State director of health set to exit in May

— The director of the Arkansas Department of Health said Friday that he will step down in May to lead an Indiana school but will continue to advocate for expanding Medicaid until then.

Paul Halverson, who has held the position since May 2005, when he was appointed by Gov. Mike Beebe, announced his planned departure after the board of trustees at the university approved his hire.

Halverson will be the founding dean of the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

As director of the Health Department, he oversees more than 5,000 employees and a budget of more than $424 million. He has lobbied hard to increase health-care services for the uninsured, but some lawmakers say the state’s $5 billion Medicaid program is already big enough.

“Without a doubt, probably one of the most important things that the Legislature needs to do is expand access to Medicaid,” Halverson said.

Nathaniel Smith, the deputy director for public health programs, will serve as interim director after Halverson steps down.

Halverson’s salary is $227,869.02. Smith’s salary, which is $196,521.02 as deputy director, will be determined “between now and May,” a spokesman for the department said.

Beebe praised the outgoing director in a statement announcing Halverson’s planned departure.

“Paul has been at the forefront of many important health initiatives, including our statewide trauma system and the Clean Indoor Air Act, that improve the quality of life for Arkansans,” Beebe said.

The Clean Indoor Air Act, which passed in 2006 and banned smoking in most workplaces, was intended to protect nonsmokers from health problems related to secondhand smoke.

The Health Department responded to the hundreds of reports of violations that followed the implementation of the law.

Halverson oversaw several other initiatives, including the implementation of Act 197 of 2011, which required fluoridation of water systems that sell or serve water to more than 5,000 people.

The director has also worked to develop the state’s trauma-center network, which now has 63 hospitals designated as trauma centers. The trauma centers are ranked as Level I, II, III and IV, based on the number of available doctors and nurses with trauma training.

Arkansas was one of the last states in the country to develop such a network, but the trauma network and registry are now fully functional, Halverson said.

“All of that is a huge advance, I think, for our state,” Halverson said.

In addition to expanding Medicaid, Halverson said, the department should continue to educate Arkansans about strokes, hypertension and infant mortality, three areas where the state ranks poorly.

Matt DeCample, a spokesman for Beebe, said there was no timeline for permanently filling the position. He said Halverson informed the governor of his plan to resign about a week ago.

“We’ll see what happens between now and May and what all will be involved with that,” DeCample said.

Edwin Marshall, the vice president for diversity equity and multicultural affairs for Indiana University and the chairman of the university’s Public Health Coordinating Council, said in the statement that Halverson was an “outstanding choice” for the position.

“Paul Halverson understands the complex public health issues facing this country today, and he is well positioned to lead the Fairbanks School of Public Health as it endeavors to improve the lives of Hoosiers,” Marshall said.

Front Section, Pages 1 on 02/16/2013

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