MOUNT VERNON — Knox County is seeing a rise in Lyme disease cases, growing pediatric demand at its health center, and ongoing facility planning challenges — all while forming new partnerships and managing major funding cuts.
Knox County health officials report a notable rise in Lyme disease cases, with 35 cases recorded by the end of May, compared to 22 cases at the same time last year.
“We’re going to continue to see that climb,” Health Commissioner Zach Green told county commissioners last week.
He expects the upward trend to continue as tick activity increases through spring and summer. However, Green said Lyme disease is no longer confined to warm months.
“We’re finding ourselves more and more in conversation of people contracting Lyme in February, and I know I’ve been pushing this education, but just cause it’s dead of winter — and we had a heck of a winter this year — it’s the same stuff,” he said.
Green attributes the rise to the westward spread of ticks carrying Lyme disease.
“It’s not that it wasn’t there, it’s just finally getting to the point where central Ohio is becoming more and more of a hotspot,” he said.
Tick testing Lyme disease unavailable in Ohio
Green said Knox Public Health offers tick identification, but does not test them for Lyme disease, nor does he know of any Ohio lab that does.
The misconception, he said, is twofold: individuals believe if a test is negative, the individual is good; if the test is positive, they believe they have contracted the disease.
“Just because it has Lyme doesn’t mean that you contracted Lyme. So we don’t want to dispense doxycycline on a regular basis,” he said, noting that individuals can become immune to the treatment.
“That’s the bigger concern working into the future if we’re pushing doxycycline constantly. At what point does that no longer work? Lyme disease can be lifetime chronic. So, we’ll continue to monitor ticks in general, but the population is growing.”
Green also noted that ticks are incredibly resilient, and flushing them down the toilet does not necessarily kill them.
“They can live weeks on end on just the air bubbles alone,” he said.
Community Health Center updates and recognition
Knox Public Health is finalizing a non-monetary partnership with the American Red Cross after the Mount Vernon chapter lost its downtown space.
The Red Cross will store disaster supplies at the Upper Gilchrist Road site and park its vehicle on the lot for 24/7 access.
Green expects a start date of June 22.
Anthony Bowersock, director of the Knox County Community Health Center, said the center is officially recognized as a Patient-Centered Medical Home, a goal they have pursued for nearly a decade.
The COVID-19 epidemic delayed the center’s recognition, which Bowersock said is about collaborative care, team-based care, and chronic condition management and how they interrelate.
Accreditation measures how well the center achieves those goals.
“There are certain core measures and elective measures to get us there,” he said. “Reducing ED visits is one, and again, ensuring the patients and clients we have within our service lines can manage their chronic care conditions and go from there.
“Overall, kind of the larger picture is reducing cost related to health concerns through those chronic conditions and the management of them.”
The health center is also a Project Adam site through one of its sites. The Knox County Career Center is also a site that is more related to cardiac care and management.
Bowersock said that means ensuring the policies, procedures, and people are in place to get people the treatment they need in a cardiac emergency and move them to advanced care.
A double-digit uptick in the number of pediatric patients led Bowersock to seek an expanded collaboration with Nationwide Children’s Hospital through Knox Community Hospital.
Green said that from a one-stop resource perspective, the center is tied into an alliance that enables staff to access expert help.
New construction on hold
Green said Knox Public Health is not planning any new building projects at this time, partly due to financial barriers.
“At the federal level, we took a significant cut in reimbursement from the Ohio Department of Medicaid. The agency lost almost $800,000 in February in reimbursements from Ohio Medicaid,” he said.
Current facilities are meeting the demand without significant wait lists.
Green said KPH is exploring adding dental sites, but the priority is behavioral health services.
The agency rents 4,000 square feet at 206 S. Mulberry St. Green’s concern is if KPH cannot renew that lease for some reason.
“Looking at overall community need, where am I going to put nine counselors when I look at threat and liability and sustainability?” he asked.
“So if there’s any growth or new-build expansion on West Vine Street today, I would look at doing something for behavioral health services, ensuring our psych nurse practitioner is able to collaborate in that manner.
“Short of that, we’re doing well in square footage. That was not the conversation three years ago.”
Green said that strategically, KPH is in the silent phase of evaluating unknown variables to determine the community’s need.
However, he noted things change and said he is “ready to pivot at any given second.”
The commissioners took several actions in their recent sessions:
•Approved a $473,048.50 contract with Mid-Ohio Paving Inc. for 2026 patching material.
•Accepted the Knox county engineer’s annual report.
•Approved a bridge inspection agreement with John Wackerly Inspection at $60 per bridge and $200 per steel truss.
•Approved an $822,263.41 contract with Small’s Asphalt Paving Inc. for annual resurfacing.
•Accepted Job & Family Services annual report.
