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Tompkins County Legislature appoints Jenny Sutcliffe as commissioner of Whole Health
Summary
The Tompkins County Legislature unanimously approved a resolution to appoint Jenny Sutcliffe as the countyCommissioner of Whole Health, with an amendment adding the Community Mental Health Services Board to her assignments. Sutcliffe will start July 7.
The Tompkins County Legislature unanimously approved a resolution on June 17 appointing Jenny Sutcliffe as the county's next commissioner of Whole Health, beginning July 7.
The action came after Legislator Shauna Black moved the appointment, noting the interview committee had identified Sutcliffe as a highly qualified candidate. The legislature added language to the resolution specifying her involvement with the Board of Health and the Community Mental Health Services Board; the amendment was accepted before the final vote.
Jenny Sutcliffe, who addressed the legislature after the vote, said she grew up in Tompkins County and described three top priorities she will bring to the role: building trust with staff and the community, "meeting the political moment" by defending and advancing county public-health programs, and supporting a resilient workforce.
"There is no Whole Health without the staff that are at Whole Health," Sutcliffe told legislators, adding she planned to emphasize the merger between behavioral health and public health services over the coming year.
County Administrator Corso O'Confi and multiple legislators thanked the interim director, Jeremy Porter, for managing the department through the transition. The motion to appoint Sutcliffe passed unanimously.
Nut graf: The commissioner of Whole Health will oversee public-health functions and community mental-health services for Tompkins County. Sutcliffe's appointment comes as the county emphasizes health equity and integration between mental-health and public-health programs.
Background details: Sutcliffe highlighted the need to both "play defense" to protect existing services and "play offense" to prepare for future opportunities to rebuild or expand services if funding or programs are lost. She said building trust with staff and improving workforce resilience are immediate priorities.
What happens next: Sutcliffe's start date is set for July 7; until then, Jeremy Porter remains interim director. The legislature's resolution formally ties the commissioner role to the Board of Health and the Community Mental Health Services Board as amended during the meeting.
