Merriam-Webster defines “health” as the condition of being sound in body, mind, or spirit, especially freedom from physical disease or pain.

As well-rounded as this definition is, the word “health” extends beyond the individual state of being and can encompass many different factors such as home and work environments, stress and stressors, states and causes of fatigue, substance use and abuse, personal or familial economic stability and much more. You may have heard of a board of health, but you may not know what its function is or why it’s important.

The Grays Harbor County Board of Health “supervises all matters pertaining to the preservation of life and health of the people within Grays Harbor County.” That is just the first of the eight tenets of the Board.

The current Board consists of all three County Commissioners — Georgia Miller, Rick Hole and Vickie Raines — along with Daniel Hannawalt-Morales, Jason Halstad and Dr. Shawn Andrews. The chair of the Board, Char Hood, recently resigned creating a vacancy.

Hannawalt-Morales, who works for a non-profit organization that seeks and secures grants for housing, access to care, mental health, food and nutrition and workforce development, says he believes the purpose of the Board is to ensure the decisions that impact the community are made from an informed and representative body of community members.

“I have a background in public health, I served as a medic in the Army,” Hannawalt-Morales said. “I’ve been able to participate in the public health department in Grays Harbor as an emergency readiness coordinator, but also served the Washington Department of Health as a response team coordinator and grant manager. I have always been committed to public service. This is just one of the ways I make sure I’m serving my community. That’s been my mission.”

According to Hannawalt-Morales, serving on the Board is a vital way for residents to give back to their community.

“We’re always looking to ensure the community is represented and that their voice is heard. It’s an important role for individuals to join and participate in matters of public well-being,” Hannawalt-Morales said. “If there are people interested in finding ways to give back to their community and improve the environment we live in, this is a great opportunity to have their voice be heard in ways that aren’t necessarily elected positions.”

Halstad, who is the chief operating officer for the Quinault Wellness Center and Quinault Community Health, is the Tribal representative on the Board. He says the purpose of the Board is to help improve the health of everyone and offer equity for residents of the county and that it is critical to have Tribal representation on the Board.

“It’s extremely important,” Halstad said. “When you look at tribes, they’re sovereign nations, they have their own structure, their own legal and political statuses. To have a voice especially in the county on matters that pertain to public health is extremely important to be able to make sure that things being rolled out within public health also relate to the tribe that’s in the county. Tribes often face disproportionate health disparities.”

According to the Grays Harbor County Public Health Director Mike McNickle, healthcare professionals can develop tunnel vision and varied perspectives can be invaluable on the Board of Health.

“We’re looking for someone with lived experience or experience with health systems. You could be a mom who used WIC, so you have experience with the system, or you have a child with development disabilities, or you got vaccinations here or you get sexual reproductive health care here,” he said. “We want to have that input from folks who’ve worked with us in a different role. You can get myopic in my position, you can’t see the whole story. We need folks on the board who can share their experiences and make our policies better and stronger by having those varied opinions.”

If you want to serve:

If you are interested in serving on the Grays Harbor County Board of Health in the “consumer of public health” seat, visit https://www.healthygh.org/latest-news/2025/7/25/grays-harbor-county-board-of-health-notice-of-vacancy-consumer-of-public-health-1