Who may serve as a local health director?
A director of a county or district health department or a public health authority must meet minimum education and experience requirements.[1] In general, the director must have one of the following:
- A medical doctorate
- A master’s degree in public health administration plus at least one year of employment in health programs or services
- A master’s degree in another public health discipline plus at least three years of employment in health programs or health services
- A master’s degree in public administration plus at least two years of experience in health programs or health services
- A master’s degree in a field related to public health plus at least three years of experience in health programs or health services[2]
- A bachelor’s degree in public health administration or public administration plus at least three years of experience in health programs or health services
There is also a law that created a limited pilot program (one county only) to allow a person with education and experience in public health nursing to serve as a local health director, as long as the appointment is approved by the NC Secretary of Health and Human Services.[3]
A consolidated human services director is not required by statute to meet particular education or experience requirements. However, a consolidated human services director who does not satisfy the statutory qualifications for a local health director must appoint a person who does.[4] In addition, North Carolina’s standards for local public health agency accreditation specify that the agency’s governing board must appoint a local health director who meets the requirements of the law that applies to county and district health directors.[5]
[1] G.S. 130A-40(a) (county or district health directors); 130A-45.4 (public health authority director).
[2] The State Health Director must review requests by educational institutions to determine whether a master’s degree offered by the institution is related to public health for purposes of this law.
[3] G.S. 130A-40.1. This law requires the health director in the pilot county to either: (1) have a bachelor of science in nursing degree from a program that includes a public health nursing rotation, plus ten years’ public health experience, at least five of which were in a supervisory capacity at the agency at which the person is a candidate for local health director; or (2) be a registered nurse without a bachelor’s degree but with at least ten years’ experience, including at least seven years in an administrative or supervisory role and at least five years at the agency at which the person is a candidate for local health director. At the time of this writing, Northampton County’s health director is serving pursuant to this law.
[4]. G.S. 153A-77(e).
[5] See 10A NCAC 48B .1304; see also 10A NCAC 48B .0901(b)(1) (requiring the agency to have, or be recruiting, a local health director who meets legal requirements for the position). The accreditation program does not require local agencies to satisfy every provision in the standards—agencies may skip a small proportion of the standards and still be accredited. Therefore, it is possible that a consolidated agency could satisfy accreditation standards without meeting the specific standard that addresses the director’s qualifications.
