Ten candidates compete for 2 citizen-member positions on the Yakima Well being District Board of Well being.
The well being board completed its newest spherical of interviews with candidates on Thursday and is anticipated to make the ultimate choices throughout a particular assembly on June 9. These choices might be finalized by the Yakima County Commissioners at a later enterprise assembly.
The well being board initially acquired 18 candidates however narrowed the pool to 10 final month.
The curiosity within the board was sparked by a brand new state legislation that governs the composition of well being boards. The brand new legislation requires an equal variety of elected and non-elected members on boards of well being, together with a consultant from tribes inside the district’s service space.
The Yakama Nation is inside the service space of the Yakima Well being District.
At present, the board of well being is comprised of three Yakima County Commissioners, two Metropolis Council members, and two non-elected members.
Board members are Commissioners Ron Anderson, Amanda McKinney and LaDon Linde, Yakima Metropolis Councilmember Patricia Byers, and Toppenish Metropolis Councilmember Naila Duval. The unelected members are Dr. Sean Cleary and Dr. Dave Atteberry.
Beneath the brand new legislation, the well being board should appoint two extra non-elected members who’ve public well being experience or are shoppers of public well being providers, along with a Yakama consultant to be appointed by the American Indian Well being Fee.
The well being board faces a July 1 deadline to adjust to the brand new legislation that’s supposed to maintain politics out of public well being selections.
These are the candidates who had been interviewed:
Daylene Ackerman, retired registered nurse; Katrina Henkle, mortgage dealer and govt director of the Selah Downtown Affiliation; Catherine Bambrick, administrator of Astria Toppenish Hospital; Randall Knapp, public well being shopper; Dr. Nancy Hecox, retired pharmacist; Thomas Silva, former Yakima Clear Air Company Air Air pollution Officer; Stephanie Ahlgren, registered dietitian and nutritionist; Anthony Maldonado, former assistant professor of nursing at Heritage College; Kimberly Eglet, former meals supervisor at Yakima Valley College; and Nat Wall, a math instructor whose spouse is present process remedy for a power sickness.