Missouri’s governor says he’s getting “closer every day” to selecting a new state health director.
Missouri Governor Mike Parson visits with attendees at a medical expert luncheon on June 2, 2021 at the Governor’s Mansion in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)
Robert Knodell, Governor Mike Parson’s deputy chief of staff, has been serving as the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) acting director since April, when former director Dr. Randall Williams resigned.
Governor Parson told Capitol reporters this week that the interview process is underway.
“I think there’s a candidate that actually that I’ll probably be meeting with personally in the very near future. I’m not sure what that is on the schedule, but it’s a position we want to fill as soon as we can,” Parson says.
The governor emphasizes that he’s looking for a candidate with both a medical and an administration background. During the briefing with reporters, Parson says the next state health director will have a unique opportunity to rebuild DHSS.
“You’re actually going to be almost rebuild an entire agency because you’re going to have a deputy director that they’re going to be able to hire. You’re going to have some funding sources that we never had before with all the new CARES Act funding that’s coming through there. So it’s going to be a tremendous opportunity to actually rebuild that whole department,” says Parson.
The DHSS director is responsible for the department’s management and for the administration of its programs and services.
Missouri House Health and Mental Health Policy Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Stephens (R-Bolivar) has praised acting Director Knodell, adding that he doesn’t expect Knodell to be the permanent DHSS director. Chairman Stephens predicts the next director will have a bureaucratic and a medical background.
Copyright © 2021 · Missourinet
