Submit Date:01/24/2023 9:16 a.m.
TACOMA, Wash.—With the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic behind us, Tacoma-Pierce County Well being Division Director of Well being Dr. Anthony L-T Chen will retire by the top of June of this yr.
Newly elected Board of Well being Chair Catherine Ushka will lead a radical and sturdy nationwide recruitment effort for Chen’s successor. This week, Ushka will appoint a committee of Board of Well being members who will rent an out of doors government recruitment agency by a clear request for proposal course of. The hiring course of will embrace enter from group members and stakeholders, employees, and Board members.
Finally, the Board of Well being will suggest the brand new Director of Well being to the Mayor of Tacoma and Pierce County Government. The final step within the course of is for County and Metropolis Councils to substantiate the appointment.
Chen is making the announcement now to permit time for the Board to seek out the very best particular person for this essential position as chief well being strategist and well being officer for Pierce County.
“Once I replicate on my time on the Division, I’m particularly happy with our work to create an modern and main native public well being company,” he mentioned. “COVID occurred, and we had been prepared for it. We have now loads of work forward of us to guard and enhance the well being of all individuals and locations in Pierce County. I sit up for seeing the place the following chief will take our native well being division,” he mentioned.
Chen has earned reward for his work as an efficient group convener and his skill to construct robust partnerships with native well being methods, the healthcare group, schooling, and lots of group organizations. He has strengthened the Division’s operational construction in fiscal sustainability, information and evaluation, communications, and others.
“For the previous 14 years, our group has appeared to Dr. Chen and employees to sort out advanced challenges,” mentioned Ushka. “He has led a technology of modern well being coverage and observe, pioneering new fashions of service supply, bringing collectively group and leaders, and embedding compassion and look after all residents into the whole lot we do,” she mentioned. “Dr. Chen might be proud that his legacy in Tacoma and Pierce County will serve generations to return.”
About Tacoma-Pierce County Well being Division: Tacoma-Pierce County Well being Division’s mission is to guard and enhance the well being of all individuals and locations in Pierce County. As a part of our mission, the Well being Division tackles identified and rising well being dangers by coverage, applications and therapy to guard public well being. We’re one in every of roughly 244 accredited well being departments within the nation and amongst six within the state to have met or exceeded the Public Well being Accreditation Board’s high quality requirements. Study extra at tpchd.org.
