Stephen Russo will serve as interim secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced today, replacing Dr. Rebekah Gee, who resigned earlier this month.
Russo has served as executive counsel for LDH since 2008. Before joining the department in 1996, he graduated from LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center.
The governor hopes to name a permanent LDH secretary in the coming weeks.
Throughout the transition, Russo will oversee LDH responsibilities, which include ensuring medical coverage for Louisiana’s working population, keeping drinking water safe in communities and monitoring and preventing infectious illness, among other tasks.
In a prepared statement, Edwards says this office will name a permanent secretary who “brings to the job a strong vision for improving health outcomes in the state, while also focusing on the administration of Louisiana’s largest and most complex state agency.”
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