Arizona governor names former US surgeon general, longtime state official as Health Department leaders

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has appointed two men, a longtime department employee and a former U.S. surgeon general, to lead the Arizona Department of Health Services after the departure of director Dr. Cara Christ.

Don Herrington, who currently serves as deputy director of planning and operations for the department, will be interim director, Ducey announced Thursday. Herrington is a 21-year veteran of the Health Department.

In his current role, Herrington oversees policy development, hiring professional and support staff and the budget for the department, which has about 1,500 employees.

Herrington said in an interview on Thursday that he's not certain how long he will be in the job. The Governor's Office is actively recruiting to find a permanent replacement for Christ, Herrington said. Ducey's gubernatorial term ends in 2022.

Ducey and Herrington together named former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona to spearhead COVID-19 efforts for the department, the Governor's Office said. His title will be senior adviser on public health emergency preparedness, which is a newly created position.

"I think his being a surgeon general in the past is going to heighten his visibility, and I know he's got a very good reputation for working among all different kinds of communities to improve public health," Herrington said. "And he is a very passionate person, as Dr. Christ is, so I think it will be a nice continuation."

Carmona: 'We can't afford to close everything down again'

Carmona said he's already been acting as an "unofficial adviser" to Ducey on COVID-19, which will make his new role an easy transition. Carmona said that while he has many other obligations, he's committed to ensuring more Arizonans get the COVID-19 vaccine.

"This is a public health challenge that should not be politicized," Carmona said in an interview on Thursday. "The governor and I had many good discussions about that and how we might work together to inspire people to get vaccinated, incorporate appropriate mitigation responses and stay away from all the volatile information that sets people off."

Arizona is lagging behind the U.S. average on vaccines at a time when COVID-19 cases are surging, fueled by the highly contagious delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.

Nearly 56% of Arizonans eligible to get the vaccine — those ages 12 and older — were fully vaccinated as of Wednesday, which is below the national rate of 60.5%, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows.

"We want to have a positive message about what we need to do. We want to keep our businesses open, our schools open, we want to do this as safely as possible," Carmona said. "This is about the economic integrity of our state. We can't afford to close everything down again. It was catastrophic. We can't do that again."

Some of the factors keeping Arizonans from getting vaccinated include a lack of information, uncertainty and confusing information on social media, Carmona said.

"I've had people tell me they don't trust the government because they are experimenting with us. I've had people tell me that they are really just injecting chips in our arms so they can track us," Carmona said.  "You see a wide range of very poorly informed opinions that create this vaccine hesitancy. So we're aiming to put together a strategic plan to be able to address those things in unison."

Carmona said he would like to foster awareness that COVID-19 is a common challenge and that we all need to come together to prevent the virus from continuing to spread.

"What I want to do with the governor is work together with our business community, our sports community, tell everybody, 'If you want your way of life back, if you want to be able to travel, go visit your family, go to a football game, go to school ... get vaccinated,'" he said.

Arizona remains one of the worst states in the country for its COVID-19 death rate and twice had surges of illness and infections severe enough to draw national attention. As of Thursday, 18,661 Arizonans were known to have died from COVID-19.

“With Don directing day-to-day operations and Dr. Carmona marshaling our resources to defeat this virus and get Arizonans vaccinated, I’m confident we just got a lot closer to putting the pandemic behind us," Ducey said in a statement.

In 2020, Herrington earned $140,000, state records show. In his new job, his pay will be $170,000, Health Department spokesman Steve Elliott said.

The amount of Carmona's contract is $400 per hour until Dec. 31, and the number of hours he will work is yet to be determined, Elliott said.

Carmona told The Arizona Republic he does not expect the job to be full time.

Herrington said he is hopeful that the transition from Christ's leadership will be seamless, with no changes in how the department operates.

"We've got the same staff. Dr. Christ was excellent at being an energetic and motivational leader ... The main point is that I'm supported by a great group of individuals here at the department who are experts in what they do," he said. "She was able to retain our staff through this terrible event, and I hope to do the same."

A 'bold move' on the part of the Governor's Office

The Governor's Office made a "bold move" when it appointed Carmona, said Will Humble, who is executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association and a former state health director.

"To me at least, he's a real breath of fresh air," Humble said. "He carries the kind of reputation that we need ... I know him to be committed to evidence. I know that he doesn't spin things. He just gives you the honest-to-goodness answer, and I trust him."

Carmona served as U.S. surgeon general under then-President George W. Bush from 2002 to 2006. 

In 2012, Carmona was the Democratic nominee in the race to replace retiring U.S. Republican Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., but lost to Republican Jeff Flake.

Carmona, who is a Distinguished Professor of Public Health at the University of Arizona’s Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, has recently been advising UA President Robert Robbins on the UA's COVID-19 policies and procedures and participating in media briefings about them.

Before serving as surgeon general, Carmona held numerous public health positions in southern Arizona, including chairman of the State of Arizona Southern Regional Emergency Medical System and medical director of the Arizona DPS Air Rescue Units and the Rural Metro Corporation. 

"That's why I think it's a bold move," Humble said. "I'm certain the governor's team knows that this is a pretty self-confident person that's not going to just take direction ... and spin things the way the Governor's Office wants them to be spun."

Christ's last day on the job is Friday. She is leaving to become chief medical officer for insurer Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. 

State health officials say Christ is the 36th director of the department, a leadership position that dates to 1903. She's also the longest-serving director in department history, officials say, having served in the position since 2015.

Leaders of major physician groups in Arizona sent a letter to Ducey on Aug. 3 requesting that he appoint a physician to be the next state Health Department director.

They said having a trained physician — Christ — in the job during the COVID-19 global health crisis was an advantage for Arizona.

"Continuing to have a physician lead ADHS would send a clear message, needed now more than ever, that you are committed to addressing the continued challenges of this pandemic," says the letter, signed by leaders of the Arizona Medical Association, the Pima County Medical Society, the Maricopa County Medical Society and the Arizona Osteopathic Medical Association.

"It also gives confidence to health care stakeholders like us, and the patients we care for, that your administration continues to have as a top priority the health and welfare of all Arizonans, including those most in need of the services that ADHS provides."

Republic reporter Alison Steinbach contributed to this article.

Reach the reporter at Stephanie.Innes@gannett.com or at 602-444-8369. Follow her on Twitter @stephanieinnes.

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