Gov. Katie Hobbs tapped longtime health care leader Debbie Johnston to lead the Department of Health Services on Monday. Johnston is the third person to lead the agency in three years.
Johnston said in a statement that she’s honored by the nomination.
“An accessible and efficient public healthcare system is vital to the prosperity of our state. I take seriously the state’s obligations to protect the public while supporting the work of our providers, and I look forward to collaborating with our many talented community partners, healthcare providers, and policymakers to improve the health of all Arizonans," Johnston wrote.
Johnston recently retired from the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association after 21 years in multiple roles, including as senior adviser.
“Debbie’s unmatched regulatory expertise, deep familiarity with public health programs and collaborative approach will ensure that Arizona’s healthcare system continues to advance in quality, safety and accessibility. We thank Governor Hobbs for her commitment to strong leadership in public health with Debbie’s nomination,” AzHHA President and CEO Ann-Marie Alameddin said in a statement.
Johnston takes over DHS from interim director Sheila Sjolander, who will go back to her role as deputy director.
As with all state agency heads, Johnston must be confirmed by a vote of the Republican-controlled state Senate.
“I am proud to appoint Debbie to this important position, and have full confidence in her ability to oversee this critical agency,” Hobbs said in a statement. “Debbie’s longstanding relationships, strong leadership, and extensive experience with Arizona health care providers, especially our rural hospitals, will be assets to Arizonans and to the hundreds of thousands of health care providers that ADHS licenses.”
Hobbs’ last choice to lead the agency was former DHS Deputy Director Jennie Cunico. She resigned in April, saying it was clear the Senate wouldn’t confirm her.
Before that, Hobbs nominated Dr. Theresa Cullen to lead DHS. But the Senate committee tasked with vetting Hobbs’ nominees voted against recommending Cullen on party lines after a strained hearing, and Cullen withdrew her name from nomination.
The main criticisms the GOP lawmakers had for Cullen were about her policies as the Pima County health director during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“If the Senate’s Director Nominations Committee is unwilling to acknowledge the skill and expertise of Dr. Cullen, there may be no public health professional in the state they would endorse. As long as Republicans choose politics over the people of Arizona, some of the most talented and qualified candidates will choose not to enter state service, and it is the people of Arizona who will suffer most because of these political games,” Hobbs said in a statement at the time.
Will Humble, a former DHS director and current head of the Arizona Public Health Association, says Johnston is a good choice.
"She’s a quick study, she’s real bright, she’s pragmatic, she can be decisive, and those are the kinds of things that you need to be a good health department director," he said.
