Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
 |
San Francisco Examiner - January 29, 2007
Michael Neibauer,mneibauer@dcexaminer.com
The impending restructuring of the department, announced last week by Health Director Gregg Pane, will reduce the number of health administrations from 11 to seven and eliminate four senior deputies and several chiefs of staff. But the changes are not geared toward cost savings or abolishing positions, Pane said Friday, but rather better management and results.
"We can't operate in 11 rockets all approaching things independently," Pane said. "This way we're forced to try to respond as more of a department."
The District's health statistics remain abysmal, observers say, despite improvements on the administrative and fiscal sides of DOH over the course of Pane's 2.5-year tenure. The city's disease rates are among the worst in the nation. Whatever the ailment, Pane said, "We need to move some numbers."
As part of the restructuring, offices with separate but related responsibilities will be merged - primary care, prevention, maternal and school health programs will be the charge of the Maternal and Primary Care Administration, for example. All facility and health provider regulation functions will be incorporated into the Health Regulation and Licensing Administration.
D.C. Council Member David Catania, chairman of the health committee, said Pane is leading a "sea change" at DOH.
"On its face it makes a lot of sense," Catania said. "It integrates a lot of functions that heretofore were working independently of each other."
Also under the reorganization, all grants and contracts will be handled by a new Grants Management and Procurement office, allowing a troubled agency such as the HIV/Aids Administration to focus on its primary goal of reducing the prevalence of the disease.
"It's our view that Dr. Pane has been a good administrator, and we're optimistic that this structure will result in even greater efficiency," said Kim Mills, spokeswoman for the Whitman-Walker Clinic, which has had problems getting reimbursed for services and paid for contracts.
070129
SE070107
Copyright © 2007 - San Francisco Examiner. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the San Francisco Examiner, Permissions Desk, 110 Fifth Street, P.O. Box 7260, San Franciso, CA 94120.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Roche and Trimeris, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2007. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2007. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .