Lexington Health Department still without top leader after 16 months
The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department is still searching for a new commissioner more than a year after the last person left the top job in the department.
Majd Jabbour, chairman of the department’s board of health, said the agency recently re-posted the position, which entails overseeing one of the Kentucky’s largest health departments.
“Given the historical precedence ... we want to make sure we pick the right person for the right job,” Jabbour said. “The search is ongoing. It’s never stopped. “
Jabbour declined to say why candidates interviewed in the past several months were not picked for the job.
“I can not comment on that because it involves personnel,” Jabbour said.
Jack Cornett, a former board member, has served as interim chief administrative officer since April 2023.
The board met for more than an hour behind closed doors in executive or closed session Monday night to discuss a personnel matter but did not make any decisions when it returned to open session.
Department has struggled to find a leader over past several years
The board has struggled in recent years to find a permanent commissioner to oversee the department that took the lead in Fayette County’s efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
It has also been front and center in a recent whooping cough outbreak. Data released during a Monday board of health meeting shows the number of whooping cough cases has climbed past 60.
Dr. Sheila Owens-Collins was fired from the position after only serving three months in April 2023.
Before Owens-Collins’ appointment in January 2023, the post was vacant for about six months after the resignation of Dr. Joel McCullough, who was hired in December 2021.
Dr. Kraig Humbaugh, who led the department during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, had to delay his retirement multiple times to ensure the department had leadership while it tried to increase immunization rates against COVID. Humbaugh served from 2016 to December 2021.
The health department has a medical clinic, oversees restaurant and other inspections, runs school nurse programs and operates a needle exchange program, among other public health initiatives. It has a staff of around 170 employees and an operating budget of more than $30 million.
Timeline to hire new commissioner
Jabbour said the board has not set a timeline for when a new health commissioner will be hired. They hope they can have a leader by January 2025, he said.
“Late July or early August we re-posted the position. There have been people applying. We will be reviewing those candidates as they come in,” Jabbour said.
