(New Philadelphia, Ohio) – The Tuscarawas County Health Department issues a letter to county residents to request support and respect for the work of County Commissioner, Katie Seward.

The following letter was issued this week:

“On behalf of the Board of Health for the Tuscarawas County Health Department, we are writing this letter to
request your support and respect for the work of our County Health Commissioner, Katie Seward, and Health
Department staff as they continue to work tirelessly to follow orders set by the Ohio Department of Health and
help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Sadly, with increased frequency, the Commissioner and her staff have
been on the receiving end of hostility from some members of our community. Whether or not we all personally
agree or disagree with the Statewide public health orders, we ask that you please respect that Health Department staff are doing the jobs we hired them to do. Many of the Department staff are likely your neighbors and
friends.

Throughout Ohio, public health workers have been subjected to threats and harassment, and Tuscarawas County public health workers are unfortunately no different. Therefore, as the Board of Health, we respectfully ask that this behavior not be tolerated. It is never acceptable to be abusive to health department staff through verbal or written hostility, profanity, name-calling, and/or threats to their personal safety or property. We appreciate those of you who have supported our department and our staff throughout this very difficult time for all.

The Health Department remains committed to the COVID-19 response while continuing to provide valuable
services to the community that we all love. Those services include the provision of WIC nutrition benefits and
vaccinations for families, weekend food for over 500 food insecure youth, healthcare appointments, restaurant
and water and septic inspections, birth and death certificates, the provision of cribs and car seats for families in
need, and more.

Thank you for your thoughtful attention to this request. We know these are hard times for us all, and we are
confident that you will do what you can to help by extending respect and support to those at the Health
Department who are working hard to help keep our community safe and healthy. We will get through this
together as Tuscarawas County residents always support each other through hard times.

Sincerely,

The Tuscarawas County Board of Health”