BOISE, Idaho — Monday at 11 a.m. the Ada County Board of Commissioners will appoint a new licensed physician to the Central District Health Board. Dr. Ted Epperly formerly held the position but was abruptly let go in June after serving on the board for nearly 15 years.
According to a spokesperson for Ada County, there are now only three candidates rather than four for the open position.
Today at 11 am the Ada County Commissioners will conduct interviews with 3 physician candidates looking to serve on CDH’s Board of Health (BOH).
— Central District Health (@CDHidaho) August 9, 2021
Watch live at: https://t.co/AWsWRjA1d0.
Learn more about the process & upcoming BOH meeting at: https://t.co/sbW6C02Iz3.
The three candidates are Dr. Sky R. Blue, which according to his application works at Sawtooth Epidemiology & Infectious Disease, Dr. Ryan Cole, a pathologist who owns Cole Diagnostics and Dr. Stanley Moss, who is a local orthopedic surgeon.
The first to take questions was Dr. Blue.
“Throughout my practice, I've seen individuals across the sociodemographic spectrum, and I think all of that really fits what is looking for,” Blue said.
Blue was asked about his experiences with budgeting and infectious disease practices he has.
Ada County Commissioner Kendra Kenyon asked Blue, “why do you think the medical profession is getting behind you so strongly versus the other two candidates?”
“I think with that experience working independently, not for any political agenda or particular hospital system kind of speaks for itself,” Blue answered. “I would value the opportunity to back to those intuitions and the community with my expertise and my experience.”
Following Blue’s interview, Dr. Moss was first asked why he was interested in being a part of the Central District Health board.
Beck asks why Moss is interested in being on the CDH board. Moss has lived here for 40 years. He wants to help keep the community a good place to live, "going in the direction it has in the past, and I'd like to see it continue."
— Audrey Dutton (@audreydutton) August 9, 2021
“I wanted to kind of give back to the community and use some of my training, education, expertise to help keep our community the wonderful place it is to live and raise a family and grow, that it's always been,” Moss said.
Commissioners asked Moss how his specialty relates to the mission of Central District Health.
“I do have a well-rounded medical education. I do keep up on all medical issues and advances. I think that I could be a real value resource to the committee and to the community in general, "Moss said.
Last up was Dr. Cole. He says on a daily basis he sees the “broad patterns where the community is doing well and where improvements can be made.
“I understand very much where we as a community need to guide and direct some of our public health decision makings in terms of the stated goals of the Central District Health board and that’s providing for the long-term wellness for the community,” Cole said.
The Board of Commissioners says they will make their decision Tuesday as they need to thoroughly review the three candidates they spoke with.
You can watch the interview process here on the Ada County Youtube page. Applications from each candidate and public comments through August 5 can be found here.
