Joe Russell returning to head Flathead City-County Health Department The Flathead City-County Board of Health decided unanimously that Joe Russell will serve as the county's new health officer. and last updated 2020-12-10 13:54:07-05 All eight members of the board thanked Robinson for filling in as health director and welcomed Russell back to the position he previously held from 1998 to 2017. He joined the Department as a Registered Sanitarian in 1987, was promoted to the environmental health Division Director in 1990, and Deputy Health Officer in 1997. Russell earned a BA, Biology with a minor in Chemistry at Carroll College, and later earned a Master of Public Health at the University of Washington.