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Executive director of Kane County Health Department announces retirement

The Kane County Health Department's executive director has announced her plans to retire Dec. 1.

As the executive director for 8½ years, Barbara Jeffers guided her staff as they supported Kane County residents with a significant tuberculosis outbreak, the Ebola and Zika viruses and, most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic while maintaining a balanced budget each year, according to a Kane County Health Department news release issued Tuesday. She also oversaw Kane County Animal Control, which repaid its debt to the city during her tenure, the news release said.

"Our success in taking on these challenges was strengthened by the infrastructure we developed and sustained through our twice achieving National Public Health Accreditation status," said Jeffers, who has been with the health department for 15 years. "Being a vital contributor and leader of these significant public health achievements has been the highlight of my career."

Jeffers thanked outgoing Kane County Board Chairman Chris Lauzen for allowing her to serve the 532,000 residents of Kane County, saying his support for public health allowed her agency to become the first Illinois county health department to achieve national accreditation.

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