Board names likely new Public Health director

WASHINGTON — The Washington County Board of Health voted 3-0 Thursday to tentatively offer current Assistant Director of Nursing Jenifer Roberts the job of public health director.

The decision came after several weeks of deliberation, including job interviews, closed sessions, reference checks and private salary negotiations for Roberts, one of three applicants for the position vacated by former director Emily Tokheim.

Board Member Kodey Salow made the motion to recommend Roberts.

He said she felt like the best fit for the role, which oversees Washington County’s agency in charge of vaccine drives, disease surveillance, home health visits and myriad other initiatives aimed at improving community wellness.

“She has a good background in nursing and public health,” Salow said. “Some of the aspects, I think, she’ll be able to pick up as she goes, with help from some of the other staff that have been contributing during Emily (Tokheim’s) time away. I just felt, through her interview, that she’s up for the task.”

Roberts was previously discussed as “Candidate C” in previous meetings, where applicants’ names were anonymized. Under that moniker, board of health members said very little about the candidate, except that she had strengths worth considering despite scoring somewhat worse than other contenders in a pair of job interviews.

The appointment is not yet official. It won’t be finalized until a change request comes before the Board of Health at a special meeting next week, pending a background check. After that, the decision awaits acknowledgment from the Washington County Board of Supervisors.

Board of Health members declined to comment on Roberts’ proposed salary. The Southeast Iowa Union has submitted a public record request seeking that information, but officials said the document in question wasn’t available yet. Washington County Attorney Nathan Repp said the “situation is still a work in progress.”

The new director is expected to start July 1, and has their work cut out for them, according to other county officials, who say they worry the state plans to overhaul its public health system — perhaps doing away with county control entirely — in the next few years.

That’s on top of a newfound pressure on community health decision-makers, who’ve seen far more public attention — and at times scrutiny — since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic that upended many facets of everyday life and proved divisive for many.

Roberts, for her part, said she was up to the challenge.

The nurse of almost nine years has worked at Washington County Public Health since 2019. In May of last year, she was named the department’s assistant director of nursing.

“I feel like the past administrators that I have worked with really brought public health into the light,” she said. “I just want to continue making public health as great as it can be. We have a really great team and I’m excited to work with them and see what ideas they have.”

Board of Health Members Jack Seward Jr. and Andrea Leyden were absent from Thursday’s meeting.

Editor’s note: after this article was published online, the Board of Health rescheduled the date of a meeting where it plans to finalize Roberts’ appointment. This article has been updated to reflect the correct date.

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com