Flagler Health Department's medical director, Stephen Bickel, renews specialist designation

Palm Coast Observer
Business

by: Gretchen Smith

Communications Manager & Public Information Officer, Florida Department of Health in Flagler

Dr. Stephen Bickel, medical director of the Florida Department of Health in Flagler County recently renewed his HIV Specialist credentials by passing an exam sponsored by the American Academy of HIV Medicine. Bickel received his initial HIV specialist designation in 2018.

Bickel serves as medical director for Flagler Health Department, running its HIV clinic and overseeing its hepatitis treatment program.

“We are so fortunate to be affiliated with Dr. Bickel, given his dedication to reducing the prevalence of HIV and improving public health in our community,” said DOH-Flagler’s Health Administrator Robert Snyder. “In addition to his responsibilities as medical director, he became our resident COVID expert over the past 19 months, spending thousands of hours poring over medical journals, articles and pandemic-related research to learn as much as he could about the virus and its transmission. Under Dr. Bickel’s leadership, our HIV program has grown to serve nearly 100 clients, with clinical evidence that they are living longer, healthier lives with fewer medical complications. We appreciate and value his commitment to our health department and his dedication to making Flagler County a healthier place to live.”

Bickel has been practicing medicine for more than 40 years and has served as the medical director of the DOH-Flagler since 2014. He is on the executive board of Flagler Cares and a medical consultant to AdventHealth’s Community Care program.

For more information about DOH-Flagler’s HIV and Hepatitis programs, please call 386-437-7350 ext. 7091.