County official tapped to be WA's next health secretary
Washington has a new health secretary starting next month.
Dennis Worsham will take over the Department of Health after serving as head of the Snohomish County Health Department since January 2023. Gov. Bob Ferguson announced Monday that he'd appointed Worsham to the job. He starts July 7.
Worsham was the county health department's first director after its shift from a separate health district to being integrated with county government. He started his career there in the 1990s. At that time, Worsham, who is openly gay, was tasked with managing the response to sexually transmitted diseases like HIV.
Before becoming director, he worked for other agencies. He served as a regional health officer for King County, deputy state secretary of health in the mid-2010s, and interim director of the Seattle and King County public health department.
Worsham has a bachelor's degree in health services administration from Eastern Washington University.
'His decades of experience and broad skillset will help chart a new vision for public health in Washington state,' Ferguson said in a statement.
Worsham, who grew up in Othello, in Adams County, said 'it is critical that we continue to build a system that earns the trust of communities and strives for every person to have equitable access to the care and resources they need to thrive.'
'Public health is not just about addressing illness and injury — it's about preventing them,' he continued. 'It's about preparing for the unexpected, addressing root causes of health inequities, and investing in systems that protect people before a crisis begins.'
The health department oversees everything from drinking water safety and the state's response to the opioid crisis to communicable disease outbreaks. It took on a higher profile as the state navigated the COVID-19 pandemic.
Worsham is taking over for Jessica Todorovich, a previous chief of staff at the agency, who has served as its acting director since January.
The last permanent health secretary was Dr. Umair Shah, who took over in late 2020 during the pandemic and stepped down in January to 'spend time with family while exploring what is next on my horizon.'
Shah has since founded Rickshaw Enterprises, a consulting firm focused on improving health outcomes.
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