New Health Officials To Start in Detroit, Texas

The following is a summary of media coverage on new appointees to top health care jobs in Detroit and Texas:

• Detroit: Noble Maseru will leave his post as a health policy scientist at Morehouse College's Public Health Sciences Institute in Atlanta to become Detroit's new health chief on Jan. 1, the Detroit Free Press reports. In his new position, the Detroit native will oversee almost 30 programs, a $100 million budget and 1,400 employees. Maseru, who has worked extensively in Atlanta's health system, said he supports "school-based health clinics, clean needle exchange programs ... and prevention campaigns to eliminate childhood obesity" (Anstett, Detroit Free Press, 12/4).
  
• Texas: Albert Hawkins, a "key member" of the Bush administration since January 2001, is taking a position as the Texas Health and Human Services commissioner, the Houston Chronicle reports. Hawkins, who is expected to officially take over in January, will oversee 11 agencies with budgets totaling $35 billion and 50,000 employees. The commission also administers the state's Medicaid program. Hawkins formerly worked as deputy director of Texas' Legislative Budget Board and as budget director for then-Gov. George W. Bush (Ross Hughes, Houston Chronicle, 12/3).