County health department employees honored with gift baskets as token of appreciation

MARSHALL - While Western North Carolinians are returning to their pre-pandemic habits as COVID-19 continues to fade, a Madison County foundation wanted to honor the tireless work turned in by the county health department employees, who spent countless hours during the pandemic to ensure the utmost health and safety of local residents. 

Mike and Anna Tuziw's FATE (Future Achievements Through Education Award) Foundation honored the employees with custom-designed gift baskets containing beeswax-scented candles from Cat Lanier and handcrafted soaps from Glenhill Soap by Loraine, both of the Spring Creek community.

"We had 43 baskets in one car," Mike Tuziw said. "Anna had them on the floor under her feet. We had some on the floor behind my seat, so we had the seats all the way down. We had the car packed all the way through."

The Tuziws said the gift baskets were a token of the appreciation the county holds for its health department and its employees, who have devoted so much of their time and energy to the county's residents throughout the past nearly 16 months.  

"Of all the departments in the county, the health department was most affected by the pandemic, without a doubt," Mike Tuziw said. "For 16 months, these women and men have been working 60 to 70-plus hours a week. They've been working seven days a week sometimes - working holidays, weekends, missing times with their family. All that to try to make sure Madison County was as safe as it possibly could be."

The Tuziws said the idea came together after FATE Foundation - a nonprofit charity "devoted to advancing educational opportunity and enhancing the quality of life in North Carolina," according to its website - received an unexpected stimulus check. 

"We wanted these ladies to know the community cares about them," Mike Tuziw said. "The community is willing to show them that we appreciate the sacrifices they have been making. With all they are doing, they need to pamper themselves and take care of themselves." 

With County Health Director Tammy Cody out of town at a conference, some health department employees knew the Tuziws were coming to visit, but they did not know what they would be bringing with them. 

"I was very surprised," said Kathy Price, an administrative officer with the health department. "It was extremely thoughtful for them to do. I can't stress enough how thankful we are for the community coming together. We're a small health department. We don't have a lot of nurses here."

The Tuziws said they saw firsthand how the employees' unwavering positivity won over the sometimes emotional and frazzled local residents.

Anna Tuziw volunteered a number of times at the health department during its drive-thru vaccine clinics.

"People would come in, and they weren't the nicest (with) the things they would say," she said. "The employees smiled and said, 'We're sorry you feel like that. Can we make it better?' These are good people. We felt we had to do something." 

Cody said the gifts serve as a reminder that the community values the health department's dedication and commitment to Madison County residents.

"The pandemic has been a tremendous challenge, but our staff along with our community stepped up to combat this dangerous virus," Cody said. "Tragically more than 13,200 North Carolina residents lost their lives to COVID-19. Without the quick action and dedication of our staff and community, this number would have been much higher. 

"I am tremendously proud of the work, dedication and professionalism shown by the staff at the MCHD over the past 16 months. I am humbled and honored to work with this talented and amazing team." 

COVID-19 at a glance 

The county health department's May 27 report estimated that 41.8% of county residents were fully vaccinated. 

The pandemic's effects on the county are slowing down, according to Price. 

"It's slowing down," Price said. "It feels like the worst part is over with - we are praying that it's over with. We can now focus on our real jobs a little bit more and try to get caught up on things. I have a stack of filing papers that I need to take care of."

Price estimated the health department is testing roughly 30 people per week. Tim Ammons, an environmental health specialist with the health department, said the team was seeing as many as 200 people per day for vaccines during the peak of the pandemic. 

"We couldn't have done this without the community's help - particularly those events at the fairgrounds," she said. "That took a lot of volunteers to pull that together."