County’s top health post, vacant for a year, ‘vital’ to Innamorato administration

Kim Meacham, a lifelong resident of Clairton, shares her plea for solutions to air pollution in her city during public comment at the Allegheny County Board of Health’s quarterly meeting, on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024, at the Allegheny County Courthouse in downtown Pittsburgh. “Because we don’t see a lot of action coming from these meetings, not a lot of us show up,” she said. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource) A coalition has urged the new Innamorato administration to seek a health director who will prioritize social determinants of health, equity and transparency. by Rich Lord& and& Charlie Wolfson, PublicSource A year after its director was plucked into the service of the state, the Allegheny County Health Department remains without a long-term leader.& The Board of Health and new County Executive Sara Innamorato have just begun an effort to fill what a spokesperson called “a vital position for the administration.” “The director and the [board] have broad responsibilities that range from infant mortality and the opioid epidemic to air pollution and food safety,” wrote Abigail Gardner, the county’s communications director, in an email to PublicSource. “Leading the Health Department is highly technical and process-oriented work,” requiring understanding of law and regulations and...