PHOENIX — After the departure of former ADHS Director Dr. Cara Christ, it looks like there will be a new leader of the department. At least in the interim.
Officials announced Thursday that Don Herrington will be the new interim director of the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Herrington is a a 21-year veteran of ADHS and will succeed Dr. Cara Christ to oversee the frontline health care workers who have spearheaded the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Along with the Herrington announcement, Gov. Ducey also shared the news that Dr. Richard Carmona, the 17th Surgeon General of the United States, will serve as the senior advisor on public health emergency preparedness. According to a release from the governor's office, he will lead a statewide effort to boost vaccine and public health awareness in Arizona.
“Arizona couldn’t have two more dedicated, knowledgeable and experienced public health professionals at the helm of the Department of Health Services,” Governor Ducey said. “With Don directing day-to-day operations and Dr. Carmona marshalling our resources to defeat this virus and get Arizonans vaccinated, I’m confident we just got a lot closer to putting the pandemic behind us.”
Herrington is currently the department’s Deputy Director for Planning and Operations and oversees policy development, hiring professional and support staff and the department’s budget in this role.
“I am grateful for Governor Ducey’s confidence in my abilities to lead ADHS,” said Herrington in a release. “We have an extraordinary group of individuals at the department and I’m honored to lead this team. I look forward to promoting and protecting the health of everyone who calls Arizona home.”
Some of Herrington's other accomplishments include:
- Serving as Assistant Director of Public Health Preparedness and Bureau Chief of the Bureau of Epidemiology and Disease Control Services.
- Being involved on numerous councils, commissions and committees on behalf of the Director of ADHS, including Chair of the Arizona Sanitarians’ Council, Chair of the Arizona Infection Prevention and Control Advisory Committee, and as one of five voting members of the Arizona Emergency Response Commission.
As for Dr. Carmona, he is a Tucson resident who served as the 17th Surgeon General of the United States from 2002 to 2006. Carmona is also the Distinguished Professor of Public Health at University of Arizona’s Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. And more recently, he served as the director of the University of Arizona COVID Response Team.
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