Sullivan County public health director backs Garnet Health Doctors as medical consultant; vote deferred

Sullivan County's public health director urged the Health and Human Services committee in April to approve a contract with Garnet Health Doctors to serve as the county's medical consultant for vaccine clinics, rabies and TB services and other public-health medical oversight.

The director said the county issued the request for proposals three times and received a local response from Garnet Health Doctors, which proposed two physicians to provide the consulting services. Because the committee lacked a quorum, members could not vote on the contract and the matter will be forwarded to the full county board for action at its next meeting.

The director told the committee the agreement would provide clinicians to sign medical orders necessary to run vaccine clinics, manage post-exposure rabies prophylaxis and operate the county's TB clinic. "This collaboration is not just a strategic move, it's a necessary one," the public health director said. "Public health today is not only about responding to rabies, but also about being proactive, evidence based, and medically aligned."

In her presentation, the director identified two physicians included in Garnet Health Doctors' proposal: Dr. Anjana Puntoda, described as a pediatrician and chair of pediatrics at Garnet Health's local campuses, and Dr. Jampreet Mokka, an internist with pulmonary and critical care experience who works at the Harris campus. The director said Dr. Mokka would be "boots on the ground" and available on site.

Committee members noted the county had previously contracted with an individual medical director and that Crystal Run declined to respond to the RFP. The director confirmed the RFP effort included out-of-county solicitations and that Garnet Health Doctors was a local respondent. One member said the RFP had been run multiple times and thanked staff for following procurement rules.

Because the committee did not have enough members present to act, the resolution was not voted on and will be considered by the full board at its next regularly scheduled meeting. The public health director said she was disappointed the committee could not act sooner because the county is running low on rabies vaccine and needs medical oversight for core public-health operations.

The county attorney and committee staff did not offer final legal or contract language at the meeting; those details will be resolved before the full board considers the agreement.