News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Putnam County Public Health Director Lisa Bumbalough will oversee the Overton, Fentress, and Pickett County Health Departments until a replacement is selected for the retired Andy Langford.
Bumbalough said she has met with city and county officials to get a feel for how operations at those sites differ from what she is used to in Putnam County. He said she will be in constant contact with the leadership teams at those sites and be present every few days.
“They’re very familiar,” Bumbalough said. “We’re all very familiar with each other because we work very closely in sharing services across county lines, so it will be a very easy transition to continue to serve my county, Putnam County, as well as supporting the other three counties in this interim period.”
She said Langford was a mentor to her and left behind leadership in his district that should prevent any disruption of services throughout the interim process. She said she does not know how long it will be before a new director is hired.
“All three of those counties are blessed to be receiving capital project upgrades from various state and funding sources,” Bumbalough said. “So I’ll be focused on those projects most certainly as well as overseeing the daily operations of each of the health departments.”
She said she plans to ensure efficient patient care and quality customer service through supporting the staff. Bumbalough said the Putnam County Health Department is one of the biggest in the state, so she is used to overseeing a large operation. She said she plans to stick around to help the new director adjust to their new role once a hire is made.
“We’re extremely blessed in our region, the Upper Cumberland region, where all 14 County Health Departments are very well respected and have a compassionate team of employees whose job every day is to promote public health and improve the lives of the citizens they serve,” Bumbalough said.
