Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Health district chief’s move to Providence an indirect result of Affordable Care Act

Dr Joel McCullough, health officer for the Spokane Regional Health District, is leaving the position to join Providence Health Care. (Dan Pelle / The Spokesman-Review)

In his new job at Providence Health Care, Dr. Joel McCullough will draw on his background in public health to help local hospitals step up their game on community health.

McCullough, who’s led the Spokane Regional Health District for the past six years, said the position is a good career move for him.

“It’s an opportunity to work on population health and public health in another venture,” McCullough said in an interview Tuesday. “Through creating this new position, Providence is making an investment. It’s very innovative.”

The new position is an indirect result of the Affordable Care Act, Providence officials said.

To keep their nonprofit status, Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children’s Hospital and Holy Family Hospital must conduct community health needs assessments every three years and adopt strategies for addressing those needs.

As more Eastern Washington residents are insured through the Affordable Care Act, the hospitals anticipate that the level of charity care will decrease. That will leave more money for Providence to invest in identified needs in the community and preventive care, said Dr. Jeff Collins, the organization’s chief medical officer.

In 2014, Providence spent about $22 million on free and discounted care for Eastern Washington patients in need, according to organization reports.

McCullough – a veteran in the public health field – is the right person to help the hospitals determine how they can best invest some of the savings to make a difference at a community level, Collins said.

McCullough will start work as Providence’s new medical director for community health and epidemiology in late February. The job also comes with some duties related to infectious disease control.

In his new role, McCullough said he’ll continue to work closely with colleagues at the health district and other community partners, such as the Empire Health Foundation.

McCullough’s last day with the health district is Feb. 16. He’ll continue to serve as interim health officer, taking care of duties that must be overseen by a medical doctor, until his replacement is hired. Other oversight duties will be temporarily assumed by Torney Smith, the health district’s administrator.

McCullough, 56, joined the health district in 2009, assuming both medical and managerial duties as the district’s chief medical officer. He earned about $178,000 last year.

“You’re pretty lucky to find someone like Dr. McCullough, who can wear both hats,” said Kevin Freeman, chairman of the health district’s 12-member board.

As the board starts meeting to discuss qualifications for McCullough’s replacement, they’ll discuss whether the job should be split into medical and managerial positions, which is a path other public health districts have taken, he said.

“We’ll be looking at other models in Washington to see if that works for a health district of our size, with the services we provide,” Freeman said.

McCullough is widely respected for returning “stability and direction” to the district, Freeman said. Before he was hired, the health district’s top position was vacant for 2 1/2 years following the controversial firing of Dr. Kim Thorburn in 2006.

During his tenure, McCullough said he’s proudest of steering the health district through a rocky financial period, and the district’s work in revealing health disparities among various segments of Spokane County’s population.

“We’ve weathered the storm of the economic recession fairly well as a health district, and come out stronger as an agency,” McCullough said.

While McCullough has been at the helm, the health district’s employee base shrank from about 230 employees to 185, later rebounding to 220. The district’s $21 million budget is made up of federal, state and local dollars, including fees collected for regulatory services.

The district works on a wide array of public health issues, such as inspecting restaurants, sending nurses to visit first-time, low-income mothers and employing epidemiologists to track infectious disease outbreaks.

But the district no longer operates a public health clinic, which used to provide vaccinations and health screenings for refugees. Vaccinations are now widely available at doctor’s offices and drugstores, and other clinics have picked up the refugee health screenings, McCullough said. The shift mirrors national trends in public health, with more focus on disease prevention and health risk management and policy, he said.

Along those lines, a 2012 health district report explored how education, income, race and place of residence influence the health of Spokane County residents. The report helped draw attention to inequities in the health of local residents, McCullough said.