Interim Director Appointed for City-County Health & Environmental District
Dr. Robert Galvan was recently appointed to serve as the interim director for the El Paso City-County Health & Environmental District. Galvan, a Fort Worth native, maintains over 35 years of experience in his field and an extensive background in Public Health and Environmental Science.
Galvan's six-month appointment will take effect on January 3, 2007, with the option to extend the appointment an additional six-months upon mutual consent. During the initial six-month period, Galvan has been tasked with addressing critical priorities and goals for the District, which includes:
- Review and react to findings/recommendations of the State Health and State Comptroller audits and lay out an implementation strategy and timetable where appropriate
- Immediately get a handle on the district finances and develop recommendations for short-term intervention to balance the budget
- Make the health authority appointment in consultation with Texas Tech and El Paso Medical Society
- Carefully assess all staffing (numbers and qualifications) and make recommendations for immediate and/or short-term adjustments as appropriate
- Animal control is a crisis issue for the community; need immediate intervention to stabilize that operation and defuse the criticism/anxiety about this aspect of the organization
- Assess the governance structure and make recommendations (based on state findings and recommendations) as to the best structure going forward - including board composition if need be
- Facilitate meeting(s) of the City and County elected bodies, along with Board of Health, to develop a turn-around strategy, governance structures, performance and accountability measures and a short-term strategic plan
- Once the governance model is in place - facilitate a strategic plan for the organization for the next 2-3 years
- Address facilities, equipment and IT requirements as part of the six month assessment/turnaround strategy (based on audit feedback) and prioritize for the next 12-36 months
- Assist in the recruitment for a permanent director