The Anchorage Assembly is entertaining a motion to make the position of our chief medical officer (CMO) subject to Assembly confirmation following a thorough evaluation of a candidate’s qualifications. This process simply does not currently exist.
Our chief medical officer is, and must be, eminently qualified to act on behalf of all residents and our greater community, to ensure our health and well-being, safety, disease prevention, sanitation, emergent health threats, and public health concerns (air, noise, and water pollution). The CMO is the principal clinical medical advisor to the municipality. The position of the CMO is certainly among the most critical for our community.
The qualifications that a CMO must possess include graduation from an accredited MD or DO medical school, residency training in an applicable public health field, unimpeachable experience, and a resume.
For optimal effectiveness, our CMO must be apolitical, unencumbered by political entanglements, yet able to work on behalf of our community with officials at all levels and the citizenry.
With a mayoral election coming soon, it is incumbent that the Assembly resolve this oversight quickly. I am optimistic. Toward that conclusion, I extend my thanks to Assemblyman Daniel Volland for his leadership on this crucial issue.
— Dr. Peter Mjos
Anchorage
Have something on your mind? Send to letters@adn.com or click here to submit via any web browser. Letters under 200 words have the best chance of being published. Writers should disclose any personal or professional connections with the subjects of their letters. Letters are edited for accuracy, clarity and length.