Retired Tacoma-Pierce health director gets $11K monthly fee as agency seeks replacement
Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department has named an interim director to lead the department until a permanent director is chosen and has entered into a contract extension to keep its retired leader on staff in the short term.
The department announced the retirement of its director, Dr. Anthony Chen, in January. His last day as TPCHD director was June 30. He served in the position since 2008.
At its meeting Wednesday, the Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Health appointed deputy director Cindan Gizzi as the interim Director of Health for TPCHD. The new title was set to take effect Wednesday and last until a permanent director starts.
At its June 21 meeting, the board approved a new contract for Chen to serve as the county’s health officer and to provide other director “emeritus” services when requested from July 1 to Oct. 31.
Under state laws, the department needs to maintain health officer duties during its search for a replacement, and the job requires that the person is “an experienced physician licensed to practice medicine and surgery or osteopathic medicine and surgery in this state ...”
The contract included in the BOH agenda packet listed billable hours at $300 an hour for some duties in addition to an $11,000 flat monthly rate for other work, with the total for the time period not to exceed $90,000.
Work included in the “flat” monthly rate includes continuation of all standing orders and collaborative Drug Therapy Agreements with local pharmacies; continuation of role as county registrar and authority “as signatory on food worker cards, food safety inspections” as well as refugee health services, Medical Reserve Corps cards, solid waste handling and other environmental health permits; continuation of Civil Surgeon designation for work with the refugee community; and “all other Health Officer duties that by statute or regulation are required to be undertaken by a Washington-licensed physician.”
Additional work sought “upon request” by the deputy director or designee, can be invoiced under the contract’s billable hours list of tasks. That list includes consultation on policy direction, leadership issues and historical context of public health issues; orientation for the new director, including meetings with community partners; new or revised health orders; participation in statewide Department of Health or Health Officer initiatives and participation in various community initiatives and meetings (including Pierce County Opioid Task Force and the Mayor of Tacoma’s Roundtable on Violence Prevention). It also covers serving on a contingent basis in a public health emergency “as needed,” according to the contract.
State law also requires maintaining a qualified director and notes, “If the director of public health does not meet the qualifications of a health officer or a physician under RCW 70.05.050, the director shall employ a person so qualified to advise the director on medical or public health matters.”
Gizzi has served as deputy director since November 2020 and before that served as the department’s Director of Assessment, Planning and Development from 2007 to 2020 and the Director of Public Health Centers for Excellence from 2016 to 2021.
Gizzi holds a master’s of public health degree in epidemiology from the University of California-Los Angeles School of Public Health, according to her resume, which was included in the agenda packet.
According to TPCHD, Gizzi is president-elect for the Washington State Association of Local Health Officials and will become president in June of next year. She also is a member of the statewide Foundational Public Health Services Steering Committee and is a clinical faculty member of the University of Washington Tacoma’s Nursing and Healthcare Leadership Program.
“Tacoma and Pierce County are incredibly fortunate to have Cindan step into this interim role to provide the stability and continuity that our communities need during this time of transition,” said Board of Health Chair Catherine Ushka in a statement released Thursday by TPCHD.
“For more than two decades, Cindan’s deep commitment to public service has never wavered. Cindan has had a proven track record of success at keeping our communities healthy and safe, and I am grateful for her leadership as we finalize our selection of our next Director of Health,” Ushka said.
In its release the department noted the Board of Health plans to honor Chen at an upcoming meeting. He’s previously been recognized with retirement honors from the Pierce County Council and Tacoma City Council last month.
TPCHD media representative Kenny Via told The News Tribune in response to questions via email, “The executive recruiter completed an initial screen of 16 applicants last month. A recruitment committee of four Board of Health members and six community stakeholders interviewed three semifinalists. The executive recruiter is conducting a reference check of semifinalists.”
He added, “Final candidates will interview later this month with Board members, community stakeholders and staff.”
Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards and Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier will make the final selection, and the Pierce County Council and Tacoma City Council will confirm the appointment, TPCHD said in its release.
The department is maintaining the salary budgeted as of Chen’s retirement, which was $267,280 in 2023, Via told The News Tribune.
There has been no determination on whether Gizzi would receive any pay raise in her interim role, according to Via.
The health department’s online job classification list shows a deputy director’s annual pay can range from $138,985.60 to $178,984.
