|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 28, 2002
Contact:
Keith
Eisner, Information Specialist, (360) 754-3355, ext. 7838.
Libbey
Announces Retirement From County Health Department
Olympia—Pat Libbey, director
of Thurston County’s Public Health and Social Services Department, announced
his resignation this week. Libbey, who has served the county’s health
department since 1974, will move to Washington, D.C. to direct the National
Association of County and City Health Officials. The association represents
3,000 local health departments across the country.
“Pat Libbey is leaving one of
the most respected health departments in the region” says Board of County
Commissioners Chairman Cathy Wolfe. “This respect,” she says, “has been
a direct result of Pat’s tireless dedication to protecting and improving the
health of our community. Our population is healthier and safer because of his
determination to work with public, private and volunteer sectors to address
public health issues in a comprehensive and effective manner. He will be
sorely missed.”
Libbey cites the shift from an
emphasis on delivery of specific services (immunizations, for example) to a
focus on the health of the community as a whole as one of the most important
changes he’s witnessed in his 28 years with the county health system.
“Protecting and improving
the health of our community necessitates the involvement of many more parties
than just the local health department,” he says. “Our community wide
planning effort in Strategies for a Healthy Future in 1995, and the
resulting, ongoing collaboration between government, private providers and
volunteer groups significantly improved our understanding of community health
conditions and risks, and our ability to respond effectively.”
"Pat is a real leader,”
says Washington State Secretary of Health Mary Selecky, adding “He's
improved public health in Thurston County and across the state. I am confident
he will truly make a difference on a national level.”
Deputy Director Sherri
McDonald will serve as acting director until county commissioners decide upon
a process for permanently filling the position. “The county is extremely
fortunate to have a professional of Sherri McDonald’s caliber ready and
willing to assume the director’s duties,” says Wolfe.
| 