Dr. Darren Brucken reappointed Vigo County Health Officer

Dr. Darren Brucken has been re-elected to serve another four years as Vigo County Health Officer.

The Regional Health Council of Vigo reappointed him during a meeting on Wednesday. Brucken has served as the county’s health officer since August 2013. Brucken told the board he appreciates their trust in him.

Brucken was also a member of the Vigo Regional Health Council from January 2002 until his appointment as Health Officer.

“I love it,” Brucken said after the meeting. Public health has been an important part of his career.

“I’m still interested in it. I’m still passionate about it. This board and the administration team are phenomenal people to work with,” he said.

Brucken is also director of inpatient medical services for Horizon Health.

Also Wednesday, Molly Collett-Isles, supervisor of the health department’s division of social services, spoke about the jail’s programming for people with behavioral/addiction problems.

Much of the department’s Health First Indiana state funding goes to mental health, addiction, people in the court system and those incarcerated in the county jail.

The board heard from two people who had participated in the department’s prison programs; both said the programs have made a big difference to them.

One of the speakers, who is now on work release, said he has been battling addiction for several years and has been through various programs, but “they just didn’t hit home.”

The difference, he believes, is that those involved in the health department’s program have shown compassion and knowledge of addictions. “I learned a lot about myself as a human… It helped me a lot and saved my life,” he said.

Both speakers graduated from a prison program called moral recognition therapy that promotes moral reasoning, better decision making and improved behavior.

It’s a 12-step class for those struggling with behavioral/addiction issues and aims to help keep them out of prison, Collett-Isles explained after the meeting.

The other speaker, now on house arrest, said he has learned about boundaries and triggers, which have made all the difference in helping him stay clean. He is motivated by his grandchildren, he said, and was also inspired by Collett-Isles.

In an update on the program, Mike Grayless, vector control supervisor, said the county has had 12 mosquito pools out of 98 test positive for West Nile virus, but no humans have tested positive.

The department has a countywide mosquito control program.

Statewide, there have been 571 positive clusters from 91 counties with seven human cases of West Nile, but no deaths, Grayless said.

In other business, Dr. Jim Turner announced that he will resign from the health board after eight years of service; will be effective on December 31. He retired as a doctor two years ago.