Oberlin Health Commission Records, 1959-1976 | Oberlin College Archives

The Oberlin Health Commission (OHC) was established in 1958 by four local physicians -- Clair Siddall (1897-1980), Oscar Schettler (1896-1963), James Stephens (1909-  ), and Jeanne Stephens (1911-  ) – who were concerned about the quality and efficiency of health care provided by local social service agencies.  The Commission’s first activity was to survey existing health and welfare agencies in the Oberlin area.  Having identified and examined the operations of fifty such organizations, the OHC pinpointed four needs that those groups did not supply: a central agency to coordinate the services of the fifty existing agencies, a method whereby occasional medical aid could be provided to a resident in need who did not qualify for assistance from an existing agency, public education on health issues, and a comprehensive program to oversee the health and welfare of senior citizens.

The Commission then defined their areas of interest and operation by establishing four goals to address the problem areas they had identified.  Over the years, a variety of committees and programs functioned to meet these goals.  The OHC sought first to coordinate the health services of area agencies to reduce duplication of effort and enhance the quality and efficiency of service.  Second, the Commission accepted the responsibility for providing medical aid grants to those who did not qualify for assistance from another agency.  Third, the OHC planned programs such as pre-natal classes, to educate the public in and around Oberlin on health issues and concerns.  Fourth, the Commission set up a Senior Citizen’s Program to provide health care and recreational activities for that segment of the population.

In 1971, representatives of health agencies in Lorain, Elyria and Oberlin negotiated a merger so that comparable financial assistance could be provided for the medically indigent throughout the county.  The Medical Aid Committee of the Oberlin Health Commission was disbanded and the Treatment and Service Committee of the new United Health Foundation (UHF) took over its work, with a UHF social worker at the Oberlin Health Commission interviewing applicants for medical aid from the southern part of the county.  Although its social work and secretarial expenses were thereafter paid by the United Way through the UHF, the Oberlin Health Commission retained its name, its organization, and its other programs – dental screening, pre-natal classes, craft and recreation programs for senior citizens, and health education.

In 1977, the Oberlin Health Commission merged with the Oberlin Community Welfare Council to form a single umbrella organization, called the Oberlin Community Services Council, to oversee all social welfare activities in the Oberlin area.

Chairmen of the Oberlin Health Commission:

            1959                        A. Clair Siddall

            1960                        J. A. Cochrane

            1961                        Oscar Schettler

            1962                        David R. DeLong

            1963                        unknown

            1964                        Jeanne Stephens

            1965                        unknown

            1966                        James T. Stephens

            1967                        Frank Zavodsky

            1968                        Roy H. Ebihara

            1969                        David J. Evans

            1970                        A. Clair Siddall

            1971                        Robert P. McFarland

            1972                        Ronald A. Rollins

            1973                        Geraldine Donaldson

            1974-1975               Robert S. Thomas

            1976-1977               John D. Elder