THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 19, 1996 TAG: 9605160187
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 30 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JACK DEMPSEY, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
HARRY JOHNSON has been playing golf for years - but not as regularly as he'd like.
The 60-year-old Manteo resident has been too busy running the Dare County Health Department.
That will change Monday when Johnson, a Manteo High School graduate and former Army medical administrator, retires from the post he's held since 1982 and heads for the golf course.
``I have thoroughly enjoyed directing the Health Department,'' Johnson said.
``It will be hard letting go. But it's time for new leadership, new strategies and renewed energy.''
Johnson will be succeeded as health director by Ann Thomas, 40.
He said he will remain during the transition until May 31.
Johnson said the Health Department's emphasis under his leadership has constantly shifted in response to ever-changing needs.
In the early 1980s, he said, environmental issues occupied center stage.
The county was experiencing its greatest growth spurt, but the department lacked the ordinances and regulations necessary to protect the public's health fully.
Regulation of septic tanks and food preparation inspections received early priority.
``It's a part of the Health Department the public never sees, but it protects everyone's health, every day,'' Johnson said.
``I'm most proud of our environmental record. We've never had a major environmental problem here.''
Dr. Barry Welch, chairman of the Health Department's board, said Johnson's environmental health record was his greatest legacy.
``Without Harry,'' Welch said, ``Dare County might be a different place today.
``During the county's growth spurt, Harry walked a fine line between permitting maximum growth and also constraining it to protect a healthy environment.''
As the resident population grew, the need for expanded clinical services claimed priority in the early 1990s. Programs such as prenatal care, immunizations, nutrition, child health and communicable disease control expanded.
For the past two years, Johnson said, home health services have commanded top attention. With the recent emphasis on reducing expensive hospital and nursing home stays, ``home health services have become the fastest growing segment of the health care industry.''
Under Johnson's watch, Health Department personnel have increased from 15 to 38. But despite the increase, Johnson says the staff must be flexible to get the job done.
``Without a large staff of specialists like they have in populous counties,'' he said, ``my people have had to develop expertise in several areas to cover our responsibilities.''
After his graduation from Manteo High School, Johnson earned bachelor's degrees from North Carolina State University and Oklahoma Baptist University.
He completed his education with a master's in hospital administration from Baylor University.
Johnson served in the Army from 1959 to 1979. At retirement, he was a lieutenant colonel and the executive officer at the Army hospital in Fort Eustis, Va.
In addition to spending more time on the golf course in the coming months, Johnson said he also plans to travel a bit. He doesn't rule out the possibility of returning to work someplace, ``but it will be on a limited basis.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by JACK DEMPSEY
Harry Johnson, a Manteo High School graduate and former Army medical
administrator, retires from the post he's held since 1982 and heads
for the golf course.
by CNB