Cody pediatrician Dr. Peter Sidor is Park County’s new public health officer, and I agree with the commissioners and public health staff in thinking he’ll be a good fit for our county. 

I worked with former health officer Dr. Aaron Billin (who retired from the position last month) for years, especially during Covid, when it was discovered just how important of a job it was. 

Before being unanimously approved by commissioners, Sidor praised Billin’s 11 years at the helm and said he would seek to continue many of the same tasks, while being mindful of the unique features of Wyoming and Park County. 

I think that is vitally important as during the pandemic Wyoming displayed how a state can both take measures to protect those vulnerable while not shutting down to the extent many other states did to disastrous effect. 

Dr. Billin would be the first to tell you that even locally and statewide there were some mistakes — after all, it was a new pandemic no one had been prepared for — but on the whole I think Wyoming and Park County was one of the best places to be during that time. 

Our students missed only the last part of spring semester of one year — they did still have school virtually — while in other states and even other areas of Wyoming kids were kept out longer, leading to a regression in many students’ learning. 

Considering Covid was not overly dangerous to most youths — there were of course tragic exceptions — the state public health department and local officers made the correct decisions in that regard. 

And now, communities across the country are dealing with the fallout from that time, namely increased vaccine resistance due to the concerns, many quite reasonable, with the Covid vaccines. 

Sidor said he’s experienced that at his Cody pediatric clinic, which puts him on the frontlines of working with vaccines and helping people through determining what is needed and what isn’t to protect a community from communicable diseases, of key importance for public health. 

Dr. Sidor was my children’s pediatrician when we lived in Cody, and I saw firsthand his ability to inform about vaccines, the helpful effects and the side effects, in a way that is not patronizing.  He  breaks it down in ways nonmedical people can understand. 

We need public health officials who can understand concerns while still working to provide information and recommendations on what is best for the health of the community.

Dr. Sidor is poised to do just that.