JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — The executive director of Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH) will retire on Oct. 2 after more than 30 years of service but will continue to serve on a leadership board until his position is filled.
Dr. Mark B. Johnson was originally set to retire from JCPH in early 2020 but extended his time with the department to help guide the county through the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It has been a great honor to serve Jefferson County for the past three decades and the large majority of my professional career. When I was first hired for this position, my number one goal was to leave this county a healthier place than it was when I first started,” said Johnson in a news release.
“While 2020 has certainly been the most unexpected, challenging year of them all due to the novel coronavirus, I am so incredibly proud of how far we have come in addressing public health issues in our community over the years. I have seen firsthand how strong our county is in dealing with major issues like floods and wildfires, and I am confident the county will overcome COVID-19 as a more resilient community, too.”
The Jefferson County Board of Health and JCPH are recruiting a new Executive Director to lead the department. In the interim, four long-time Division Directors will serve as a leadership board, providing strategic direction for the department and public health counsel for the county.
Since it is required under Colorado law for county health departments to have a Medical Director on staff or in a consulting position at all times, Johnson will continue to serve in this role until the position is filled.
Following his retirement, Johnson will serve in a new elected position as president of the Colorado Medical Society (CMS), the largest organization of physicians in the state. He will serve one year as CMS president-elect until his presidency officially begins in September 2021.
JCPH is currently involved in an ongoing legal battle with Bandimere Speedway over public health orders related to the novel coronavirus.
The agency took legal action against Morrison speedway for the second time this month following an event health officials said was in violation of health orders.
Bandimere filed a countersuit against JCPH, Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D-Colorado) and state health officials challenging various health orders put in place since March as unconstitutional. As the JCPH executive director, Johnson is named in that lawsuit.
The two sides first met in court following a July 4 event hosted at Bandimere Speedway, which JCPH said also violated public health orders.
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