Dave Baden was appointed as the Oregon Health Authority's interim director effective March 17.
Mr. Baden is currently CFO of OHA, the state said in a March 7 news release. He has managed procurement processes for coordinated care organizations and other key roles during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was a statewide incident commander in response to the pandemic and oversaw distribution of personal protective equipment to healthcare facilities in the state.
Mr. Baden also oversaw staff support in hospitals and long-term care settings and led vaccine distributions, which helped the state maintain the second-lowest COVID-19 case rate in the nation.
A search for a permanent OHA director is underway.