On June 24, I sent a copy of the June 18 Blog entry below to Louisville’s Mayor Greg Fischer, and to Mr. William Altman, Chairman of Louisville’s Department of Public Health. I repeated my request to reconsider the employment structure of Dr. LaQuandra S. Nesbitt, the new Director of Public Health and Wellness. (Cover letter here.) The letter contains the mission statements of the Louisville Board of Health emphasizing its independence.
I have not had a response, nor am I aware of any new information. What do you know, and what do you think? Add your two bits.
[Addendum Dec 14, 2011: When I wrote the above letter to the Board of Health and the Mayor’s office, I somehow thought that the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness reported to the Louisville Board of Health– imagine that! While the details of accountability still elude me, it seems that the LMPHW Department is a branch of Louisville Government, reports to the Mayor, and is only “advised by the Board of Health. The Board of Health is “independent,” and is appointed by the Mayor. Its Chairman was on the search committee for the new Director, Dr. Nesbitt. If anyone can straighten me out about this, please do so. The details of the organizational chart do not affect the substance of my letter nor my concerns. I still think her dual employment it is a bad idea. The absence of her counsel in the current debate over the acquisition of University Hospital is appropriate given her conflict of interest, but missed.
Peter Hasselbacher, MD