Kim Meacham, a lifelong resident of Clairton, shares her plea for solutions to air pollution in her city during public comment at the Allegheny County Board of Health’s quarterly meeting, on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024, at the Allegheny County Courthouse in downtown Pittsburgh. “Because we don’t see a lot of action coming from these meetings, not a lot of us show up,” she said. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource)
A coalition has urged the new Innamorato administration to seek a health director who will prioritize social determinants of health, equity and transparency.
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A year after its director was plucked into the service of the state, the Allegheny County Health Department remains without a long-term leader.
The Board of Health and new County Executive Sara Innamorato have just begun an effort to fill what a spokesperson called “a vital position for the administration.”
“The director and the [board] have broad responsibilities that range from infant mortality and the opioid epidemic to air pollution and food safety,” wrote Abigail Gardner, the county’s communications director, in an email to PublicSource. “Leading the Health Department is highly technical and process-oriented work,” requiring understanding of law and regulations and “a massive amount of genuine public engagement.”
Unclear at this point is the public’s role in the selection process. Gardner wrote that “it is likely that there is some kind of piece of the process that will involve public input.”
At its Jan. 17 quarterly meeting, the Board of Health did not discuss plans to choose a director, and Acting Director Patrick Dowd declined comment.
Some advocacy organizations are setting out their expectations up front.
On Dec. 7, a coalition of 35 organizations and 37 individuals under the banner of the Equitable and Just Greater Pittsburgh Network petitioned the county to prioritize health disparities and social determinants of well-being in its choice of a new director.
“The Health Director’s role and the Health Department affect so many aspects of people’s lives,” said Jason Beery, director of the network, convened by UrbanKind Institute, a Pittsburgh-based “think-and-do tank.” A new director would likely want to be involved in issues including air quality, housing health and the county’s development of a climate action plan, he said, so it’s important to hire someone “with certain qualities that we think would best address some of the complex health challenges and health outcomes that affect all of our communities and municipalities.”
Some advocacy organizations are setting out their expectations up front.
On Dec. 7, a coalition of 35 organizations and 37 individuals under the banner of the Equitable and Just Greater Pittsburgh Network petitioned the county to prioritize health disparities and social determinants of well-being in its choice of a new director.
“The Health Director’s role and the Health Department affect so many aspects of people’s lives,” said Jason Beery, director of the network, convened by UrbanKind Institute, a Pittsburgh-based “think-and-do tank.” A new director would likely want to be involved in issues including air quality, housing health and the county’s development of a climate action plan, he said, so it’s important to hire someone “with certain qualities that we think would best address some of the complex health challenges and health outcomes that affect all of our communities and municipalities.”
Important department, leadership vacuum
Debra Bogen served as the county’s health director from early March 2020, as the pandemic shutdown loomed, until January 2023, when Gov. Josh Shapiro announced her nomination as state secretary of health. Bogen serves as the acting secretary because Republican lawmakers’ concerns have prevented state Senate confirmation. Dowd, the acting director, is a former Pittsburgh City Council member with a doctorate in history.
The 300-person department’s responsibilities include:
- Monitoring air quality, enforcing emissions regulations and allocating the Clean Air Fund
- Inspecting restaurants and otherwise enforcing food safety measures
- Enforcing housing health rules
- Striving to curb violence, overdoses and other causes of death
- Preparing the public for health emergencies like the pandemic.
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