State Board of Health names Tom Bates OSDH interim commissioner

In a unanimous vote, the Oklahoma State Board of Health named Tom Bates as interim commissioner for the Oklahoma State Department of Health during a special meeting on Wednesday afternoon. He will assume his duties at OSDH on Monday, April 2.

Bates is currently serving as the governor’s special adviser on child welfare and Pinnacle Plan implementation. Prior to that, he was in the Attorney General’s office for 15 years.

“I appreciate the confidence that the board has placed in my ability to serve in this position,” said Bates. “I want to immediately sit down with the fine people in this agency and work to make sure OSDH can focus on delivering core services to protect the health of all Oklahomans.”

The board expressed appreciation to Acting Commissioner Brian Downs for serving in that capacity the past two months.