Bill Hance
Bill Hance to chair Metro Board of Health
Bill Hance, director of Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Office of News and Public Affairs, has been elected chair of Metropolitan Nashville Board of Health. The board oversees the Public Health Department of Nashville/Davidson County.
Hance, who was reappointed to his seat on the Board of Health at the recommendation of Mayor Bill Purcell and confirmed by the Metro Council this week, succeeds Janie Parmley as chair. Parmley, an R.N., is director of patient care for Vanderbilt Home Care Services and will continue as an active board member.
“I am honored to be selected by my peers on the Health Board to serve as chair,” Hance said. “There are some serious health issues facing the city and the mayor is committed to a healthier Nashville. It is the job of the Board of Health to help the Mayor reach that goal.”
Hance, who received a law degree from the Nashville School of Law, has been VUMC’s news director for the past 18 years. He is married to Mary Hance, better known as The Tennessean’s Ms. Cheap. They have two daughters, Anna and Elizabeth.
The Board of Health is made up of six members, including Hance; Parmley; Henry Foster, M.D.; Margaret Behm; Samuel Okpaku, M.D., Ph.D.; and Ruth Stewart, M.D.
The Health Department administers more than 40 programs and has an operating budget totaling $27,054,872. In addition to running three preventive health care clinics, the department is responsible for numerous health related programs that include animal control, immunizations, mosquito control and food inspections.
“The mayor has assembled a great team on the Board of Health,” Hance said. “Promoting and preserving better health for the residents of Davidson County is a combined effort of the citizens and the medical community.”