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To recognize, applaud, and thank Dr. Teresa C. Long, MD, MPH, for the 31 years of service that she has rendered to the residents of Columbus and Central Ohio.
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WHEREAS, Dr. Teresa C. Long, MD, MPH, a California native, has devoted more than 31 years of her time to serving the residents of Columbus and Central Ohio - 15 as the Health Commissioner at Columbus Public Health; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Long holds a Doctor of Medicine Degree from the University of California-San Francisco and a Masters of Public Health from the University of California at Berkeley; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Long’s career has come to be defined by her commitment to excellence and her willingness to serve others - Dr. Long is a 2010 YWCA Woman of Achievement Awardee - she was recognized by Columbus Business First in 2009 as a Newsmaker of the Year for her leadership in managing the H1N1 pandemic in Central Ohio, she was acknowledged by the International Association of Business Communicators as the 2010 Communicator of the Year, and Columbus Business First recognized her as one of its 20 people in Health Care that you Should Know; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Long’s career has included serving on the front lines of the emerging AIDS epidemic with the San Francisco Department of Public Health - a commitment which continued during her tenure in Columbus; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Long will be remembered for her work to reduce an opiates epidemic which has been ravaging our state - she’s helped to lead efforts in 2015 to launch SafePoint, a comprehensive harm reduction partnership led by Equitas Health to address heroin and opiate use - and was a part of the strategy implementation process for services at SafePoint which include: Intervention assessment, treatment and counseling, testing; HIV/HEP-C Testing and a linkage-referral to care; syringe access; and the dispensing of Naloxone to at-risk individuals and their family support systems; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Long has served as Columbus’ Health Commissioner since her appointment in 2002 - and since that time she’s provided steady leadership and guidance during critical public health issues such as HIV, the H1N1 pandemic, Ebola, Zika, and the opiate crisis to protect the health and safety of residents - she has been at the forefront to reduce smoking by leading Smoke-Free Columbus and developing Tobacco 21 to eliminate tobacco sales to young people in order to reduce approximately 90 percent of new smokers from starting the dangerous and addictive habit and moreover Dr. Long’s distinguished public health career exemplifies a lifetime of passion and service in action to protect the health, safety and lives of the residents of Columbus and Central Ohio; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
That this Council does hereby recognize, applaud, and thank Dr. Teresa C. Long, MD, MPH. for the 31 years of service that she has rendered to the residents of Columbus and Central Ohio.