As soon as COVID-19 started spreading in the region, Dr. Valerie Arkoosh, chair of the Montgomery County commissioners, became the face and voice of the county’s public health response to the outbreak, writes Carl Hessler Jr. for The Pottstown Mercury.

The challenge was unlike anything she had previously faced but she took it on with unwavering determination.

“It is an enormous responsibility and I continue to see it that way,” said Arkoosh. “It was particularly challenging, because I, like everyone else, did not know much about this virus.”

That prompted her to read everything she could find to learn more about the deadly virus “and then try to convey that as accurately and simply as possible to members of the public who were just hungry for reliable, trustworthy information,” said Arkoosh.

The year was difficult and she had to use all of her skills to battle the virus in the county. What helped get her through were messages from residents – strangers expressing appreciation for the efforts made by county workers to keep everybody safe and encouraging her to “hang in there.”

Read more about Valerie Arkoosh at The Pottstown Mercury by clicking here.