Administrative Health Officer Dr. Adam London has named two new Deputy Health Officers to serve the Kent County Health Department (KCHD). While the two officials are new to these respective roles, neither of them are new to the department. Gail Brink, who served as finance director, and Dr. Karla Black, former emergency preparedness coordinator, have been named to serve in the roles.
Brink’s role will focus on internal operations including public health finance and contracting work. She will also have oversight of the division directors of community clinics, community wellness, and lead staff in IT and finance. Brink has served as the department’s finance director since 2002 and earned her bachelor’s in accountancy from Calvin College.
Black’s new role will primarily focus on external partnerships and public health science. The division directors of the animal shelter, community health strategy, communicable disease epidemiology, emergency preparedness, environmental health report to Black. Black joined KCHD as the emergency preparedness coordinator in 2012 and has also been a leader in the areas of workforce development and quality improvement. Black attained bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and biology from the University of Illinois and holds a doctorate’s in biological sciences with a concentration in molecular virology from Purdue University.
Both positions have key responsibilities related to a variety of initiatives including strategic planning, human resources, health equity, quality improvement, communications, and more.
