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Subcommittee adopts substitute to require creation of separate Hampton district health department under state operation
Summary
A substitute to Senate Bill 833 would require the City of Hampton to enter into a contract with the State Department of Health to operate a separate district health department staffed by state employees; the subcommittee adopted the substitute and recommended the bill for reporting.
Senator Locke presented a substitute to Senate Bill 833 that changes the bill from permissive to mandatory: instead of permitting the local governing body of the City of Hampton to enter into a contract with the State Department of Health, the substitute requires the contract and directs the state health commissioner to appoint the local director of the new district health department. Under the substitute, employees of the new district health department would be employees of the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), and the new district would operate separately from the existing Hampton and Peninsula Health District.
Wieson Walker, identified as interim assistant city manager for the City of Hampton, spoke in support. Walker said the combined mega-district for the Peninsula — which serves Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, Williamsburg and parts of James City and York counties — created operational challenges during the COVID-19 response and has left Hampton without consistent on-site leadership. Walker said restoring a standalone Hampton Health District would let VDH and the city better serve the city’s roughly 137,000 residents.
Nut graf: The substitute requires VDH to operate a separate Hampton district health department staffed by state employees and appoint its local director, reversing the earlier permissive language and clarifying the state-local relationship.
The subcommittee adopted the substitute and a subsequent motion to recommend the substitute carried on roll call with a recorded vote of “Ayes 4, Noes 0.” Questions from the committee included whether the city must change its charter to effectuate the separation; general counsel said she would double-check but anticipated no significant charter changes because employees would be state employees and the arrangement would be a contract with VDH.
Ending: The substitute was recommended for reporting to the parent committee; the sponsor said a budget amendment had been filed to provide additional funding if needed.
