LEXINGTON, Kentucky (WKYT) – The Fayette County Health Department has been looking for a new health officer for 16 months, but the search is still ongoing.
Majd Jabbour is the new board chair and says this is an important role for the people of Lexington.
“This is super important,” said Jabbour, who has a background in health administration. “Thanks to strong leadership, Lexington was one of the cities that wasn’t hit as hard by Covid as other places.”
But this consistent leadership has been lost.
“We had two commissioners who prematurely and regrettably ended their cooperation with the Ministry of Health,” said Jabbour.
Dr. Joel McCullough resigned in July 2022 after serving in the post for just over five months. His successor, Dr. Sheila Owens-Collins, took office in January 2023 – but she was dismissed in April.
“It’s not ideal,” Jabbour said. “I always tell people to keep doing their job and don’t think about anything else.”
Over the course of more than two years, Lexington has had a permanent commissioner for less than three months. During that time, Covid continued to spread, the city recently faced a whooping cough outbreak, and more.
“Our operations and our ability to respond to whatever happened have not been interrupted by anything,” Jabbour said.
Still, Jabbour said the department is continuing to work with an interim commissioner. His board is trying to find a long-term leader for the people of Lexington – so that the mistakes of the past are not repeated.
“Someone who inspires and has a background in public health,” Jabbour said of the qualities that make the right candidate. “Just a really strong leader, someone who can delegate well and lead a large organization.” “We want to make sure we have the right fit.”
Jabbour adds that recent changes in the state’s law mean that the candidate no longer has to be a doctor. He says they are looking for any passionate public health professional.
Jabbour says that while the board doesn’t have a specific timeline, they hope to appoint a new commissioner by the end of the year. They recently re-advertised the job opening, streamlined their hiring process and are working with a recruiting firm to achieve that goal.
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