Milwaukee native Jeanette Kowalik was sworn in as the new health commissioner by a unanimous Common Council vote Wednesday.
It’s been nearly eight months to the day since former health commissioner Bevan Baker resigned over problems with the department’s lead abatement program. Now the city finally has a new health commissioner as Milwaukee native Jeanette Kowalik was sworn in Wednesday. With her are the hopes of many to create true change within a troubled department.
She was voted in unanimously by the Common Council, after being selected by Mayor Barrett last July. A selection committee that included members of the Common Council said that Kowalik’s resume was the best they received. “This is about the children, this is about the families, this is about the community,” Kowalik said in a speech after the vote Wednesday.
Kowalik has a long and varied career in public health, having served in leadership roles in multiple cities, most recently as the associate director at the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, a Washington D.C. based nonprofit that focuses on nationwide health policy. She was also a program director at the Chicago Department of Public Health where she worked to lessen the number of sexually transmitted infections across the city.
“She does have a great deal of work ahead of her,” said Ald. Bob Donovan at the Wednesday meeting. “It is my hope that this community, and this Council never again go through what transpired with the Health Department.”
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Kowalik poses with Ald. Ashanti Hamilton, a vocal supporter of Kowalik, at Wednesday's Common Council meeting.
Last January, it was learned that the Health Department failed to follow up with the families of thousands of children across Milwaukee who tested positive for lead. Following Baker’s resignation, it was learned that paperwork in his office had gone missing. Baker’s replacement for the time being, interim health commissioner Patricia McManus, outlined multiple problems at a subcommittee meeting Tuesday, including the recent rise of sexually transmitted infections across Milwaukee, which could be to blame because of the department’s scaling back of family planning services.
However, Kowalik plans to turn the department around quickly. “I’m aware of the current issues surrounding the health department,” she said. “We should be in the news for accomplishments, not deficiencies...and I seek to change that.”
Kowalik said she plans to change the city’s lead abatement program, and even though she has not announced specific steps to be taken by the department yet, she called the crisis a “winnable battle.” She also plans on using marketing campaigns and other means to help lessen the rise of STI’s across the city, as she led a similar campaign at the City of Chicago Health Department.
She also plans on lowering the amount of infant mortalities across the community. “The black-white disparity still remains,” Kowalik said about Milwaukee. Kowalik said she has worked with Best Babies Zone, a nationwide resource to connect families with community organizations. She also discussed linking with mental health professionals in the area, something that many city leaders and experts often say there is a need for.
“Mark my words, I am pursuing this position to serve my hometown,” Kowalik said at a Common Council subcommittee meeting Tuesday. “My authority will be independent. This work will be done with the highest level of transparency, and open communication.”
Ald. Donovan sounded hopeful, but realistic before the vote Wednesday. “You can't expect miracles,” he said. “Turning that ship is going to take a long time, but we need to find solutions for the betterment of our citizens.”
