CHARLESTON, WV – Gov. Jim Justice announced today that he has made three cabinet appointments to three new departments of the Executive Branch, following the passage and signing of a bill to reorganize the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.
Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Health – Dr. Sherri A. Young, DO, MBA, FAAFP
Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Human Services – Dr. Cynthia Persily
Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Health Facilities – Michael Caruso
Dr. Jeffrey Coben, Interim Cabinet Secretary for the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, will continue to assist during the reorganization process. Dr. Clay Marsh and Retired Major General James Hoyer will also continue to serve in advisory roles.
“We have made incredible progress in DHHR, and the achievements have been remarkable because we are pulling the rope together,” Gov. Justice said. “As we reorganize DHHR into three departments, I am confident that these cabinet secretaries will maintain the exceptional improvements we’ve made and continue to make us proud. There are so many positive things happening at DHHR, and we want to continue making things better as we transition to this new organizational structure. I am certain that our new cabinet secretaries will help us achieve that.”
House Bill 2006, passed during the 2023 Legislative Session, reorganizes the current West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources into three separate departments, each overseen by its own cabinet-level secretary, effective January 1, 2024.
All three new secretaries will begin working with their respective departments in the coming months in preparation for the January 1, 2024, official transition.
The West Virginia Department of Health will include the Bureau for Public Health, Office of Emergency Medical Services, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Center for Threat Preparedness, Health Care Authority, Office of Inspector General, and Human Rights Commission.
The West Virginia Department of Human Services will include the Bureau for Behavioral Health, Bureau for Child Support Enforcement, Bureau for Family Assistance, Bureau for Medical Services, Bureau for Social Services, and Office of Drug Control Policy.
The West Virginia Department of Health Facilities will include Hopemont Hospital, Jackie Withrow Hospital, John Manchin Sr. Health Care Center, Lakin Hospital, Mildred Mitchell-Bateman Hospital, Welch Community Hospital, and William R. Sharpe, Jr. Hospital.
The three cabinet secretaries will develop a memorandum of understanding to establish the Office of Shared Administration, which will provide shared services from centralized units such as finance, human resources management, management information services, and constituent services.
