Clarification: Lewis and Clark Public Health

In recent stories regarding the COVID-19 response, we may have implied that the orders originating from Lewis and Clark Public Health were effectively orders from the Lewis and Clark County Commission.

To clarify, Lewis and Clark Public Health Officer Dendra Niemann works for the City-County Board of Health, not directly for the county.

The Board of Health is comprised of representatives from the Helena City Commission (Helena Mayor Wilmot Collins); the East Helena City Council (Scott St. Clair); the County Commission (County Commissioner Andy Hunthausen); and the superintendent of School District 1 (Tyler Ream). The board also includes a professional with experience in the environmental, biological, chemical or engineering sciences fields (Kammy Johnson); a licensed physician (Dr. Mikael Bedell); a health services consumer (Brie Oliver); A Helena city resident (Jenny Eck) and a county resident from outside the Helena city Limits (Justin Murgel).

See http://www.lccountymt.gov/health/about-public-health.html for more information.

Title 50 of Montana Code Annotated provides the public health officers at the city and county level with their authority that, in instances such as the COVID-19 pandemic, can supersede that of the governor.