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As COVID-19 numbers continue to dwindle across Kentucky, life is slowly moving back to a sense of normalcy, and for many, that means getting out and paying friends or family a visit.

Or, in the case of the Clark County Health Department, it opened up a chance for the Kentucky Commissioner of Public Health, Dr. Steven Stack, to drop by on Thursday.

Public Health Director Becky Kissick explained what the relative calm on the pandemic front allows the commissioner to do.

“It presented him an opportunity to get out and about and visit health departments such as ours to get a better understanding of not only the local community, but the challenges that we face here in Clark County,” she said.

Kissick said that Dr. Stack prefers a hands-on approach to his role and has been accessible since Gov. Andy Beshear appointed him to it in 2020.

The visit also provided a platform for the health department’s staff to have a question and answer session with the commissioner.

“The staff were interested in his vision and background, and about his experience as commissioner during the pandemic and where he sees public health in Kentucky going,” Kissick said. “One of the things that he has always been transparent about is that it will look different for each community, and it is going to be a community-driven initiative.”

Dr. Stack’s visit to Winchester was his first. So, Kissick and her staff had a chance to showcase each of its internal departments and what makes public health in Clark County unique.

“We spent time talking about community collaborations and how our community partners help support us in facilitating things like peer support during harm reduction,” Kissick said.

Overall, it was a good visit for both Dr. Stack and the health department staff.

“It was an incredibly positive visit. I think it was positive not only for the staff and our perspective here, but he has a better understanding of this community and the things that we consider local public health,” Kissick said.