County Executive, Mayor, Select Janel Heinrich as New Director of Public Health Madison & Dane County

Heinrich Proven Leader in Building Community Coalitions to Develop, Implement Resources to Keep Residents Informed and Healthy

Dane County Executive Joe Parisi and Madison Mayor Paul Soglin announced today that they have selected Janel Heinrich to serve as the new Director of Public Health Madison & Dane County (PHMDC). Heinrich has served as Interim Director for the Department since June of 2011. Heinrich has been a proven leader in the department, with experience developing, administering, and sustaining programs for a variety of health issues, as well as in building the community coalitions necessary to implement resources that keep residents informed and healthy. "Janel Heinrich is a consummate professional who has done an outstanding job as the Department's Interim Director," said Madison Mayor Paul Soglin. "I look forward to working with her and her staff as we continue to face the many challenges overseen by Public Health Madison and Dane County." "Janel Heinrich has a history of pulling together diverse coalitions to provide important public health resources for our citizens - more resources than any one entity could provide alone," said Dane County Executive Joe Parisi. "Her innovation and dedication to making services available to our entire community will serve Dane County's residents well." As Director of the Health Department's Community Health Division, Heinrich was an important leader in the PHMDC team responsible for coordinating Dane County's response and delivery of services during the H1N1 outbreak of 2008. Recently, she partnered the department with local hospitals to develop a comprehensive community health needs assessment to be launched later this year. The results of the assessment will provide a snapshot of the health of Dane County residents, and will be used to tailor programming to more effectively deliver services. Henrich's vision for PHMDC includes preventative health, promotion of health equity, and addressing issues of disproportionate use of public health programs by tailoring services and outreach to communities of color. Heinrich is bilingual in Spanish and has extensive experience working with Latino communities; having developed community health worker, breast cancer screening and smoking cessation programs while in San Diego and volunteering as a Spanish interpreter at a non-profit health center in Chicago. As PHMDC Director, Heinrich is responsible for leading a progressive department in promoting wellness, preventing disease, and helping to ensure a healthy environment. The department's work includes but is not limited to administration of Clean Sweep, animal control, radon and lead poisoning and prevention through the Environmental Health Division; education and access to immunizations, communicable disease prevention and control, prenatal care coordination, breast and cervical cancer screening through the Community Health Division; and oversight of the Administration Division. "I'm honored to have been selected by County Executive Parisi and Mayor Soglin as Director of Public Health Madison & Dane County. I'm looking forward to continuing to develop relationships with community partners that will have positive impacts on the health and well-being of all Dane County residents. " Heinrich is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin - Madison and San Diego State University. She holds Masters in Public Health in Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, a Masters in Latin American Studies, and Bachelor's in International Relations and Spanish respectively. Pending final approval by the Dane County Board and Madison City Council, Heinrich's starting salary will be $111,000.