Longtime Alabama state health officer leaving to head hospital association

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Dr. Don Williamson, longtime head of the Alabama Department of Public Health, announced on Wednesday that he will be leaving his current office to become the president of the Alabama Hospital Association.

The Alabama Hospital Association says Williamson will take over as president of the private organization sometime this November. Williamson had previously served as state health officer since 1992, and he’s also chair of the Alabama Medicaid Transition Task Force.

“This is so hard for me,” Williamson said Wednesday. “I’ve done almost 20 years in this job. It was the hardest thing.”

For the past several years, the doctor has held two of the largest jobs in state government and worked to transition the state’s Medicaid program to managed care in a state that consistently struggles to fund Medicaid.

Williamson’s announcement comes at a time when Medicaid could face a large funding cut to fix the Alabama’s General Fund woes.

The Alabama Hospital Association is one of the state’s most fervent proponents of expanding Medicaid under ObamaCare. Dr. Williamson will not be able to lobby DPH for two years after his departure.

Governor Robert Bentley (R-AL) thanked Williamson for his work and wished him the best at his new position in a press release. However, Williamson will be sticking around until he assumes his Hospital Association role to ensure a smooth transition for Medicaid changes.

“We still have challenges to address at Medicaid, including agency funding and full implementation of the regional care organizations.” The Governor wrote. “I know as Dr. Williamson transitions out of his role as Chair of the Medicaid Transition Task Force, he will work closely with Acting Medicaid Commissioner Stephanie Azar on a smooth transition.”