Flanagan resigns as director

YATES COUNTY--Yates County Administrator Nonie Flynn issued a media release, Monday, Oct. 25, titled "Yates County Responds to Coronavirus," which detailed the public health department and the county's work in dealing with COVID-19.
The memo said the county is following the process to fill the soon-to-be-vacant position of the public health director and that Deputy Director Sara Christensen is currently overseeing the department.
The Chronicle-Express reported on Friday, Oct. 22 that Yates County Public Health Director Annmarie Flanagan would officially resign on Oct. 31 and was using vacation time in the interim. In a letter to the paper she said in part, "Morally and ethically, I could not remain in a position where I could not implement the initiatives needed to restore health to the pre-pandemic level..."
Flanagan could not be reached for this story.
In recent years, Yates and Schuyler County had a shared agreement for the director of public health. However, in September it was announced Schuyler County hired an interim public health director and said the position would now be exclusive to the county.
Christensen gave the last public health report at the Yates legislature in October.
The update from Flynn also said, "Yates County leadership is working to protect our employees and the public by following all guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), including taking the steps necessary to reduce the threat of COVID-19 exposure to all. After much debate among the legislature and the public on whether a mask mandate, while in common areas of county buildings was necessary, it was supported by a majority of the legislature members and consequently passed."
The letter also notes the community outreach of vaccination, social distancing, washing your hands often, staying home if you are sick, and wearing a face-covering in public. It also states the hours of the vaccination station, which will include the new booster shots and the readiness for expansion of vaccines to children if they are approved.
"Our public health director is resigning, so we wanted to give an update that we continue to educate the community about what is going on with how we are fighting Coronavirus," Flynn said when reached by phone on Monday afternoon.
Flynn added that it was her belief that the county legislature has always been very supportive of the health department as it relates to the COVID virus and federal regulations.
"Our legislature has always given the tools requested to the county health department during COVID," Flynn said. "There may have been questions regarding the requests but in the end, they have always have supported public health policies regarding following the CDC guidelines. Any department head should be able to explain requests of the legislature and it's the job of the legislature to ask. Department heads should be ready to answer questions, it does not mean they are not supported relative to the pandemic and following CDC guidelines."
The press release concludes by saying, "We strongly encourage the public to visit the CDC website at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html for the most up to date information or call the NYSDOH COVID-19 hotline at 1-888-364-3065. The hotline is available 24/7. You may also contact Yates County Public Health at 315-536-5160."