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# Monroe County health officer resigns before removal hearing, six weeks after firing health administrator
- URL: https://bsquarebulletin.com/monroe-county-health-officer-resigns-before-removal-hearing-six-weeks-after-firing-health-administrator/
- Published: 2026-10-23T01:09:18.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T01:09:18.000Z
- Description: Monroe County health officer Sarah Ryterband resigned Thursday before a hearing on her removal could be held. The board named an interim replacement, yet to be confirmed, but faces other leadership vacancies, staffing shortages and questions about the department’s emergency-response procedures.
- Author: Dave Askins
- Tags: Local Government, #no-inline-feature

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/10/2026-10-22-ryterband-IMG_4792-processed-2.jpeg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/10/2026-10-22-board-PXL_20261022_210032006.MP.jpg)

****Left:** Monroe County health officer Sarah Ryterband reviews papers during the regular meeting of the Monroe County health board. (Dave Askins, Oct. 22, 2026) ****Right:** From left are: Monroe County health officer Sarah Ryterband; and board members Kevin Moore, Michael Teague, Lisa Hanner-Robinson, Stephen Pritchard, and Kay Leach. (Dave Askins, Oct. 22, 2026)

Six weeks ago Monroe County’s health department had a health administrator, Lori Kelley, and a health officer, Sarah Ryterband. 

Now neither is on the job. Kelley was [fired by Ryterband](https://bsquarebulletin.com/health-administrator-fired-plans-wrongful-termination-suit-against-monroe-county/) in September. Ryterband resigned Thursday (Oct. 22), effective immediately, before a scheduled hearing on her possible removal in front of the board of health.

The two positions are the top jobs in the health department. The health officer has statutory authority over the department, including its personnel, while the health administrator manages its day-to-day operations. 

In a [news release](https://bloomdocs.org/wp-content/uploads/simple-file-list/2026-10-22-Monroe-County-health-department-Ryterband-resigns-MCHD-Press-Release.pdf) issued Thursday evening, the department announced an immediate consequence of Ryterband’s resignation: The department will be closed for walk-in services on Friday (Oct. 23). 

The five current members of the county’s board of health now face the task of making sure both leadership positions get filled. The administrator’s job is vacant, but [has been posted](https://monroecounty99.sharepoint.com/:b:/s/TSDHelpdesk/IQCOchlycaihSqO-qsUUWFV3AeMHsYsm07lW3%5F6sU8Vt7lA?e=4OznOO ). Applications for the vacant health administrator position have already been received and are under review, board chair Lisa Hanner-Robinson said during Thursday’s meeting. 

The board has identified Morgan County health officer Paul Broderick as an interim replacement for Ryterband. On Thursday, the board voted unanimously to appoint Broderick on an interim basis, subject to approval by the Monroe County commissioners and the Morgan County board of health. Broderick has indicated that he is willing to serve for a few months.

The board will still need to find a permanent health officer, who will ultimately have responsibility for appointing a new health administrator. But the board will also have other challenges that go beyond routine board work. The department faces significant staffing shortages.

While the staffing shortages were already a known issue, it emerged during the regular board meeting on Thursday that the board will need to oversee changes to emergency-response procedures. 

At the meeting, an after-action report on the health department’s response to a May meningococcal disease case at Bloomington High School South identified weaknesses in emergency-response procedures. Some of the recommended changes, including policies on delegation of authority and standing orders for emergency medications, will require board review and approval.

The board will be doing that work with just five members, rather than the seven prescribed by state law. Two board seats have been vacant since the end of 2025.

### Ryterband’s resignation, departure

The immediate departure of Ryterband came near the end of Thursday’s regular meeting, when board chair Lisa Hanner-Robinson opened discussion of a clause in [Ryterband’s contract](https://bloomdocs.org/wp-content/uploads/simple-file-list/2025-02-20-Health-Officer-Employment-Contract-Sarah-Ryterband.pdf) allowing her employment to be terminated with or without cause.

Ryterband responded with a lengthy statement criticizing the board’s oversight, questioning its willingness to understand her decision to fire Kelley, and defending her own performance as health officer.

The board’s adopted [rules of procedure](https://bloomdocs.org/wp-content/uploads/simple-file-list/2026-10-12-rules-of-procedure-of-Oct-22-hearing-health-board.pdf) for the hearing would have allowed for Ryterband to be represented by her own legal counsel.

“Did I bring an attorney with me this afternoon? No. Why would I?” Ryterband asked. “I don’t know what it is that I’m even accused of, other than displeasing members of the Monroe County board of health by taking lawful action without their blessing.” That was an apparent allusion to her decision to fire health administrator Lori Kelley.

Ryterband said that in August she had asked Hanner-Robinson for an executive session with the board to discuss difficulties she was encountering, but the chair had refused. Ryterband said she regretted accepting that refusal rather than arranging the session herself.

Had the executive session occurred, Ryterband said, board members would have been informed about the problems before she acted against Kelley on Sept. 10.

Executive sessions are meetings of a governmental agency that are closed to the public, and can be convened under Indiana state law to discuss personnel matters. However, communications about personnel matters are not limited to discussions during executive sessions.

“I’m sad because not one of you reached out to ask what was going on that I would act in a manner that you must have seen as precipitous,” Ryterband said. She accused board members of being more interested afterwards in finding a reason to remove her than understanding why she had fired Kelley. She also said she had discussed the situation with officials at the Indiana Department of Health before taking action.

After she was fired, Kelley retained legal counsel, alleging she had been sexually harassed by Ryterband and had been fired in retaliation for complaining about it. At Thursday’s board meeting, Ryterband rejected the idea that Kelley’s termination had been retaliatory. She called the accusations against her baseless.

Ryterband also criticized the board for what she described as inadequate attention to personnel evaluations, public health education, financial oversight and long-term planning. She said the health administrator had gone more than four years without a performance evaluation, while the board itself had made little effort to assess its performance or participate in state public health training.

Ryterband had served on the board herself before becoming health officer in January 2025\. She said she had not sought the job but accepted it after being encouraged by other board members. “I could go on about what I could envision for the board’s engagement in learning and community engagement, but I suspect it might fall on deaf ears,” she said. She concluded by urging board members to develop a stronger understanding of public health, county budgeting and their own statutory responsibilities.

“It has been interesting partnering with you all, and I do love you, but I am done,” Ryterband said. “I resign effective immediately.” She then got up and left the room.

At Thursday’s meeting, county attorney David Schilling confirmed that Ryterband’s resignation terminated her contract and that no vote to accept the resignation was required.

The public hearing on Ryterband’s possible removal, scheduled to follow the regular meeting, was canceled.

### Contract offered another path to removal

The board had [voted 5–0 at a special meeting on Oct. 12](https://bsquarebulletin.com/monroe-county-health-board-sets-oct-22-hearing-on-possible-removal-of-health-officer/) to schedule a hearing under Indiana law on whether Ryterband should be removed before the end of her four-year term, which was scheduled to run through 2028.

No specific allegations against Ryterband were described publicly at the Oct. 12 meeting. At the time, Hanner-Robinson stressed that the board had not made a decision about removal.

Indiana [state law](https://bsquarebulletin.com/oct-22-2026-monroe-county-budget-commissioner-salaries-iu-luncheon-deer-crashes-iosha-safety-fine/) allows removal of a health officer for failure to perform statutory duties, failure to enforce state health rules or other good cause. The officer is entitled to notice, a public hearing and representation by an attorney.

But Hanner-Robinson also raised the possibility of ending Ryterband’s employment under the terms of her contract, without establishing cause.

Section 4(b) of [Ryterband’s contract](https://bloomdocs.org/wp-content/uploads/simple-file-list/2025-02-20-Health-Officer-Employment-Contract-Sarah-Ryterband.pdf ) says: “This agreement may be terminated by the Health Board or Dr. Ryterband at any time, with or without cause, and the Health Board may remove Dr. Ryterband as the Local Health Officer at any time, with or without cause.”

At Thursday’s meeting, Hanner-Robinson read that part of the contract aloud. She said board members should recognize that choosing termination without cause would mean there would be no discussion of the reasons.

The contract presents a potentially significant legal question: State law specifies grounds and procedures for removing a health officer from the statutory position, while the contract purports to allow removal without cause. Whether terminating the employment contract without cause would legally accomplish removal from the statutory office was not discussed at the meeting. 

Ryterband’s resignation made the legal question question moot. The board did not conduct its planned evidentiary hearing or make a public finding about cause for removal.

Ryterband’s resignation statement came when Hanner-Robinson opened discussion of the possible contractual termination, and asked Ryterband: “Is there anything you would like to say, Sarah?”

### Interim health officer needs additional approvals

After Ryterband announced her resignation, Hanner-Robinson turned immediately to the question of who would carry out the department’s statutory health officer functions. She said Paul Broderick, the Morgan County health officer, had indicated a willingness to serve temporarily while Monroe County searches for a permanent replacement.

The appointment still needs action by Monroe County’s commissioners and approval from Morgan County’s board of health. County officials also planned to consult the Indiana Department of Health about the transition.

County attorney David Schilling said it was important to move quickly because the department could no longer issue documents requiring Ryterband’s authorization. “We’ll try to get that on \[the agenda for county commissioners\] as an emergency, as a threatened disruption in the governmental function,” Schilling said. He said that documents issued with Ryterband’s signature or stamp could not continue to be issued under her authority after her resignation.

After the meeting, Hanner-Robinson told The B Square a health officer’s signature is used for functions that include birth and death certificates and septic permits. She said she hoped the necessary coordination could occur as soon as Friday, allowing a replacement signature stamp to be put into use. But the [news release](https://bloomdocs.org/wp-content/uploads/simple-file-list/2026-10-22-Monroe-County-health-department-Ryterband-resigns-MCHD-Press-Release.pdf) from the health department on Thursday evening indicated walk-in services like birth and death certificates and STI testing would not be available Friday (Oct. 23). 

Board members also expressed concern about the possibility of a public health emergency occurring before Broderick’s appointment becomes effective.

Schilling said state law does not explicitly address how to fill the gap between a health officer’s departure and the appointment of a replacement. He said he planned to consult state health officials Friday morning about what could be done in the meantime."

After the meeting, health department staff described to The B Square existing emergency-response arrangements that would allow assistance from other counties. Monroe County participates in a regional emergency preparedness coalition, whose members can assist one another during emergencies. Morgan County could provide support under those arrangements even while the formal interim appointment is being completed.

The board will also begin looking for a permanent health officer. The administrator’s position has already been posted, and Hanner-Robinson said applications were being reviewed.

### After-action report, critical of Ryterband

Earlier in Thursday’s meeting, the board received an [after-action report](https://bloomdocs.org/wp-content/uploads/simple-file-list/2026-10-22-meningococcal-disease-after-action-report-Monroe-County-health-department.pdf) on the health department’s response to a meningococcal disease case at Bloomington High School South in May. 

It was Linnea Emigh who is the the department’s director of public health preparedness, who presented the after-action report. The report described a successful public health response, but it also identified weaknesses in communication, medication access and emergency coordination. A separate [personnel-focused brief](https://bloomdocs.org/wp-content/uploads/simple-file-list/2026-10-22-meningococcal-disease-after-action-report-Monroe-County-health-department.pdf#page=12) included criticisms of decisions made by Ryterband.

On May 14, the Indiana Department of Health notified the county health department of the case. Meningococcal disease can cause serious illness, including meningitis, and preventive antibiotics must be administered promptly to people who have been exposed through close contact.

The county health department worked with the state health department, Monroe County Community School Corporation, health care providers and pharmacies to identify potentially exposed people and arrange preventive treatment.

According to the report, all identified close contacts were notified by the evening of May 14\. By the following day, all had either received preventive antibiotics or declined treatment. The report praised employees for working outside normal hours and cooperating to meet the required response window.

But the review also identified weaknesses in the department’s procedures, including the absence of an up-to-date school contact list, unclear authority for emergency decisions, limited after-hours access to county facilities and the lack of an established backup medical provider to prescribe medication if the health officer were unavailable.

The [personnel-focused brief](https://bloomdocs.org/wp-content/uploads/simple-file-list/2026-10-22-meningococcal-disease-after-action-report-Monroe-County-health-department.pdf#page=12) raised more specific concerns about Ryterband.

It said public communications had been issued outside the department’s established approval process. Under the department’s emergency plans, it’s the health administrator who serves as the public information officer.

According to the brief, Ryterband informed health administrator Lori Kelley after the fact that she had spoken directly with the news media. The brief also said Ryterband later provided an update on the patient’s condition at a public meeting without clear approval from the patient or public information officer, or an operational reason for doing so.

The department’s [original May 14 news release](https://bloomdocs.org/wp-content/uploads/simple-file-list/2026-05-14-Monroe-County-health-department-news-release-Meningococcal-Disease-Bloomington-South.pdf) identified Kelley as the media contact. It stated that the department was identifying close contacts who would be provided antibiotics as clinically appropriate. 

The after-action personnel brief also said Kelley had difficulty reaching Ryterband at some points during the response.

According to the brief, Ryterband determined that a single 500-milligram dose of ciprofloxacin would be used for preventive treatment, but declined to order enough medication for all identified close contacts or identify alternative treatment for those who could not take that antibiotic.

That required some contacts to seek prescriptions through their own primary care providers rather than directly through the health department. The personnel brief also said Ryterband ordered doses of ciprofloxacin in Kelley’s name, rather than her own. According to the brief, Kelley consulted the county legal department and obtained clearance to dispense the medication as needed.

Despite those difficulties, the report did not identify a failure to reach or provide treatment to any eligible contact within the required response period.

After presenting the findings, Emigh described some recommended policy changes. They include clearer rules for public communications, standing medication orders, alternate prescribing authority, better after-hours contact information and standardized procedures for smaller outbreaks. Several recommendations will require action by the board of health.

Ryterband responded to the criticism in the personnel brief that she had failed to “attend or respond to the event invitation” for the after-action review.

She said the invitation she received described the event as a “hot wash.” Ryterband said she did not know what that meant. She had to it up in the dictionary, she said. She added that the invitation had not been sent to her health officer email address, and she had a prior commitment at the scheduled time.

“If I had been invited to an after-action event, I would have responded appropriately,” Ryterband said.

Emigh responded by saying that “hot wash” is standard terminology in emergency response training.

Ryterband did not offer a detailed response during the meeting to the other findings about communications and medication prescribing.

The board did not explicitly identify the meningococcal response findings as grounds for Ryterband’s potential removal. The report was discussed as a separate agenda item before the contract discussion that ended with her resignation.

### Kelley’s firing, the board’s unfinished business

Kelley’s departure in September set the stage for Thursday’s developments.

Kelley had served as health administrator since July 2022\. Her termination [became public on Sept. 11](https://bsquarebulletin.com/health-administrator-fired-plans-wrongful-termination-suit-against-monroe-county/), when the county issued a statement acknowledging a change in administration without explaining the circumstances.

Her attorney, Mark Waterfill, subsequently confirmed she had been fired. He said Kelley alleged that she had experienced sexual harassment at work and had been terminated in retaliation for complaining. Waterfill later said Kelley had filed a charge with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and intended to pursue litigation against Monroe County. 

Ryterband disputed Kelley’s accusations in her statement Thursday. The allegations of harassment and retaliation, along with Ryterband’s rejection of them, have not been resolved through litigation. Monroe County government has not yet been served with papers, according to a county source.

The upheaval comes after several years of staffing and management difficulties at the health department.

The county closed its Futures Family Planning Clinic in 2024 after extensive staff turnover and the loss of its federal Title X funding arrangement. At the end of 2025, IU Health ended a decadeslong contract under which its nurses had provided public health services for Monroe County.

By August 2026, the department had no public health nurses on staff. Kelley reported at the time that 60 of 108 communicable-disease investigations in the department’s work queue had not yet been started.

Thursday’s meeting included approval of revised job descriptions intended to make it easier to recruit part-time public health nurses, school liaison staff and communicable-disease workers. Board members also discussed the need to establish stronger emergency-response procedures before another infectious disease incident occurs.

The board itself has experienced considerable turnover. Three members left at the end of 2025, and two of the seven positions remain unfilled.

The five current members are Hanner-Robinson, vice chair Michael Teague, Stephen Pritchard, Kay Leach and Kevin Moore. Six of the seven board positions are appointed by county commissioners, with the seventh appointed by the county council.

Under state law, the board appoints the health officer, subject to approval by the county commissioners. The health officer, in turn, has authority over department personnel, including the health administrator, whose hiring requires county executive approval.

That arrangement means the board’s immediate responsibility is to put a health officer in place, who can exercise the statutory powers of the position and oversee the recruitment of an administrator.

For now, the five-member board has voted to bring in Broderick on an interim basis, with some formal approvals still needed. It must also move ahead with the administrator search, recruit a permanent health officer and address weaknesses identified in the department’s emergency-response procedures.

Those decisions will be made by a board that is itself operating with two vacancies, as the county’s health department tries to restore stable leadership after losing both of its top officials in six weeks.

### Sarah Ryterband’s resignation delivered on Oct. 22, 2026

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