By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
While the Ellis County Commission searches for a new county health administrator, a familiar face has been selected to fill in on an interim
basis.
In September, Ellis County Health Administrator Kim Reel submitted her resignation to the county.
Ellis County Administrator Darin Myers said that as the county searches for the next health administrator, the commission asked him to contact Kerry McCue to work part-time as an interim.
The county commission approved the contract with McCue at its Sept. 17 meeting.
Before his retirement, McCue served as both the county EMS and health director.
During his more than three years as health director, he oversaw the department’s move to its current location at 2507 Canterbury Drive, and according to Myers, in 2019, the department saw its highest revenue collection in 11 years.
“That’s a good honor for us, as Ellis County, for you coming back to help us out,” Commissioner Neal Younger said.
Myers said McCue has stayed active in the field and still serves on a statewide board. His experience made him the logical choice to fill the role in the interim.
The commission has tasked McCue with investigating the department's current processes and identifying opportunities for improvement.
Myers said among those are the billing, auditing and vaccine programs.
According to Myers, they have received about 35 applications for the health administrator position nationwide.
Interviews for the position began last week and will continue this week.
Myers said they hope to have the final interviews with the commissioners in the next couple of weeks.