AUGUSTA – Dr. Sheila Pinette, the former head of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, is resigning her new post as health director in the Department of Health and Human Services.
Pinette, who held the CDC position since 2011 and was reassigned to chief health officer in February, will continue to work as a contract state epidemiologist, according to DHHS Commissioner Mary Mayhew.
Mayhew told the Portland Press Herald on Tuesday that Pinette voluntarily left her new post, but she would not elaborate on the reasons for the departure.
“She has made a decision to no longer stay in this position,” Mayhew said.
She said the details of Pinette’s contracted position have not been finalized.
Pinette could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.
Pinette’s reassignment in February came shortly after the DHHS settled a civil lawsuit with two whistle-blowers who accused her and other CDC officials of shredding public documents and harassing them. The parties reached a settlement that will pay $142,500 to Sharon Leahy-Lind and $22,500 to Katie Woodbury, both former CDC employees. Leahy-Lind and Woodbury claimed in their whistle-blower lawsuit that supervisors retaliated against them after they refused to shred public documents.
As part of the settlement, the DHHS, which includes the CDC, did not admit any wrongdoing. Pinette, Deputy Director Christine Zukas and Office of Minority Health and Equity Director Lisa Sockabasin were named as defendants in the lawsuit.
Pinette was replaced at the CDC by Ken Albert, the former director of the DHHS Division of Licensing and Regulatory Services, where he spearheaded reforms to improve inspections of day care centers after the licensing program was found to be deficient.
Mayhew and the LePage administration had been criticized for creating a new health director post for Pinette, but Mayhew defended the position Tuesday, saying the addition was part of “restructuring that needs to be better understood.”
She said the CDC had over 300 employees and $100 million in various funding sources and that additional management oversight would lead to more efficient delivery of state services.
“When you think about the management structure that is needed to ensure that the right resources are being devoted to the right services, that there’s accountability, … we needed increased operational, director-level oversight,” Mayhew said. “When we created that position it was intended to support the clinical support that’s within the CDC.”
According to a statement from DHHS, Dr. Christopher Pezzullo has been named acting chief health officer. Pezzullo joined the Maine CDC in 2012 as the medical director of the Division of Population Health.
The state epidemiologist job pays between $120,000 and $166,000 a year, depending on education and experience, which is similar to other top positions in other states. Maine has been seeking a permanent epidemiologist since the position became vacant in June. The position coordinates the state’s strategy for handling infectious disease outbreaks. Mayhew indicated that Pinette’s contract would be temporary as the state continues its search.
Pinette, a self-employed primary care physician from Cape Elizabeth, was appointed to the CDC position in 2011. Critics questioned whether she was experienced enough for the CDC job.
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