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DeWine Appoints First Woman To Head Ohio Department Of Health

Dr. Amy Acton and Gov. Mike DeWine shake hands after she was sworn in as Director of the Ohio Department of Health.
Karen Kasler
Dr. Amy Acton and Gov. Mike DeWine shake hands after she was sworn in as Director of the Ohio Department of Health.

Gov. Mike DeWine has filled the final position open in his cabinet, which is likely the most diverse in state history.

Amy Acton has decades of experience as a doctor and administrator. She’s the first physician to lead the agency in almost five years.

And Acton says she has a holistic approach. “The food we eat is our health. Where we live, the zip code we’re born into is our health. All the things that surround us are creating the conditions in which we can lead flourishing lives," Acton said.

Among Acton’s priorities are infant mortality and youth homelessness, which she says she experienced growing up in Youngstown.

The Department of Health oversees Ohio’s abortion clinics. Acton says she doesn’t have a stance on abortion but that she’ll follow the law.

Contact Karen at 614-578-6375 or at kkasler@statehousenews.org.
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