SCHOHARIE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF H 284 Mary Sruttt, P.O. BOX 667 Scuowanir, NY 12187 This S18) S868 FAA: SI8)29SANI_" HEAL HVACOSCHONARIENY.L Dr. Amy E. Gildemeister, Ph.D. Director of Public Health ALTH 7216/2023, Dear Schoharie County Board of Health: | regret to inform you that due to the hostile work conditions and extreme duress that | have encountered in my position as Schoharie County Director of Public Health, I have been forced to seek and accept another position. [had intended to serve an additional six-year term, Unfortunately, it has become clear that itis impossible for me to be effective in the role of Schoharie County Director of Public Health Therefore, I must resign as of 11:59:59 pm on 2/8/2023. ‘The Schoharie County Board of Supervisors has deliberately imposed conditions designed to severely restrict my ability to effectively carry out my duties as the Director of Public Health for Schoharie County. These actions have the effect of overturning the decision of Schoharie County Board ‘of Health to reappoint me for a six-year term and the subsequent confirmation of that appointment by Acting State Health Commissioner Dr. James MeDonald. The reckless actions of the Schoharie County Board of Supervisors in choosing to ignore the professional judgement and statutory rights and ions of the Schoharie County Board of Health endangers the health and welfare of the citizens of Schoharie County In addition, members of the Schoharie County Board of Supervisors have damaged my personal and professional reputation and created a hostile work environment by stating both publiely and directly to Health Department staff that their decision was based on an evaluation of my “whole body of work” and “serious personnel issues”. They have stated publicly that there are “write-ups” in my personnel file, implying that there is a documented pattern of serious unprofessional behavior. If my personnel file contains write-ups substantiating a pattern of performance issues, they have been placed in the file without my knowledge. No performance issues (serious or otherwise) have ever been brought to the Board of Health to be investigated and addressed, as would be the correct procedure. The Board of Supervisors has never notified me of the specific allegations or given me an opportunity to defend myself. All discussions of alleged personnel issues have been conducted in executive session without allowing me to be present. In fact, the performance evaluation that I received for the work done in 2019, just prior to the global COVID-19 pandemic states: “..Dr. Gildemeister is unquestionably an essential managerial asset to Schoharie County government and a public servant Schoharie residents can be proud of.” In that performance evaluation, all scores were either 5 (outstanding performance) or 4 (exceeds expectations) with the exception of a single 3 (meets expectations) in the category of “meets established time frames for submitting budget requests”. I received perfect scores of 25/25 in the competencies of “Faimess & Honesty” and “Compassion & Respect,” the two categories that specifically address a department head's interactions with staff and the public Due to the barriers erected by the Board of Supervisors, I simply cannot accept the legal responsibility for performing the duties of Director of Public Health. The Board of Supervisors has denied me access to standard and necessary communication tools. | ean no longer receive physical mail, e-mail, telephone communication, and do not have access to county computer resources or a county cell phone. The lock on my office door was changed so that I can no longer access my physical office space which contains my physical document files. [ received a notice of separation letter stating that | cannot be in any part of the county office building except for those accessible to the public. I have no access to ENVIRONMENTAL HALIIE PUBLIC HEAL NURSING PRESCHOOL SPECIAL NEEDS. TeL (SIS) 205-8302 Ta (518)295-4474 Tau. (S18) 205-8708 Fax ($18) 298-84 Fax (S18) 2958786 Fa S18) 295.8135departmental documents on paper or on the county servers. Being unable to access these resources not only prevents me from being able to conduct routine daily business, i also prevents me from being sb to assess and respond to emergency notifications ina timely manner, Wan emergency were to area Line no ability to access vehicles, computer equipment, clinic supplies, and other equipment needed to adh cos the situation tn addition, it means that Schoharie County does not havea knowledgeable person on duty to triage and answer after-hours Public Health calls to address emergent issues Finally, I cannot sign documents as the Director of Public Health when the county has made it clear that they do not consider my appointment by the Schoharie County Board of Health and subsequent confirmation of that appointment by Acting State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald te be legitimate and binding The Board of Supervisors clearly signaled their contempt for Dr. MeDonald’s confirmation of my appointment on January 20, 2023 by passing a resolution to defund my salary line and appoint Donna Becker to the position of Interim Health Director on January 22, 2023 and Heidi Bond te the positon of Interim Health Director as of February 2, 2023, Because the Schoharie County Board of Supervisors does not recognize my legal authority as Schoharie County Director of Public I Tealth, | must assume that they would not provide legal coverage for any actions taken in that role, The persona legal exposure of signing documents authorizing even routine work to move forward is simply too ereat Unfortunately, this means that the work of the health department has come to a near stand-still and the delay is now having a significant impact on the citizens of Schoharie County thas been a joy and privilege to work with the fantastic group of Schoharie County employees and volunteers that make up our Public Health team. A heartfelt thank you to all who have served on the Board of Health during my tenure for their hard work, guidance and support. | particularly appreciate the current board's support and guidance for the unprecedented and difficult work that we did during the COVID-19 pandemic and for their unflagging support during the last few challenging months. Thank you fo SCDOH Medical Director, Dr. Susan Emerson, as well. have enjoyed our partnership and the stafi'is deeply appreciative of the additional time and support that you have given them during this difficult transitional period. Finally, I'd like to thank Mr, Phil Skowfoe for his long-standing dedication to public health and his tireless work on behalf of the people of Schoharie County Thank You Ay £0 Lb-22= X6-2023 Dr. Amy E. Gildemeister, Ph.D. Director of Public Health Schoharie County Dept. of Health P.O. Box 667, 284 Main Street Schoharie, NY 12157