When Georgia Dillon took the helm at the Lawrence County Health Department in 2018, she knew she there were challenges.

Most expected that the biggest issues would be the county health department merging with the city’s.

But in 2020, the unexpected occurred and the biggest global health pandemic in a century struck with COVID-19.

The arrival of the virus in Lawrence County brought a host of challenges, the sort no head of the agency had dealt with in decades.

From maintaining social distancing and health guidelines to administering the vaccine when it arrived in December 2020, Dillon and her staff had a herculean task ahead of them.

Regular vaccine clinics were set up, including a semi-permanent one at the South Board of Education, while updates on data were regularly by the county.

We commend the department for all it has done in the past few years and especially Dillon, as she begins her retirement (A party was held on Friday by co-workers to honor her).

We wish Dillon well in her retirement and thank her for dedicating her life and career of nearly four decades to the care of others.