Mercer Lauded For Health Work | News, Sports, Jobs

Photograph by Derek Redd
Dr. William Mercer, proper, has been honored by the American Public Well being Affiliation with its Excellence In Public Well being award.

WHEELING — Dr. William Mercer mentioned it was in 2005 — when he first began to turn into within the plight of the homeless — that he attended a gathering of the American Public Well being Affiliation in Philadelphia.

In between classes, he took out his digicam and headed into downtown Philadelphia with the intent of photographing homeless individuals residing in the neighborhood.

“I discovered this man round a manhole with steam developing,” Mercer mentioned. “I took his image, and in these days the digicam made a giant click on. He jumped up and ran over and hit me.

“It was then that I knew I wanted to be taught extra about homelessness.”

Seventeen years later, the APHA will honor Mercer at its upcoming assembly with certainly one of its 12 annual awards for “Excellence In Public Well being.” The honors might be offered Nov. 8 in Boston.

Mercer will obtain the “Milton and Ruth Roemer Award For Inventive Public Well being Work,” which goes to a well being care skilled implementing inventive well being care applications that may be replicated in different communities.

Mercer is being lauded for his “Joe Too Cool To Smoke” anti-smoking program in native faculties; his efforts to enact a smoking ban in Ohio County whereas serving because the county’s well being officer; and because the founding father of Undertaking Hope, a medical van service touring to homeless shelters and encampments to offer wanted care.

Mercer mentioned he was nominated by two individuals for the award. The primary was Ohio County Well being Division Administrator Howard Gamble.

The second was Jean Schulz, the widow of Peanuts creator Charles Schulz. Jean Schulz and Mercer had established a working relationship by way of Mercer’s “Joe Too Cool To Smoke Program.”

Amongst these additionally offering letters of assist for Mercer had been U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia; former U.S. Surgeon Normal Richard Carmona; and former director of the Facilities for Illness Management Dr. Thomas Freiden. Freiden as soon as got here to Wheeling to assist Mercer promote the Joe Too Cool To Smoke program to youngsters throughout an occasion at WesBanco Area.

Regionally, representatives from the Soup Kitchen of Larger Wheeling, Wheeling Well being Proper, Wheeling Park Excessive College had been amongst these sending letters for Mercer.

“It’s all form of humbling,” Mercer mentioned. “These individuals had been all concerned (in offering public well being applications) simply as a lot as I used to be. I believe all of us have made a distinction within the lives of children.”