Dorothy Adams, the new Salt Lake County Executive Health Director, brings a wealth of experience and a passion for public health to her role. In an interview with the City Journals, Adams shared insights into her personal journey, professional background, leadership style, and vision for the future of public health in Salt Lake County.

Previous director, Dr. Angela Dunn, left the department in February to take on a new role at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adams was deputy director of the health department from 2014 until becoming executive director this year.

Adams' career in public health began with a temporary position in the health department, driven by her interest in environmental health.

"I began working for the health department as a temporary employee with the desire to work in environmental health. My degrees were primarily focused on environmental health, and I was really interested in working in a capacity that allowed me to provide education around environmental regulations while also meeting the needs of the community," Adams said. 

This foundational experience ignited her passion for public health and provided numerous opportunities for her to make significant contributions. Throughout her career, Adams has developed and managed various public health programs, which she believes have prepared her well for her current role. 

"I’ve spent most of my career developing and managing public health programs. Through that experience, I developed a deep understanding of the role relationships with partners play in meeting the growing and ever-changing needs of the community," she said. 

One notable experience was her participation in the Emerging Leadership in Public Health (ELPH) program, funded by the Kresge Foundation. "That connected me with many national leaders in public health. I am a firm believer that we all have opportunities to learn from each other—we are truly stronger together—so I continue to look for opportunities to connect and learn from others who have a mutual goal of improving our community."

As Adams steps into her new role, she is eager to immerse herself in the community and collaborate with various partners to improve public health outcomes. 

"There are many partners who are essential components of ensuring that people within Salt Lake County have access to resources that help them be healthy. The health department is a part of that landscape, with our work to ensure everyone has access to immunizations, STD testing and treatment, education about how to lead healthy lives, disease surveillance, and environmental health work," Adams said. 

Adams' leadership style is rooted in inclusivity and innovation. "I try to be a very inclusive decision maker and find that different perspectives build a more complete understanding of the issue at hand and, with that, ultimately lead to better decisions. I also know that being innovative means there will be times when things don’t go as hoped or planned; creating an environment where people feel supported to try new and different things will truly allow our department to make a difference when working to address health outcomes across Salt Lake County," Adams said. 

Her personal motivations stem from a deep-seated commitment to developing and implementing programs that directly address public health issues. 

"I have been fortunate over my career to work on projects that were important to me. While working in environmental health, I started the state’s first household hazardous waste collection program, which over the last 30 years has grown in popularity, including with a new centrally located facility in Sandy opening in early July," Adams said. 

She also highlighted her work on Utah’s waste tire program, which successfully cleaned up waste tires throughout the state. "Developing and implementing programs that directly address public health issues really gives me a lot of personal satisfaction," she said.

Adams recognizes the significant challenges her role entails but remains optimistic about balancing these with opportunities for impactful changes. "The biggest challenges many, if not all, public agencies face is finding ways to fund emerging issues. Nothing ever gets taken off our plate, but more things are added as our community grows and faces challenges associated with that growth," Adams said. 

Looking ahead, Adams has a clear vision for the health department. "For as long as I have worked for the health department, there have been areas of our county with poorer health outcomes; for example, there are data that show that life expectancy between neighborhoods—sometimes adjacent neighborhoods—differs by as much as 10 years. It is important to me that we start changing things that can only be done when community members understand and have access to our programs and services," Adams said. 

Building upon lessons learned from the COVID pandemic, Adams aims to offer programs directly in the community through outreach events, requiring strong relationships with community partners.

Community engagement is a cornerstone of Adams' strategy. "Every five years the health department conducts a community health assessment to inform and update our community health improvement plan. We have historically worked with health care systems to conduct this assessment, as the information in it should inform the work that we all do," Adams said. 

This year, there is a renewed emphasis on involving community partners in the process, ensuring the assessment becomes a guiding document for both the health department and its partners.

Innovation is also a key focus for Adams. 

"The COVID pandemic demonstrated that we need to invest in a public health infrastructure so decision makers can access timely and important data. That is not an easy process, but with funding that will last until 2027 we plan to assess our current structure and work with other local health departments and the Utah Department of Health and Human Services to improve upon our current system and capabilities," Adams said. 

Outside of her professional life, Adams enjoys the natural beauty of Utah through activities like gardening, hiking, biking, skiing and camping. With her three grown children, she now has more time to explore these interests. More information on the Salt Lake County Health Department can be found online at slco.org/health/. λ