After nearly a decade of service leading Ingham County’s Health Department, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, health officer Linda Vail is just weeks away from stepping down from the position.
She announced plans to retire in August of last year, but her last day on the job is Feb. 17.
WKAR's Sophia Saliby spoke with Vail to reflect on her career in public health.
Interview Highlights
On why she's retiring now
The last three years have been pretty challenging, and it just, I kind of came to a point where I knew I was going to need to retire before I was like 68 or anything like that. And then just the pressures and, you know, some things that are going on personally, in terms of life and my granddaughters growing up as well as I've got some residual anxiety from going through the pandemic myself.
On some of the initiatives she's glad her department has done
We have amplified our work around health equity and social justice, declared racism a public health crisis. And we are also working in the area of another public health issue, which is gun violence, and so we're working with Advance Peace. And so those are some things, you know, just really to move past what we think is traditional public health and embrace these issues that people don't realize are public health issues, but we do, like racism and gun violence because those are issues that profoundly affect the health of the community at large and mortality within the community at large.
On the advice she's shared with her successor
Just a lot of conversations about you know, people and what different people respond to well and don't and just you know, the importance again, the importance of relationships. You're probably about to ask me. It's Dr. [Adenike] Shoyinka, who is our medical director currently who will become the medical director/health officer. She's been our medical director since 2019, so that's kind of administrative experience. So, really trying to get from her you know, some understanding about you know, how do you work with commissioners, how do you work with the, you know, county controller's office, as well as the various leaders in the community, the mayors, the cities, the different grassroots organizations as well as other community organizations and leaders throughout the communities.
Interview Transcript
Sophia Saliby: After nearly a decade of service leading Ingham County’s Health Department, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, Linda Vail is just weeks away from stepping down from the position.
She announced plans to retire in August of last year, but her last day on the job is February 17th.
Vail joins me now to reflect on her career in public health. Thank you for being here.
Linda Vail: Thank you, Sophia. Always good to talk to you.
Saliby: Why was now the right time to retire?
Vail: The last three years have been pretty challenging, and it just, I kind of came to a point where I knew I was going to need to retire before I was like 68 or anything like that.
And then just the pressures and, you know, some things that are going on personally, in terms of life and my granddaughters growing up as well as I've got some residual anxiety from going through the pandemic myself.
Lots of health officials have PTSD. I unfortunately happen to be one of them.
Lots of health officials have PTSD. I unfortunately happen to be one of them. And I just think that this is the best time to just kind of take that step in and go into retirement, take care of myself some, still you know, be engaged in the community, have some time with my family for travel, things like that.
Saliby: Can you reflect on lessons you learned as you led the health department during the height of the pandemic?
Vail: Well, first of all, we have an amazing team. So, basically, the health department and health department staff came together in ways that were just absolutely remarkable and did incredible work.
In addition to that, this community stepped up to support us with volunteers and resources and helping us with mass vaccination efforts and things like that, like I have never seen any community do.
During the height of the pandemic, it was very stressful. And then as things started to kind of, you know, be a little calmer, I still was having a lot of anxiety responses over, you know, not the bigger triggering things.
And I think that the extent to which this health department has, over the course of many decades long before me, developed a really good reputation within this community and within this state was critical in our success and being able to move forward.
Saliby: If you feel comfortable, can you talk more about that PTSD diagnosis you received from the pandemic, and what you've done to, kind of, help your recovery since that peak stress point?
Vail: During the height of the pandemic, it was very stressful. And then as things started to, kind of, you know, be a little calmer, I still was having a lot of anxiety responses over, you know, not the bigger or triggering things.
And so, I got to a point where most of the time, I did pretty well, didn't have a lot of anxiety during the day, but I wake up with this, like anxiety, panic attack every single morning, and it's really quite uncomfortable. I haven't been able to get that to go away. I had, you know, a period of time where it got better. But you know, it's still something that I'm trying to work through and of course working with the professionals that helped me. You know, it's a tough way to wake up every day, and I can't imagine that it's good for my body as a whole.
Saliby: Besides your work during the COVID-19 pandemic, can you talk about any other initiatives you're proud of that the department has done during your tenure?
Vail: We've done a number of different things. So, we started a taskforce, so to speak, a group that focuses on opioid use disorders and other substance use disorders and responding in the community.
We were able to form what we call our Innovation and Planning Group within the department because, as health departments, we tend to be a little bit understaffed and under-resourced at times. And a lot of times, we just, you know, have easy grants that kind of come to us. The state offers us a grant, and then we do the work that the grant wants us to do. And having this Innovation and Planning Group allowed us to be a little bit more forward thinking about being strategic and looking for grants and seeking opportunities that actually aligned with our strategic priorities rather than just always taking the money that's offered to us and then letting that guide what we do.
We have amplified our work around health equity and social justice, declared racism a public health crisis. And we are also working in the area of another public health issue, which is gun violence, and so we're working with Advance Peace.
And so those are some things, you know, just really to move past what we think is traditional public health and embrace these issues that people don't realize are public health issues, but we do, like racism and gun violence because those are issues that profoundly affect the health of the community at large and mortality within the community at large.
Saliby: Have you shared any words of advice to your successor in the position?
Vail: Just a lot of conversations about you know, people and what different people respond to well and don't and just you know, the importance again, the importance of relationships. You're probably about to ask me. It's Dr. [Adenike] Shoyinka, who is our medical director currently who will become the medical director/health officer.
Those are some things, you know, just really to move past what we think is traditional public health and embrace these issues that people don't realize are public health issues, but we do, like racism and gun violence.
She's been our medical director since 2019, so that's kind of administrative experience. So, really trying to get from her you know, some understanding about you know, how do you work with commissioners, how do you work with the, you know, county controller's office, as well as the various leaders in the community, the mayors, the cities, the different grassroots organizations as well as other community organizations and leaders throughout the communities.
And who are these very important people that you should always be kind of interacting with and building relationship with because that will help you in every emergency situation you run into.
Saliby: Linda Vail is Ingham County's health officer. Thank you for joining me and congrats on your retirement.
Vail: Thank you so much, Sophia.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
