Kilkenny Named President-Elect Of National Association Of County And City Health Officials

Dr. Michael Kilkenny, the CEO and Health Officer for the Cabell-Huntington Health Department, has been named president-elect of the National Association of County and City Health Officials.

 He has served on the board of directors since 2018. He has served as Vice President for a year. He assumed the role of President-elect on July 1.

The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) represents the nation’s nearly 3,000 local governmental health departments.

Kilkenny said he will keep serving as the Health Officer for the Cabell-Huntington Health Department in tandem with this new appointment.

He said he is focused on the budgets of health departments after additional resources from the federal government have ended with the end of the Public Health Emergency.

“It’s important that local health departments have adequate funding so that they can continue to provide the baseline public health services that the communities need,” Kilkenny said. “And so we’re working particularly to make sure that local health department departments are supported in that way, and that local health departments are strategically planning for this as they work to keep their workforce intact and, and capable.”

Kilkenny also hopes to restore faith in public health officials during his tenure.

“We know that during COVID, there were controversies surrounding public trust in recommendations and we want to make sure that we regain that trust and hold it so that people can benefit from the advice that we do give them in order for the public to benefit from the local health department,” Kilkenny said. “They have to trust the local health department and we take that task very seriously.”

Kilkenny will become Board President on July 1, 2024.