Taylorsville-April 28, 2023-The Alexander County Health Department is pleased to celebrate the service of Leeanne Whisnant and to honor her years of service to the citizens of Alexander County as she retires on Friday, April 29.
Whisnant began her career at the department in March 1989 as a public health nurse and dedicated her thirty-three years of service to a healthier Alexander County, serving as director of nursing for eight years and health director for twenty-one years. As health director, Whisnant provided administrative and overall management for all public health programs, oversaw the management of the agency’s $3.1 million budget and supervised a team of more than forty full-time, part-time and contract employees. Her strong advocacy for meeting unmet healthcare needs in our community led to the addition of behavioral health services and pediatric dental clinic services to the agency’s programs.
Public health is a broad term and the health department’s many services are as diverse as child health, family planning for women and for men, environmental health and, in rare instances, case surveillance, testing and vaccination for global health emergencies including the Covid-19 pandemic. Through it all, Whisnant always viewed her primary role as champion for the cause of public health in our community. “Nothing is more important to me than our mission ‘to promote, protect and ensure the health and well-being of every citizen of Alexander County,” she said. “I am very fortunate to have been able to spend my entire career doing that for my friends and neighbors, the people of Alexander County.”
The Alexander County Board of Commissioners has named Billie Walker as interim health director. Walker joined Alexander County Health Department in 2003 as a public health nurse, became director of nursing in 2008 and was promoted to assistant health director in 2019. She assumes the role of interim health director effective May 1, 2022 and looks forward to continuing the agency’s commitment to a healthier Alexander County and to the many opportunities ahead for Alexander County Public Health.
