SAN ANTONIO — The city has appointed a new Director of its Metropolitan Health District, completing a months-long national search.
New Metro Health Director Claude Jacob will officially start in his new role on July 6.
The city says Jacob has served as the Chief Public Health Officer at the Cambridge Health Alliance in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he oversaw the city's COVID-19 emergency response efforts, among other roles for the city.
Previously, Jacob held multiple leadership roles within the Illinois Department of Health and at the Baltimore City Health Department.
“As we have seen over the past year, public health plays a critical role in the day to day lives of every person. San Antonio has a wealth of public health programs, innovative approaches and services available to its residents,” said Jacob in a statement provided by the city. “I look forward to strengthening and expanding those services in order to address the conditions where all can be healthy in San Antonio.”
The city says Assistant City Manager Dr. Colleen Bridger will continue in her role as incident commander of the COVID response through the transition.
The previous Metro Health director, Dawn Emerick, resigned in July 2020 during the first escalation of coronavirus cases in Bexar County.