Health department getting interim director

Wahkiakum County should soon have a new, but temporary, director of the Health and Human Services Department.

On Tuesday, county commissioners and Pacific County resident Sherri McDonald agreed in principle on a 13-week contract for her to take over reins of the department. Prosecuting Attorney Dan Bigelow had suggested some changes in the proposed contract, and McDonald said she agreed to the changes, which involved wording and the addition of a separate contract regarding confidentiality.

McDonald had a 30-year career in public health. A public health nurse, she has worked in Pacific County, at the state department of health and spent 20 years in the Thurston County Health Department, retiring as director.

She also is sole proprietor of McDonald Consulting and has been a clinical instructor at the University of Washington's schools of nursing and public health.

Besides giving her managerial responsibility for the department, commissioners have asked McDonald to evaluate the department and develop a recommendation about how it should be managed in the future.

Commissioners are concerned about declining funding from state and federal sources, and they've said they want to consider options for providing services.

McDonald said she looks forward to the work. She and her husband, a retired teacher, have a farm near Raymond, and she wanted to be near him she said. However, she still wants to work.

"I still have a lot to offer," she said. "I'm not interested in a long-term position. I enjoy this type of work very much."

Dr. Alan Melnick, the county's health officer, welcomed McDonald's arrival.

"I've known Sherri for many years," he said. "She's one of the top public health administrators anywhere.

"This is a real opportunity to get somebody top notch to get some recognition of our needs."

McDonald will assume her duties in April.