The Bastrop County Commissioners’ Court voted unanimously to create a centralized public health department, inclusive of Elgin and all towns within the county, earlier this month.Bastrop County Health Department Interim Executive Director Donna Nichols presented the public health initiative during this month’s first city council meeting. The discussion focused on disease prevention, health promotion and protection, and outlined the efforts needed to establish a countywide public health task force to aid in these efforts.“Public health is a public service,” said Nichols.The creation of a new department is necessitated by the county’s population growth of about 68,000 people over the past ...