COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Governor Mike DeWine announced Thursday the selection of a new Director and Chief Medical Officer for the Ohio Department of Health.
Stephanie McCloud was appointed as the new Director of the Ohio Department of Health. She previously served as the Administrator/CEO of the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, a role she held since January of 2019.
McCloud earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ohio University and a law degree from the Capital University Law School.
According to her BWC profile, she has background that includes 20 years of experience in public administration and workers’ compensation. Before joining the BWC, she served as senior vice president at Sedgwick Claims Management Services while managing her private Columbus law firm, McCloud Law LLC.
The choice of McCloud as director of the department of health is drawing criticism from NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio. In a statement released by the pro-choice organization, Executive Director Kellie Copeland said McCloud has “long been an opponent of abortion access.”
“DeWine has abandoned his sacred responsibility to put the health and safety of Ohioans over his personal agenda to eliminate abortion access in our state,” Copeland said. “Healthcare should never be politicized like this, especially during a pandemic.”
Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff has been named the Chief Medical Officer for the health department. Vanderhoff has served for more than a decade as a Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Ohio Health.
“I think it’s a good team. I think its the right combination,” DeWine said. “We’ve been careful in regards to who we selected to these two jobs, and we’re very happy with where we are.”
Lance Himes, who has served as the Interim Director of the Ohio Department of Health, has been named the ODH Senior Deputy. DeWine says he will lead coordination of work to get a vaccine out to Ohioans.
