New public health chief appointed in DuPage County

The DuPage County Health Department has a new executive director.

Adam Forker, the department’s deputy director of business operations, has been promoted to public health chief for the state’s second-largest county.

Forker replaces Karen Ayala, who is retiring at the end of June after almost 10 years heading the agency.

Ayala became the face of the county’s COVID-19 response and helped roll out a logistically complex vaccination campaign. More than 2.2 million vaccine doses have been administered in DuPage County. About 24.5% of the county’s population have been vaccinated with a bivalent booster dose, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only one other county in Illinois – Lake County – has a higher rate with 24.9% of its population inoculated with the updated boosters, CDC figures show. The bivalent boosters target the original virus as well the omicron BA. 4 and BA. 5 subvariants.

Forker was instrumental in putting a mass COVID-19 vaccination clinic into operation at the DuPage County fairgrounds, officials said.

The site provided vaccinations to more than 100,000 people.

“The impact of public health is tremendous,” Forker said in a written statement. “We face big challenges in DuPage County, particularly mental health and substance use disorder, chronic disease and access to care, and ensuring preparedness for emerging public health threats.”

Over the next month, Forker’s selection will be formally approved through the Illinois Department of Public Health and by the county’s board of health, officials said.

He is expected to work with Ayala to ensure a smooth transition. She’s stepping down after helping DuPage leaders develop plans for a behavioral health crisis hub at the county government complex in Wheaton.

“I feel confident with this project because of the depth of individuals and the talent of individuals that we have within the health department as well as across the community who are supporting us,” Ayala told county board members last month.

Among other roles, Forker oversees human resources, finance, billing, client access and quality and compliance for the department. He is set to take over July 1. Forker’s starting salary as executive director will be $180,000.

“Adam has dedicated close to 15 years of service to the health department,” said Sam Tornatore, a county board member who also is president of the DuPage Board of Health. “He is well respected among our community partners and is committed to advancing the agency’s mission of providing exceptional public health services to DuPage County residents.”

Forker has a bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University and a master of public health degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20230418/new-public-health-chief-appointed-in-dupage-county-?cid=search