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BY JIM HALL
Dr. Brooke Rossheim has been named acting director of the Rappahannock Area Health District after the abrupt departure of Dr. John Petrasky.
Rossheim has been acting director of the Chickahominy Health District, based in Ashland. This week he added the Fredericksburg area to his responsibilities.
It's not clear why Petrasky left. His last day was Friday, May 7. He left his office without announcement and did not return.
"The only thing I'm prepared to say is that Dr. Petrasky doesn't work with us anymore," said Jeff Lake, deputy commissioner for community health services in Richmond.
Lake declined to say whether Petrasky was fired or resigned. He said he did not know what Petrasky will be doing now.
"I'm not going to comment on personnel matters," he said. "They are confidential by nature."
Petrasky could not be reached for comment. The phone mail box at his office was "vacant" yesterday. An
Petrasky began work in Fredericksburg last June. He came to the Fredericksburg area from Michigan, where he served as a local health director for 22 years.
Soon after he arrived, the Health Department joined the national campaign against the H1N1 virus.
He and his staff helped organize vaccination clinics in schools, stores and churches. By the end of the year, more than 23,000 people had been vaccinated, most of them children.
Lake said he will begin recruiting immediately for a full-time replacement for Petrasky. He said he is not sure when a new director might be in place.
Rossheim met with the local staff Tuesday. Lake said Rossheim will help the staff prepare for the Boy Scout Jamboree in July and the State Fair of Virginia in September. Both are in Caroline County.
Rossheim graduated from the Virginia Commonwealth University School Of Medicine. He is board certified in preventive medicine, geriatrics and internal medicine.
The health director is the lead public health officer in a community and supervises the local Health Department staff. In the Fredericksburg area, 85 people work in the district and county offices.
Jim Hall: 540/374-5433
Email: jhall@freelancestar.com
