In late February 2018, the county board of health named an interim health officer. The board voted unanimously at an emergency meeting on a Monday. The appointment took effect that Thursday.
Why the post was open
In early February 2018, the governor appointed the health officer to lead the state Office of Drug Control Policy. The board needed a physician to fill the health officer role while he was away.
The interim health officer
- He was a Charleston pulmonologist (lung specialist).
- He had chaired the pulmonary disease section at Charleston Area Medical Center.
- He had served as medical director of the state Division of Tuberculosis Elimination and as an officer of the Kanawha County tuberculosis program.
- He also worked as a medical consultant to Kanawha County Schools.
The interim health officer was to serve until the former health officer returned or the board named a permanent replacement. The board president said the board would wait five or six months before it decided on a search. A longtime staff member served as acting executive director.
What came next
The former health officer resigned from the state post on March 23, 2018. In May 2018, the board voted to start a search for a new executive director and health officer. In March 2019, the post had been open for nearly a year, and the board made a public health degree and five years of experience “preferred” instead of required. In May 2019, the board named a new health officer to replace the interim health officer.
See the search for an executive director and health officer and the executive director and health officer page.
Sources
- Charleston Gazette-Mail: report on the interim health officer appointment (February 26, 2018)
- WSAZ: report on the health officer’s state appointment and the board’s vote to search for a new director and health officer (updated May 17, 2018)
- WCHS-TV: Board of Health continues search for health officer (March 14, 2019)
- WCHS-TV: report on the board naming a new health officer (May 17, 2019)