New health officer for South Mississippi named

The Mississippi State Department of Health has named Christy Sones Thornton as the new district health officer for the Coastal Plains Public Health District IX, which includes Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, George, Pearl River and Stone counties.

Thornton, who has been with MSDH since December 2014, also serves as district health officer for the Southeast Public Health District VIII.

Thornton previously served as district health officer and deputy district health officer in other districts. She completed medical school at the University of South Alabama and a residency in internal medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina before practicing internal medicine in Jackson. She went on to practice adolescent and adult medical practice at the University of Southern Mississippi's Student Health Services and with the Southeast Mississippi Rural Healthcare Centers.

This story was originally published January 11, 2016 at 12:14 PM with the headline "New health officer for South Mississippi named ."