|
Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Dr. Sameer Vohra will take the
helm.
“Dr. Vohra is accomplished in every sense of the word,” Pritzker
said in a statement. “His experience and education transcend
sectors and fields, bringing a well-rounded perspective to this
agency. As a leader in state and national health policy, I have
absolute confidence in Dr. Vohra’s ability to continue shaping a
stronger IDPH for the 21st century.”
Any appointment to state agencies must be approved by the
Illinois Senate.
“Governor Pritzker, along with the dedicated staff of IDPH, have
served our State admirably during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Vohra
said in a statement. “I am honored to lead this agency into the
future, continuing to keep us safe from emerging illnesses,
supporting our public health workers, and promoting wellness in
every community across Illinois."
The governor’s office says Vohra also serves on IDPH’s Illinois
State Board of Health, the Illinois Medicaid Advisory Committee,
the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council, and recently completed a
term on the Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund Steering Committee.
The former director, Dr. Ngozi Ezike, left the department
earlier this year. In March, she said she had no immediate plans
on what she would do next and wanted to take some time to be
with her family.
In April, Ezike took a job as CEO of the Sinai Health System.
That raised questions about whether the move violates the
state’s prohibition on executive agency directors taking jobs
with organizations that get state contracts. The Better
Government Association reports a state inspector general is
investigating.
The department also came into focus in a recent auditor
general’s report released in May about the handling of the
COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home in November of
2020.
“From the documents reviewed, [Illinois Department of Public
Health] officials did not offer any advice or assistance as to
how to slow the spread at the Home, offer to provide additional
rapid COVID-19 tests, and were unsure of the availability of the
antibody treatments for long-term care settings prior to being
requested by the [Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs] Chief
of Staff,” the reports key findings said.
Greg Bishop reports on Illinois government and
other issues for The Center Square. Bishop has years of
award-winning broadcast experience and hosts the WMAY Morning
Newsfeed out of Springfield.
|
|
