A national health advocacy group has named the Pickens County public health director a “public health hero.” The honor from the United Health Foundation goes to Matt Petrofes, director of DHEC’s Region 2 Public Health Office which, besides Pickens, serves Cherokee, Greenville, Spartanburg and Union counties. DHEC Director Catherine Templeton credits Petrofes this way: “Matt knows that good health starts at a very early age, which is why he focuses much of his obesity-fighting efforts on school-age children….” According to Templeton, Petrofes led an Upstate effort through which a variety of community partners could create a program to evaluate body mass index among first, third, and fifth-grade students.” The process that Petrofes created is being touted as a model that can be used statewide.
