COMING BACK — Mary Mihalyo was seated near Anthony Mougianis, center, and Dr. Mark Kissinger, who she will join on the Jefferson County Board of Health following her reappointment by the District Advisory Council Wednesday. -- Christopher Dacanay

STEUBENVILLE — Mary Mihaylo said she’s excited to work once again with the Jefferson County health department to improve public health, following her reappointment to the Jefferson County Board of Health Wednesday.

A Steubenville resident and doctor of pharmacy, Mihalyo was elected to her first full term on the health board by a five-member executive committee of the District Advisory Council. The DAC is composed of the president of the county commissioners, the mayor of each city and village and the chair of each township’s board of trustees.

“I’m really thrilled to have the opportunity to be involved here in the county for the next five years as a board member,” said Mihalyo, who’d been appointed previously to complete the unexpired term left by Clark Crago in 2024.

“We have a very competent team here at the health department that works extremely hard, and my hope is that we’ll be able to enjoy better access to increased funding once we achieve accreditation. I look forward to the future success of the Jefferson County General Health District and improving the quality of life of the residents of our county.”

The following entities were represented at the meeting, in the Jefferson County Tower Building’s second-floor community room: The Jefferson County commissioners, the city of Steubenville; the villages of Amsterdam, Mingo Junction, Richmond and Wintersville; and Cross Creek, Knox, Ross, Steubenville, Wayne and Wells townships.

With only 12 constituents present of the 17 needed for a quorum, the DAC was required to form an executive committee that would vote on the appointee. The committee included Steubenville Township trustee Scott Fabian, DAC chair; Wintersville Council member Pennie Scarpone, DAC secretary; Commissioner Eric Timmons, filling in for commission president Tony Morelli; Wells Township trustee J.J. Kamerer, township representative, and Amsterdam Mayor Jim Phillips, village/city representative.

Applying for the board position were Mihalyo and Roger Davis Jr., a Rayland resident and registered nurse who serves as vice president of operations for the senior living professional support organization Oakdale Senior Alliance.

All applicants were given the opportunity to introduce themselves to the DAC, though Davis was not present to do so.

Addressing the DAC, Mihalyo reflected on the time she’s spent with the board since her first appointment in December 2023. She said she’s enjoyed her time working with the board and grown more knowledgeable about health issues in Jefferson County.

“My agenda is simply to help you and to help the residents of this county improve the quality of life for everyone here,” she said. “I don’t think that we have a poor quality of life. … I think this is a great place to live and prosper and grow.”

Mihalyo said the county health department has seen some positive reorganization throughout the past few years, but there’s still work to do and new opportunities on the horizon. She credited Health Commissioner Andrew Henry and his staff for their work, adding the department is “blessed to have this young man” at its helm.

Mihalyo also said she’s been impressed to witness the health department, with support from the board, finish submitting documents necessary to achieve accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board. She said accreditation, once achieved, will influence funding opportunities and allow the department to “cast a much wider net.”

“We’re doing a good job with the resources that we have,” Mihalyo said, “but there’s a lot more opportunity to go after chronic disease and help our residents of this county cope with serious illness and really support the other initiatives that are going on to build a competent workforce, which is what we need to help our economy. I think it can be done. I’m very engaged and interested in helping the county pursue that…”

With her husband, Mihalyo co-founded A&B Pharmacy in Steubenville. She currently serves as chief clinical officer for Dragonfly Health, which provides durable medical equipment and pharmacy solutions.

After a seconds-long executive session, the executive committee voted unanimously for Mihalyo’s appointment to the board.

The DAC also heard the JCGHD’s 2025 annual report from Health Commissioner Henry.

Due to lack of a quorum, the DAC could not vote on public health service contracts between the JCGHD and cities of Steubenville and Toronto. The DAC will hold a special session to vote on the contracts, with a time and date to be announced.