Defiance County General Health District

Our Mission Statement
We promote and protect the health and well-being of all people and places in Defiance County
According to the American Public Health Association, Public Health promotes and protects the health of people and the communities where they live, learn, work and play. The mission of Defiance County Public Health is guided our vision and core values.
Our Vision
A Healthy and Safe Defiance County
A Healthy and Safe Defiance County is achieved when communities are safe, disease and injury is prevented, and all people are given the opportunity to meet their full health potential. This is possible by promoting a strong public health system, promoting the protection of public health, and promoting a culture of health.
Our Core Values
We believe by embracing our Core Values, we are able to provide the best public health programs and services to Defiance County residents.
Leadership
Health Commissioner – Jamie R. Gerken, MPH, BSN
Director of Nursing – Stacy Lucas, BSN, RN
Director of Environmental Health – Ron Clinger, BS, RS
Fiscal Officer – Marty Retcher
Health Promotion Coordinator – Brian Heil, BS, REHS
WIC Director – Melinda Kuhlman, RD, LD
Office Hours
DCGHD
Monday – Friday 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
WIC
Monday-Thursday: – 8:30 AM – 12:00 & 1:00 – 5:30pm
Friday – CLOSED
Social Media
Defiance County General Health District (DCGHD) has achieved national accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). The national accreditation program works to improve and protect the health of the public by advancing and ultimately transforming the quality and performance of the nation’s state, local, Tribal, and territorial public health departments. Hundreds of health departments across the country are preparing to seek accreditation through PHAB, the non-profit organization that administers the national public health accreditation program.


Public Health Logo
NACCHO developed a national identity for public health departments to raise awareness of the value of governmental public health.
Like other public services that protect the community and respond in times of crisis, public health departments should be visible and understood by the community it serves.
The national identity offers public health departments a common visual symbol and message that immediately and consistently identifies the people and work of public health departments. Only when health departments across the country embrace the national identity will the goal to become universally recognized and understood be achieved.
Annual Reports
Authority to Conduct Public Health Activities
Privacy Statement
Privacy Statement: A federal law, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (known as HIPAA) was passed by Congress to further increase the information safeguards and security of patient health care information. The Privacy Rule establishes standards for protecting the privacy of individually identifiable health information. The rule confers certain rights on individuals, including rights to access and amend their health information and to obtain a record of when and why their PHI has been shared with others for certain purposes. The Privacy Rule establishes conditions under which covered entities can provide researchers access to and use of PHI when necessary to conduct research.
View of the Privacy Practices of the Defiance County General Health District.
Authorization may be required to access protected health information from the Defiance County General Health District.
Disclaimer: This website is provided as a service of the Defiance County General Health District. While the information links contained in the DCGHD’s website have been compiled from sources believed to be reliable, DCGHD makes no guarantee as to, and assumes no responsibility for the correctness, sufficiency, or completeness of such information.
To make a Freedom of Information Act/ Public Records request, please contact the Health Department at 419-782-3818 or fax the request to 419-782-4979. The Public Records Request form can be found here.
Learn More About Us

Applications and Forms
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Board of Health
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Contact Us
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Defiance County Public Health Reports
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