Statement by Laura Hanen, MPP, Interim Executive Director and Chief of Government Affairs

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, July 7, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ -- As the voice of nearly 3,000 local health departments across the United States, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) endorses the appointment of Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, former Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health, to become the next Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“Dr. Fitzgerald is a seasoned health professional having led the Georgia Health Department of Public Health for more than six years and practicing medicine for over 30. She knows how Federal governmental public health programs work, the importance of “on-the-ground” public health, and CDC’s essential role in supporting that work. Dr. Fitzgerald has a deep interest in early childhood development, which affects health and well-being for years to come, as well as the importance of prevention and population health, not just primary care, having overseen Georgia’s public health agency being elevated to its own cabinet level agency.”

As Commissioner of the Georgia Health Department of Public Health, Dr. Fitzgerald oversaw various state public health programs including Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Maternal and Child Health, Infectious Disease and Immunization, Environmental Health, Epidemiology, Emergency Preparedness and Response, Emergency Medical Services, Pharmacy, Nursing, Volunteer Health Care, the Office of Health Equity, Vital Records and the State Public Health Laboratory. She also directed the state’s 18 public health districts and 159 county health departments.

“NACCHO and our nation’s local health departments work closely with the CDC. Their support is crucial to the work local health departments perform every day to protect the communities they serve. As the former public health leader of Georgia, Dr. Fitzgerald knows this first hand. We believe she will be a strong voice and an effective advocate for state and local health departments at this critical time which has seen unexpected public health crises like Ebola and Zika virus over the past few years. We need a proven leader such as Dr. Fitzgerald who understands the importance of what local health departments do and will work to support them. We strongly endorse her appointment as the next Director of the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control.”

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About NACCHO
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) represents the nation's nearly 3,000 local governmental health departments. These city, county, metropolitan, district, and tribal departments work every day to protect and promote health and well-being for all people in their communities. For more information about NACCHO, please visit www.naccho.org.

Theresa Spinner
NACCHO
202-783-5551
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