Justin Rechichar to replace retiring Lorain County Health Commissioner Mark Adams

New Lorain County Health Commissioner Justin Rechichar introduced himself to county commissioners Friday, about 30 days before he takes over the job from Mark Adams. Adams, who has been with Public Health for six years, is retiring, effective June 12. Rechichar said he was excited to start at Lorain County Public Health, which is headquartered on Murray Ridge Road in Elyria. The agency provides public health services including disease prevention, health education, restaurant inspection and smoking cessation to all Lorain County municipalities except Vermilion. Rechichar told commissioners he knows he has some big shoes to fill, but "I wear 15s," he joked, holding up one of his feet. Commissioner David Moore invited Adams to introduce his replacement, though "I don't think you can be replaced, Mark," he said. Adams "can be succeeded. He can't be replaced," Commissioner Jeff Riddell said. "I don't know if he's replaceable or not, but I'm excited to be here," Rechichar replied. Rechichar started as an intern with Portage County Health District in 2016. He most recently was its environmental health director. "His leadership, dedication, and commitment to public health have made a lasting impression on our team and the community we serve," the Portage County Health District said in a Facebook post announcing Rechichar's departure from the agency headquartered in Ravenna. "We are proud to help develop and mentor strong public health leaders. We wish him continued success in this next chapter." Rechichar also is the president of the Ohio Environmental Health Association, or OEHA. He received both the "Outstanding Registered Environmental Health Specialist of the Year" and "OEHA Journal Article of the Year" awards at the association's recent annual conference, the Portage County Health District said. A U.S. Coast Guard veteran, Adams is former director of the Canton City Health Department, the Henry County Health Department and taught at Northeast Ohio Medical University, Kent State University and the University of Cincinnati. He was hired by Lorain County Public Health in 2020 to replace Dave Covell, who retired in late 2021. Adams said Friday that he has been showing Rechichar around all week. "We've got a lot of rounds. There's so many partners we have in the community that he's got to make sure to see a lot of people," Adams said. A lot of the work goes on in the background, from tracing disease outbreaks and preventing disease from spreading to protecting water quality with "massive water studies" to figure out how to stop human waste from getting into the water supply from failing septic systems and sewers. Adams, who said he enjoys educating people about what public health means, said he's also working on a levy to go on the November ballot. A proposed 0.5-mill, five-year renewal levy for the county Health District would cost a homeowner $17.50 for every $100,000 and "for the services you get out of that dollar amount, it's tremendous," Adams said. The Board of Health and Commissioners still have to vote to OK the levy to appear on the November ballot. Even with fewer than 30 days to go, Adams said he still is learning how involved Lorain County Public Health is in the community and what agencies it partners with. "I enjoyed getting to meet everybody and work with all these community partners," he said. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com