A new hand is at the wheel of the Warren County Health Department following the retirement of longtime Administrator Ruth Walters and the promotion of public health nurse Stacey White.

The leadership change was made known in February, with Walters quietly announcing she felt it was time to scale back her involvement, although she won’t be leaving public health entirely. White has taken over during a time of obvious challenge, but says the health department is tightly focused on combating COVID-19.

“This pandemic is the type of thing we plan for and drill all the time in public health,” White said. “It’s just on a larger scale this time, over a longer period of time, and we have to ramp up our response to match the need.”

White has been involved in public health for 23 years in a variety of roles and settings in the St. Louis area, and also teaches at UMSL. She grew up in Warren County and said it’s an honor to serve her community.

White said her first inspiration to enter the public health sector was her mother, Constance Brooks, who worked as Warren County's public health nurse for many years. When White began her own career with a job as a hospital nurse, she knew right away that she wanted to take a more active role in preventing illness and injury, rather than simply treating them afterword. Public health is the perfect field for that proactive approach to wellness, White said, but it requires significant flexibility and a passion for the mission of preventing illness.

“My vision for the Warren County Health Department is for us to be a strong partner, by actively collaborating across all of the sectors that make up our unique community,” White said. Although the health department’s focus right now is on effectively preventing the spread of COVID, White said she looks forward to resuming a number of community health and fitness programs once the pandemic is under control.

Despite being unprecedented in our lifetime, White said the COVID pandemic has reaffirmed the work health officials have done for decades to plan for such a health emergency. Over the decades to come, she expects the biggest changes to public health will be in the rise of virtual interactions, along with a more “mobile and global” society increasing the likelihood of future disease outbreaks.

“No matter the challenge, we focus on the broad goals of disease and injury prevention, and health promotion for communities,” White said.

Walters retires

Retired Health Administrator Ruth Walters said she’s proud of the legacy and programs she’s brought to the health department, commenting that she achieved all of the goals she had laid out when she was hired in 2006. Walters oversaw the start of a number of programs to provide community members with access to, or information about, different health services, along with safety education and a community gardens program.

The Warren County Fitness Center was founded in 2013 under Walters thanks to acquisition of a public health grant to address growing obesity in Warren County. The aggressive pursuit of grants for public health services was a hallmark of Walters’ time at the helm.

“Back in 2006, when we were researching for grants, many folks would say ‘Why create the extra work?’ ” commented Walters. “I’d say ‘Why not?’ This will benefit our community.”

Walters said every program the health department provides is only made possible by a heroic staff working together toward the same goal, along with the support of Warren County leaders and partners in neighboring counties.

Rather than a full retirement, Walters said she’ll continue helping out part-time at the health department as needed, and will be part of other health-related programs in the community.

Once the COVID pandemic is at bay, Walters plans on traveling and having a little more time with her grandchildren.