Audits show mismanagement, so Fulton County hires new health director

Following a pair of troubling audits that showed mismanagement in the Fulton County health department, the county has named a new leader who has experience with the state and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Kathleen E. Toomey, who will take over the department in mid-March, will have a full plate as she works to improve the health of Fulton residents, who she said have a disproportionate amount of the state’s diseases, and to right the operations of a department that deals with everything from tuberculosis outbreaks to restaurant inspections.

“I’m so excited; I feel like there’s so much to be done,” Toomey said. “The stars have aligned to put me in the right place at the right time to be part of this transformational change.”