Overton Public Health Director Langford Retires After 34 Years

Overton County Health Director Andy Langford has retired after 34 years working in public health.

Langford said through school, public health was never his plan. He said only a short while into his public health career, he realized that empathy and selflessness were values that he held close, and they lent themselves to good healthcare service. He said it quickly felt like public health was in his blood…a part of him.

“Many of the staff I’ve worked with have moved on and moved into other leadership positions in other parts of public health,” Langford said. “I’ve been really happy that they’ve learned good leadership skills and I know that we leave it in really good shape with the future leaders of public health.”

Langford said working through the COVID-19 pandemic brought him a new perspective on how precious life is. He said that experience contributed to his decision to join his recently retired wife in a new chapter of their lives.

“It did make an impact on people’s lives and make you think back about how life can be short and you need to make the most of your time while you’re here,” Langford said. “It did have a little bit of thinking on me as far as well, we got through this and did what we needed to do to try to help the community, and at this point, it’s time to move on.”

Langford said he was most proud of the positive impact the department had on people’s lives. He said the programs the department started touch people every single day and he hopes they continue to make a difference in public health long after his retirement.

“You want to think of others and want to take care of them,” Langford said. “You need to have empathy. And if you want to feel good when you go home at night and feel like you’ve done something to maybe impact peoples’ lives and help them in some way, then public health is a good field.”

He said he is proud of the way that his department handled even the toughest of challenges, and he is confident that will continue to do so.

U.S. House Representative John Rose presented Langford with a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition upon his retirement. Langford said he was honored by the recognition.

He said he was privileged to have the support of national and local leaders and to have worked alongside great staff every day of his career.