Georgia health dept. commissioner to serve in state Senate | Online Athens

David Cook is departing as head of Georgia’s largest health agency to become secretary of the state Senate.

Cook has served as commissioner of the Department of Community Health since January 2011. Before then, he had been executive director of the Medical Association of Georgia.

He will be replaced by attorney Clyde Reese, who is currently commissioner of the Department of Human Services. This will be Reese’s second time as Community Health commissioner. He was Cook’s predecessor in the office.

In turn, Keith Horton, deputy director of the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency, will replace Reese at Human Services. Both Horton and Reese will take office July 1 if approved by the agencies’ boards, Gov. Nathan Deal announced Thursday.

Cook’s departure has been rumored for weeks. As commissioner, he presided over a $12 billion budget and the health care of more than 2 million Georgians, including those on Medicaid and PeachCare and members of the state employees health plan.

The State Health Benefit Plan’s deficit has shrunk under Cook’s tenure, and Medicaid’s budget was recently shored up through passage of a bill that will facilitate renewal of the state hospital provider fee.

Cook has longstanding ties to Deal. He worked for him when Deal was a state senator and was his chief of staff when Deal was a U.S. congressman.

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