March 7, 2023 11:30 a.m.

On Tuesday, Governor Tina Kotek announced that she will be appointing Dave Baden as Interim Director for the Oregon Health Authority effective March 17th.

Baden is currently OHA’s chief financial officer and Kotek said he has a demonstrated ability to lead and implement public health initiatives on rapid timelines with transparency and accountability at the forefront.

A release said Baden’s accomplishments at OHA included managing OHA’s procurement process for Coordinated Care Organizations, as well as multiple critical roles during the pandemic. He was one of the statewide incident commanders in response to COVID-19, procuring and distributing personal protective equipment to health care systems in Oregon amidst a nationwide shortage.

Baden also oversaw staffing support for hospitals and long-term care settings during the height of surges brought on by variants, bringing in more than 2,000 staff to Oregon to help keep providers afloat. The release said he also led effective vaccine distributions, which contributed to Oregon having the second-lowest COVID-19 case rate and eighth-lowest death rate in the nation.

Governor Kotek announced last Friday that she is opening a search for a permanent OHA director.