Wayne County CEO Visits the Wayne County Health Department!
Wayne County CEO students visited the Wayne County Health Department last week for an inside look at the many services and responsibilities that go into protecting and promoting the health of our community.
Nicole Schoenborn, Public Health Administrator, spoke with students about the wide range of services provided by the Health Department. Nicole emphasized that at the heart of their mission is education — helping the public understand the many ways they can make healthy choices and improve their overall well-being.
Students learned that the Health Department supports this mission in many different ways, including early intervention and child development services, public health administration, and a variety of community support programs.
Nicole also gave students a glimpse into the many hats she wears as a Public Health Administrator. Her nursing background provides valuable knowledge and experience in the healthcare field, but her role also requires her to be a grant writer, budget manager, administrator, and CEO.
Students also had the opportunity to hear from Mark Elliott, Food Safety Coordinator, who shared valuable information about the process of obtaining a Food Cottage License in Illinois. This was especially relevant for our CEO students as they consider launching their own food-related businesses.
Mark explained the requirements involved in becoming properly licensed and operating in good standing from a food sanitation and safety standpoint. While the process can be cumbersome, he emphasized that the credibility, customer confidence, and return on investment the licensing provides can make it well worth the effort for a small business owner.
To bring the lesson to life, Mark and Nicole even shared a real-world example of a local small business operating under a Food Cottage License.
A big thank you to Nicole and Mark for welcoming our students and providing such valuable insight into both public health and the realities of running a small business.
