wanted to also share my thoughts in writing ahead of time to all of the board members. I am in support of the continued leadership of Health Officer Lisa Peacock and Medical Director, Dr. Myerson of the Health Department of Northwest Michigan and urge your continued support for them and the department and to work with them to fulfill your duty to the mission and purposes of this board."


The mission of the HDNWM on your website states:

"To serve our entire community and to achieve health equity by promoting well-being, preventing disease, and protecting the environment through partnerships, innovation and excellence in public health practice." By the way, I think that mission statement would be an appropriate invocation for all of your board meetings.


Your board purposes include:

“ to learn everything possible about health problems in the community and to participate in finding solutions for these problems.” Terminating the contracts of the Department’s leadership would do nothing to solve the Covid-19 pandemic.

With Ms. Peacock’s and Dr. Myerson’s strong leadership the department has worked diligently to provide numerous vaccine clinics throughout the district. The decision for the school mask requirement is evidence based practice. Be sure you and your constituents understand the science behind their work to keep us safe and healthy. They need your support and informed input to find additional ways to make our NorthWestMI counties be the area that the rest of the state wants to emulate to end this pandemic.


Personal liberty is often a reason given for not to mask or not to vaccinate. However, we need to remember that both the Declaration of Independence and US Constitution include as founding principles for our government “safety of the governed” and “promotion of the general welfare”. Independence carries with it responsibility. I have six grandchildren across three states, who are in mandated mask school districts. I asked them all if they feel traumatized by having to wear a mask. All six reacted with puzzlement and a similar response of 'they can be annoying, but its part of how we keep people safe'. From the mouths of babes!


Please, let's work together and use all the infection control and educational tools at our disposal to end this pandemic. That includes a fully supported Health Department which has the knowledge and the skills to lead the way.

Thank you for the work you do for the citizens of our county.


Sample of a letter to non-supportive commissioner: Rubingh, Hankins,Pallarito, Powers

Dear Commissioner Rubingh,


My name is Myrna Holland, resident of Elk Rapids and a Registered Nurse, now Retired

I am planning to attend the November 2 board meeting and will share much of what is below during the public comment session. However, I wanted to also share my thoughts in writing ahead of time with all of the board members.


I am in support of the continued leadership of Health Officer Lisa Peacock and Medical Director, Dr. Myerson of the Health Department of Northwest Michigan and urge you to support them and the department and to work with them to fulfill your duty to the mission and purposes of this board.


The mission of the HDNWM on your website states:

"To serve our entire community and to achieve health equity by promoting well-being, preventing disease, and protecting the environment through partnerships, innovation and excellence in public health practice." By the way, I think that mission statement would be an appropriate invocation for all of your board meetings.


Your board purposes include:

“ to learn everything possible about health problems in the community and to participate in finding solutions for these problems.” Terminating the contracts of the Department’s leadership would do nothing to solve the Covid-19 pandemic.


With Ms. Peacock’s and Dr. Myerson’s strong leadership the department has worked diligently to provide numerous vaccine clinics throughout the district. The decision for the school mask requirement is evidence based practice. Be sure you and your constituents understand the science behind their work to keep us safe and healthy. They need your support and informed input to find additional ways to make our NorthWestMI counties be the area that the rest of the state wants to emulate to end this pandemic. This is not the time to disrupt the critical work of the department by the changing leadership.


Personal liberty is often a reason given for not to mask or not to vaccinate. However, we need to remember that both the Declaration of Independence and US Constitution include as founding principles for our government “safety of the governed” and “promotion of the general welfare”. Independence carries with it responsibility. I have six grandchildren across three states, who are in mandated mask school districts. I asked them all if they feel traumatized by having to wear a mask. All six reacted with puzzlement and a similar response of 'they can be annoying, but its part of how we keep people safe'. From the mouths of babes!


Please, let's work together and use all the infection control and educational tools at our disposal to end this pandemic. That includes a fully supported Health Department which has the knowledge and the skills to lead the way.

450 views4 comments

Recent Posts

See All

4 commenti


Adam Moceri
Adam Moceri
01 nov 2021

Peacock has to go. She has alienated the parents, the school boards and her own board. This is not a position for a tyrant or a dictator. Our constitutional rights need to be acknowledged and respected. For those of you who have such an overwhelming trust in government to allow government to make your personal health decisions for you, please trust in those who are looking out for your individual rights and stop condemning them.

Mi piace

James Flint
James Flint
31 ott 2021

The following is from the above cited Public Act under Article 6, Part 2, at page 180, section 250:


"Sec. 250. The director or a local health officer shall not issue or enforce any orders or other directives that require an individual in this state who is under the age of 18 to wear a face mask or face covering. (Emphasis Added)"


The above law can also be found at Enrolled Senate Bill 82, Article 9, Part 2 at page 275.


The Governor in a written statement dated 09/29/2021 has suggested the above statute is unconstitutional and unenforceable. Apparently the HDNWM has concurred given their Press Release of October 1, 2021 without approval of their Board of Health. However, …


Mi piace

kjpalmer076
30 ott 2021

Lisa Peacock is endangering the funding of our health department by violating the public act in the state budget. How is the health department going to continue all of it's good work without money? She is is gambling with the wellbeing of our entire community over a mandate for children who are not even scientifically at risk.

Mi piace

flyinghands
30 ott 2021

I am in support to remove Lisa and Dr. Meyerson. They have overreached and acted as tyrants with regards to the mask mandate. If mask works then wear one but don’t force them on other people, eclectically kids.

Mi piace

Because Democracy Needs Us.

bottom of page