Public Health Veteran To Head WA State Department Of Health

Anthony Brino | Government Health IT | March 15, 2013

Washington State Governor Jay Islee has appointed a new Department of Health director, the current Clark County Public Health director, John Wiesman.

The Washington Department of Health primarily manages disease surveillance and data analysis, community health clinics, environmental public health and health quality assurance, while the Washington Health Authority oversees Medicaid and the public employees health plans. At Clark County Public Health, in greater Vancouver, Washington, across the border from Portland, Oregon, Wiesman has focused on community-based health programs, pedestrian-friendly urban space and environmental quality, all amid 30 percent budget reductions over the past decade.

Joining the department in 2004, he previously worked in AIDS and HIV diagnosis and counseling, and as county public health director, he’s been a proponent of pedestrian- and bike-friendly transportation design, seeing a link between regular exercise and public health.