Pierce County Council Chair Derek Young was recently appointed to a one-year term as chair of the National Association of Counties (NACo) Health Steering Committee by NACo President Larry Johnson.
Johnson, a DeKalb County, Ga. Commissioner, made the leadership appointments shortly after being sworn in July 12 at the conclusion of NACo’s annual conference. The conference marked the first time in 18 months that county leaders from across the nation could convene after providing bold leadership on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I am honored to lead NACo’s Health Steering Committee,” Young said. “In the wake of the pandemic, counties’ role in the health of our residents has never been more evident. I’m excited for the opportunity to continue representing counties from across the country in this new capacity.”
In addition to the appointment, at the conference the NACo general assembly approved Young’s resolution urging Congress and the President to charter a commission to prepare a complete account of the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Active in NACo since 2015, Young has served for several years on the Health Steering Committee and as a member of the Large Urban Counties Caucus (LUCC) Steering Committee.
The Health Steering Committee is responsible for all matters pertaining to public health and healthy communities, including disease and injury prevention and health promotion, health disparities reduction, financing delivering health care, including services for the uninsured, underinsured, and medically indigent, Medicaid, Medicare, long-term care, behavioral health services, substance abuse prevention and treatment, and services for persons with developmental disabilities.
