On Tuesday, Aug. 16, the Adams County Board of Commissioners (BoCC) approved resolutions appointing five inaugural members to the new Adams County Board of Health (BOH). The BOH is structured with five members. Initial terms are two- and three-year appointments for purposes of establishing staggered terms going forward. After the initial term, BOH members will serve five-year terms.
The BOH will hold its first meeting in late August to begin planning for the new Adams County Health Department (ACHD), and they will hit the ground running. Next steps for the BOH include hiring an executive director, appointing officers, and creating bylaws as progress continues toward standing up the county’s first public health department on Jan. 1, 2023.
“With this morning’s action approving these resolutions, we have completed a critical step in setting up the new health department,” said Lynn Baca, Chair of the Adams County Board of Commissioners. “While we had many qualified applicants, we believe this five-member board brings the varied expertise and perspective that is representative of our diverse county.”
Inaugural Board of Health Members:
Dr. Dee Dee Gilliam – Dr. Gilliam is a public health nurse with more than 30 years of experience in public health administration, emergency preparedness/disaster response, program planning, and management. She served for 15 years as a nurse in the U.S. Army Reserve and has been trained in FEMA incident command and management systems. Gilliam will serve a three-year term.
Brett Keiling – Keiling is a Colorado native and registered nurse who has cared for Adams County community members for the last ten years. He specializes in emergency management, clinical data analytics, and quality outcomes at HealthONE North Suburban Medical Center. Keiling aims to help shape the foundation of the BOH and ACHD to ensure it equitably serves all Adams County community members. Keiling will serve a two-year term.
Jeremiah Lindemann – Lindemann has been a resident of Adams County for nearly 20 years. He has been a strong advocate for awareness and bringing change for the opioid epidemic after losing his little brother. Lindemann is a product engineer and manages several public safety and health related solutions. Lindemann will serve a two-year term.
Dr. Sheela Mahnke – Dr. Mahnke is a general pediatrician at a nonprofit clinic, Every Child Pediatrics, in Thornton. She also has a passion for environmental health issues, particularly climate change, clean air, and environmental justice. She has lived and worked in Adams County for nearly 20 years and currently lives in Westminster with her husband and two teenage boys. Mahnke will serve a three-year term.
Dr. Lisa Winkler – Dr. Winkler is a family physician and has provided primary care through Clinica Family Health in Westminster, Thornton, and Federal Heights for the last 10 years. Her professional areas of focus include health equity, preventative medical care, and chronic disease management. Winkler will serve a two-year term.
Board of Health Basics:
- State law requires the BoCC to appoint BOH members for the county.
- The BOH will be the governing body of the department and is the entity under which the entire agency will be formed and operate.
- Many BOH responsibilities are set by state law and include:
- Developing and promoting public policies to support a healthy community
- Approving the local public health plan completed by the agency
- Selecting, supervising, and advising the agency’s executive director and medical officer
- Issuing orders and adopting rules necessary to carry out public health duties
- Fee setting
- Once formed, the BOH will decide how they will operate their board through the creation of board bylaws, the appointment of board officers, and the creation of policies and procedures for board and agency operations.
- Boards of health can play many different roles based on the needs of the agency and the communities they serve. Adams County’s BOH will be informed by local assessments and plans, national guidance, and agency staff as it considers how best to support public health.
To attract talented and innovative leaders, ACHD’s Director of Public Health Transition is conducting a competitive, equitable, and transparent process to hire ACHD’s leadership team.
The ACHD Leadership Team includes:
- Executive Director and Deputy Director
- Positions will be announced once the BOH meets in August
- Medical Officer – to be announced after BOH meets in August
- Public Health Transition Director – Kelly Weidenbach, DrPH, MPH
- Division Directors
- Environmental Health – Brian Hlavacek, MAS
- Epidemiology and Data Science – Adam Anderson, MURP, MPH
- Nursing – Darcí Martinez, DNP, FNP-C
- Health Equity and Strategic Initiatives – posting coming soon
- Nutrition and Family Health – posting coming soon
- Public Health Policy and Public Affairs Manager – Monica Buhlig, MPH
- Assistant County Attorney for Health – Mellissa Sager, JD
