The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department staff took to their website to remember Shavonna Lausterer, their former director who died last week following a battle with breast cancer.Â
Lausterer, 40, had an "infectious joy in living she shared with all of us," Ìý°ù±ð²¹»å²õ.
"Her passion for public health was rooted deeply in her life experience of watching both her mother and stepfather die from HIV," the staff wrote. "These and other experiences caused Shavonna to be a champion for public health prevention services."
After becoming the department's director in 2017, Lausterer implored staff to find ways to engage "non-traditional partners and disempowered populations" in the department's planning and decision-making processes, the staff said.
People are also reading…
Her emphasis on addressing health equity reenergized the department's efforts, and even after she was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer last year, Lausterer continued to give direction and provide support at the department, staffers said.
"Her courage, openness and perseverance helped us understand what can be accomplished amid pain, loss and overwhelming challenges," the memorial said.