Anchorage’s deputy health director is resigning, the latest in a string of departures

A white five story building
The Anchorage Health Department in downtown Anchorage. (Joey Mendolia/Alaska Public Media)

Anchorage’s Deputy Health Director is resigning after 25 years working for the health department. DeeAnn Fetko is the latest in a string of leaders to exit the city health department since Mayor Dave Bronson took office in July. 

Fetko announced her resignation in an email to staff on Monday. She did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In her email, she didn’t give a reason for leaving or a date her resignation is effective.

She wrote that she made the decision after careful consideration. She told staff, “I am confident the team will continue to successfully implement our purpose: public health is for everyone all the time, along with our core values of respect, integrity, service, and equity.”

Fetko briefly served as the city’s acting health director in August after a previous acting director resigned. 

With Fetko’s departure, the entire five-member leadership team listed on the city health department’s website will have turned over under Bronson.

The city’s epidemiologist and longtime medical officer also resigned over the summer and the reproductive health officer was fired recently. The health director told an Assembly committee last week that the city was in the final stages of hiring two epidemiologists. 

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Lex Treinen is covering the state Legislature for Alaska Public Media. Reach him at ltreinen@gmail.com.

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