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County public health authority appointment and staffing priorities reported; Jun Chang to depart June 21
Summary
Council members were told Jun Chang will leave county employment June 21; the board is expected to appoint Jill as the local public health authority at its June 12 meeting. County public-health staff said hiring priorities include a health-promotion supervisor and an environmental-health specialist, and a bilingual front-desk hire will start next
Jill (public health staff) and other council members told HSAC the county is managing an internal transition in public-health staffing. Jill said Jun Chang’s last day with the county will be June 21. Council members reported the Board of County Commissioners is scheduled to appoint Jill as the local public health authority at the commission’s June 12 meeting; meeting participants described the appointment as a statutory requirement.
Jill and county staff said hiring priorities include a health-promotion supervisor and an environmental-health specialist; meanwhile a bilingual front-desk staff person has been hired and is scheduled to start next week. Jill said the department continues to cover essential services during the transition and is developing a transition plan with county management.
Separately, the council noted leadership change at Northwest Senior & Disability Services: Mark (the longtime manager) is retiring at month-end and the council will invite his successor, Suzanne Bjaranson, to future HSEQ meetings once her status is confirmed.
Why it matters: appointing a local public health authority is a required administrative step that ensures continued statutory oversight of public-health functions; filling specialized health positions affects inspection, promotion and outreach capacity for county public health services.
Follow-up: the board appointment is scheduled for the commission’s June 12 meeting; staff said they will report hiring progress at subsequent council meetings.
