A former television reporter has been hired as the chief communicator for the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department.

Director Kay Kent said the agency has needed a communications coordinator “for some time” and new spokeswoman Sheryl Tirol fits the bill.

Tirol can easily express complicated health issues in basic terms, Kent said.

“Sometimes people in the health and science field don’t speak in a manner that addresses information well,” she said.

Kent said having Tirol would allow the health department to be more pro-active about getting information to the community and raising awareness.

“My goal is to increase public awareness about health issues that may affect them and provide information about programming the health department offers,” Tirol said.

Tight budgets have made it difficult to fund the position. But city and county officials agreed to fund it last year with an annual salary of about $38,000.

Tirol was one of about 50 people to apply. She has worked as a general assignment reporter with KOAM-TV in Pittsburg and has worked at WIBW-TV in Topeka, KCCO-TV in Alexandria, Minn., and WGN-TV in Chicago. Tirol graduated from Columbia College in Chicago in 2000 with a degree in broadcast journalism.